Chezka Centeno bucked a slow start before edging 2022 champion Chouh Chieh-Yu of Chinese Taipei, 1-4, 4-3, 4-1, 4-1, to storm into the semifinals of the 2024 WPA World 10-Ball Women’s Championship in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Friday, Nov. 15.

Centeno, who eyes to become the first back-to-back champion in this annual event, picked up her rhythm in the last two sets to move two wins away from winning the crown.

Her victory set her up a semifinal date with South Korea’s Seoa Seo, who downed United States’ Sofia Mast,

4-3, 4-3, 4-1.

This wouldn’t be the first time that Centeno is facing Seoa as the two figured in the Las Vegas Open semifinal last February where the Filipina sensation prevailed via shootout to advance to the finals and eventually clinching the crown.

They also faced in the inaugural 2022 Asian Pool Federation Women’s 9-Ball Championship in Singapore where Centeno toppled Seoa for the title.

Centeno is also looking for her second crown this year after winning the Las Vegas Open, while Seoa guns for her first this year to eclipse her best finish so far of a third-place ranking in the Asian 9-Ball Women’s Championship.

Meanwhile, the other semis pairing feature 2010 champion Jasmin Ouschan of Austria against Russian Kristina Tkach.

Ouschan outplayed last year’s finalist Han Yu 0-4, 4-0, 4-3, 4-2, while Tkach stunned 2022 runner-up Wei Tzu Chien, 4-3, 4-1, 4-0.

At the Puerto Rico 10-Ball Open, Carlo Biado fell short of his campaign after losing his semis match against Fedor Gorst, 4-2, 4-2.

Gorst eventually settled for the runner-up honors as he yielded to Ukraine’s Vitaliy Patsura, 4-1, 4-2.