Ronato Alcano

Last updated
Ronato Alcano
Ronato Alcano.jpg
Ronato Alcano in the 2006 World Pool Championship at the Philippine International Convention Center
Born (1972-07-27) 27 July 1972 (age 52)
Calamba, Laguna, Philippines
Sport countryFlag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines
Nickname"Ronnie Calamba", "the Volcano"
Pool games Eight-ball, nine-ball, ten-ball, rotation
Tournament wins
World Champion Eight-ball (2007),
Nine-ball (2006)
Medal record
Representing Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines
Men's Eight-Ball
Southeast Asian Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2007 Nakhon Ratchasima Singles
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2009 Vientiane Singles
Men's Rotation
Southeast Asian Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2005 Manila Singles
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2005 Manila Doubles

Ronato (Ronnie) Alcano OL (pronounced al-kah-no) (born 27 July 1972 in Calamba, Laguna, Philippines), is a Filipino professional pool player, nicknamed "Ronnie Calamba" and "the Volcano". He won both the 2006 WPA World Nine-ball Championship and the 2007 WPA World Eight-ball Championship.

Contents

Career history

After graduating in elementary school, Alcano didn't proceed to high school due to financial problems. He then opted to play pool for a living.

Alcano's recognitions in the Philippines began with his performances at the 2000 Rising Stars Tournament. By the final, he was highly favored to win the title, yet in the final match (a race to 13), Alcano lost to Edgar Acaba by just a rack short, 13–12. Despite having a 12–7 advantage, Alcano missed while only three balls away. Acaba then returned to the table and won the needed 6 racks in a row to win the match and the title.

In 2002, Alcano began to make a name for himself, and began competing in major events in the US. He won five tournaments in the Joss Tour and was awarded Rookie of the Year for 2002 by azbilliards.com.

Alcano returned to the East, for the 2005 WPA Asian Nine-ball Tour, winning the Manila tournament (11-6 versus Yang Ching-shun), and qualifying for the world championship. [1]

Coming in as an underdog, Alcano upset German Ralf Souquet in the finals, 17 to 11 at the 2006 WPA Men's World Nine-ball Championship. ESPN commentator Gerry Forsyth said, "the only way to stop Alcano is to put a rattlesnake in his pocket, then ask him for a match" about Alcano's performance. He thus became the third Filipino to become World Champion, after Efren Reyes and Alex Pagulayan. In the November 2006 tournament, Alcano had been on the brink of elimination in group play before taking advantage of a soft break. He won just 1 of 3 group matches and scraped through as the 64th and final seed. Alcano then defeated local favorite Reyes and defending champion Wu Chia-ching in the knockout stages, proceeding to the final. For winning the tournament, Alcano won US$100,000 which is the largest first prize ever won in the world nine-ball championship.

In 2007, Alcano won the WPA World Eight-ball Championship by defeating his compatriot Dennis Orcollo in the final match 11–8.

On 16 September 2007, Alcano finished second to Antonio Gabica in the Philippine Nine-ball Open.

In an attempt to defend his title at the 2007 World Nine-ball Championship, Alcano was bested in the last 64 by Daryl Peach of the United Kingdom who ultimately won the title.

On 11 December 2007, Ronato Alcano won the Philippines' 31st gold medal in the 24th Southeast Asian Games Men's 8-Ball Pool Singles at the Sima Thani Hotel Grand Ballroom. [2]

On 25 April 2008, Ronnie Alcano lost his title at the World 8-Ball Championships in Fujairah City, United Arab Emirates. Germany's Ralf Souquet won the $60,000 championship prize, 13–9 final score. [3]

On 26 October 2008, Alcano lost to Mika Immonen in the $250,000 33rd US Open Nine-ball Championship, where 237 billiards players competed in Chesapeake, Virginia. Mika claimed the 13–7 victory against Alcano, who settled for $20,000. [4] [5] [6]

Nicknames and monikers

During his early days of competing in the Philippines, Alcano was nicknamed "Calamba" which is a reference to his hometown in the country (see above). But when he started participating in US-based tournaments, some commentators mispronounced his last name as al-kay-no. Thus, the nickname "Volcano" was addressed.

Title and achievements

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Efren Reyes</span> Filipino professional pool player (born 1954)

Efren Manalang Reyes, popularly known by the nicknames "Bata" and "the Magician", is a Filipino professional pool player, who is widely regarded as the greatest pool player of all time, and especially famed for his skill at the challenging one-pocket discipline. In 2003, he was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francisco Bustamante</span> Filipino pool player

Francisco Bustamante is a Filipino professional pool player from Tarlac, Central Luzon and the 2010 World Nine-ball Champion, nicknamed "Django", after the lead character of the 1966 film of the same name, and sometimes also called "Bustie", especially in the United States. Bustamante has won over 70 international titles and is considered one of the greatest pool players of all time.

Marlon Manalo, also known by the nickname "Marvelous Captain", is a former Filipino professional pool player. He currently serves as barangay chairman of Barangay Malamig, Mandaluyong. He also became the press relation officer of the League of Barangays of the Philippines and ABC president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thorsten Hohmann</span> German pool player

Thorsten Hohmann is a German professional pool player, nicknamed "the Hitman." He is a three-time world champion, winning the WPA World Nine-ball Championship in 2003, and 2013, and winning the WPA World Straight Pool Championship in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralf Souquet</span> German pool player

Ralf Souquet is a German professional pool player. His nickname is "The Kaiser". Souquet is considered one of the greatest pool players of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Orcollo</span> Filipino pool player

Dennis Orcollo, sometimes called Dennis Orcullo, is a Filipino professional pool player, nicknamed "Surigao" and "RoboCop". He has been called "The Money-Game King".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wu Jia-qing</span> Taiwanese-born Chinese pool player

Wu Jiaqing is a Taiwanese-born Chinese professional pool player. He is nicknamed the Taishan Shentong. Since 2011, Wu switched from representing Chinese Taipei to representing the country of China. Previously known as Wu Chia-ching, the spelling of his name was changed upon moving to mainland China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Li Hewen</span> Chinese professional pool player

Li Hewen is a Chinese professional pool player. He made it to the finals in the Vietnam leg of the 2006 WPA Asian Nine-ball Tour, but lost to Efren Reyes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Vann Corteza</span> Filipino pool player (born 1979)

Lee Vann Corteza, also spelled Lee Van Corteza, is a Filipino professional pool player. He is nicknamed "The Slayer", and started playing pool in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mika Immonen</span> Finnish pool player

Mika Immonen is a Finnish professional Hall of Fame pool player, nicknamed "The Iceman."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oliver Ortmann</span> German three time world champion pool player

Oliver Ortmann is a German professional pool player from Gelsenkirchen. Ortmann is a three-time world champion, winning the 1995 WPA World Nine-ball Championship and the 2007 and 2010 World Straight Pool Championship. Ortmann became the second player to win three WPA world championships. With fourteen wins, he the second most successful player at the European Pool Championships. Ortmann is also the second most successful player on the Euro Tour, winning fourteen events. Ortmann was the first non-American player to win the BCA U.S. Open Straight Pool Championship, in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santos Sambajon</span> Filipino professional pool player (born 1960)

Santos Sambajon is a Filipino professional pool player. His nicknames are "The Little Giant" and "The Saint." Originally from the Philippines, he now resides in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shane Van Boening</span> American pool player (born 1983)

Shane Van Boening is an American professional pool player from Rapid City, South Dakota. Van Boening is considered one of the best players of all time. Van Boening has won the WPA World Nine-ball Championship and has won the US Open Nine-ball Championship on 5 occasions, along with over 100 other professional titles.

The 2007 World Nine-ball Championship was the 18th annual international nine-ball pool tournament for men sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA). It was held at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines from 3–11 November 2007. It was the second consecutive time the tournament has been held in the Philippines.

The 2009 World Cup of Pool was a professional nine-ball pool, and the fourth World Cup of Pool, a scotch doubles knockout championship representing 32 national teams. The cup was played at the Annex of SM City North EDSA in Quezon City, Philippines from 1 to 6 September 2009. The Korean pair of Ga Young Kim and Yun Mi Lim were the first all-female team to participate at the event. The tournament featured a prize fund of $250,000 with the winner receiving $60,000. It was sponsored by online poker website partypoker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 WPA World Nine-ball Championship</span> Professional pool competition, held 2011

The 2011 WPA World Nine-ball Championship was a professional nine-ball pool tournament held from June 25 to July 1, 2011 at the Al Sadd Sports Club in Doha, Qatar. A series of qualifying tournaments were held from June 21 to 23. It was the 2011 edition of the WPA World Nine-ball Championship, which was first held in 1990. The event was organized by the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA).

The 2011 World Cup of Pool is the sixth edition of the said tournament. For the third straight year, the event is once again being held in the Philippines, at The Block of SM City North EDSA in Quezon City, from 6 to 11 September 2011. The event was won by the German team of Ralf Souquet and Thorsten Hohmann, who defeated Thailand's Nitiwat Kanjanasri and Kobkit Palajin in the final 10–4.

The 2006 WPA World Nine-ball Championship was the seventeenth edition of the WPA World Nine-ball Championship and took place between 4 and 12 November 2006 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay, Philippines. The event was to be held for the first time in the Philippines, on a two-year deal, including the 2007 WPA World Nine-ball Championship. The championships were hosted by the World Pool Billiard Association (WPA).

The 2008 WPA World Eight-ball Championship was an eight-ball world championship, organized by the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), and held 18–25 April 2008 at the Fujairah Exhibition Centre of the Al Diar Siji Hotel in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. A total of 64 players competed in the tournament.

The 2007 WPA World Eight-ball Championship was an eight-ball world championship, organized by the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), and held 1–8 March 2007 at the Fujairah Exhibition Centre of the Al Diar Siji Hotel in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. A total of 64 players competed in the tournament.

References

  1. Asian Nine-ball Tour official site Archived 2007-02-03 at the Wayback Machine , Retrieved on 7 February 2007
  2. GMA NEWS.TV, Alcano bags gold in 8-ball pool, as RP drops to 6th overall
  3. Abs-Cbn Interactive, Alcano loses World 8-Ball crown to Souquet [ permanent dead link ]
  4. insidepoolmag.com, Immonen is New U.S. Open 9-Ball Champion
  5. "gmanews.tv/story, RP's Alcano loses to Finn Immonen in US Open 9-ball final". Archived from the original on 2010-03-22. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
  6. billiardsdigest.com, Big Win for Finn: Immonen Clobbers Alcano to Break U.S. Open 'Curse'
  7. "Championship Cloth Pro Classic 9-Ball". Azbilliards.com. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  8. "Chuck Markulis Memorial 9-Ball Division". Azbilliards.com. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  9. Marlon Bernardino (November 15, 2010). ""Volcano" Alcano Wins Star Billiards 10-Ball; Pockets P100,000 Prize Money". AzBilliards.com. Retrieved 2010-11-17.
  10. AzB Staff (October 3, 2010). "Alcano wins in Thailand". AzBilliards.com. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
  11. Skip Maloney (21 September 2009). "Alcano stings "The Scorpion" in Galveston 8-Ball Final". AzBilliards.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-22.