Dennis Orcollo exits as Universal Open field cuts to last 64
The Filipino great fell to Nien Rong Chih in Friday's final wave as 52 one-loss-side ties closed the double-elimination phase — with 16 home players reaching Saturday's knockout.
HO CHI MINH CITY — Dennis Orcollo's Universal Open is over. The Filipino great — edged in a Thursday decider by home hero Hoàng Thái Duy — fell to Taiwan's Nien Rong Chih in Friday's closing wave as the event's last 52 one-loss-side ties settled and the field cut to 64 at Sniper Billiards Club.
He headlined a day of heavy exits. Bernie Regalario went home to Christopher Alexander in one of five Friday ties the official bracket records without rack scores, and the draw's highest-profile woman, Nguyễn Bích Trâm, fell to Taiwan's Chen Chen Wei.
Four featured names survive on the one-loss side. World No. 2 Carlo Biado saw off Tống Bá Minh, Oliver Szolnoki beat Liu Chien Hung, Mickey Krause ended James Oyangoren's run, and James Aranas won twice in a day to stay alive — beating Amarit Theprattanawichai and Phạm Phương Nam.
Nine of the event's 11 featured players reach the last 64: the unbeaten five — Aloysius Yapp, Wu Kun Lin, Robbie Capito, Johann Chua and Anton Raga — plus Biado, Szolnoki, Krause and Aranas. Jeffrey Ignacio, out on Thursday, and Regalario are the only featured men eliminated so far.
Vietnam carries 16 players into the knockout. Eight home names remain unbeaten — Trịnh Văn Bình, who toppled Biado on Thursday, Chu Việt Hoàng, Cao Văn Hào, Lường Đức Thiện, Tất Duy Kiên, Nguyễn Anh Tuấn, Dương Quốc Hoàng and Hoàng Thái Duy — and eight more survived on the one-loss side: Lương Văn Nam, Nguyễn Gia Bảo, Nguyễn Đăng Tuyên, Nguyễn Phương Thảo, Quách Vĩ Nam, Trương Hoàng Lâm, Đinh Chấn Kiệt and Vũ Văn Minh.
The double-elimination phase complete, the event cuts to straight knockout from Saturday — race-to-10 through the last eight, eleven in the quarter-finals and semi-finals — building to Sunday's race-to-13 final for the $15,000 top prize from the $63,000 fund.
Sources: outcomes as recorded on the official Digital Pool bracket; Friday's rack scores are not yet independently confirmed and are not cited. See our day-two wrap and round-one coverage.
