Philippines Open Opens Monday With Biado Leading the Home Charge

The World Nineball Tour's Manila swing rolls straight on. Two days after the Reyes Cup final, the Philippines Open Pool Championship opens Monday at Gateway Mall in Quezon City — 128 players, a $100,000 prize fund and no second chances: every match in the straight-knockout draw is an elimination.

The names to watch

World No. 1 Carlo Biado headlines the home contingent after anchoring Team Asia at the Reyes Cup, joined by AJ Manas, Johann Chua, Robbie Capito and Jefrey Roda. Defending champion David Alcaide returns to the venue where he beat Arseni Sevastyanov to win the inaugural title last year.

The international list is just as heavy: fresh Reyes Cup MVP Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, Shane Van Boening, Fedor Gorst, Jayson Shaw and Aloysius Yapp are all in the draw.

The format

Single elimination from a field of 128 means seven straight wins for the trophy. There is no group stage safety net — one bad set and the week is done. The semi-finals and final are scheduled for Saturday, October 24, with the arena configuration returning to the setup that made last year's debut a signature event on the calendar.

How to watch

Matches stream free on the One Sports YouTube channel in the Philippines and on WNT TV internationally.

Sources: World Nineball Tour event page and season schedule.