Rubilen Amit came up short in capturing the women’s division title of the 2024 Asian 10-Ball Championships after yielding in the finals on Thursday, Dec. 19, in Doha, Qatar.

Amit, a two-time world 10-ball champion, succumbed to Chinese rival Liu Shasha in a hill-hill battle, 7-6, to settle for the runner-up honors in this 37-player tournament.

The loss came a few hours after she routed another Chinese in Han Yu, 6-3, in the semifinals.

Despite the defeat, Amit earned a berth to the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, China.

“Thank you to all the Filipinos here in Doha who have been very supportive to me and Chezka. Maraming salamat po sa inyo,” said Amit in a social media post, referring to teammate Chezka Centeno.

Amit and Centeno were actually eyeing an all-Filipino final but the latter, the reigning world 10-ball titlist, bowed to Liu, 6-5, in the other semis pairing.

Moments after the defeat, Centeno contemplated her performance against Liu.

“I was so close to making it to the finals but ended up losing in a super intense match,” said Centeno in a social media post.

“I really wanted to secure my spot in the finals, but it just wasn’t meant to be. There were a few mistakes I made that cost me the match, but Liu Shasha played incredibly well and is still definitely one of the best in the game,” she added.

Centeno, however, was gracious in defeat.

“While it’s not the result I hoped for, I’m grateful for the experience,” she said.

Meanwhile, it was also a good run for Amit, who started the tournament in a dominant fashion with lopsided victories over Lebanon’s Rana Nasserddine, 5-0; Singapore’s Anran Yu, 5-2; Indonesia’s Annabella Putri Yohana, 6-0; and China’s Chen Simming, 6-3.