Filipino cue artist Richard Alinsub turned heads after beating compatriot Sean Mark Malayan, 11-8, to rule the 2024 Bali 9-Ball Open in Indonesia on Wednesday night, April 17.

Alinsub successfully turned the favor on his side after firing five straight racks to earn an 8-7 advantage then never looked back despite some counter from Malayan to pocket the IDR 100,000,000 (Php 350,000) grand purse in the 128-man tournament.

The San Jose del Monte, Bulacan pool player dominated eventual third placer AJ Manas, 9-1, in the all-Filipino semifinal round which included Jundel Manzon.

Alinsub also rolled past Vietnamese Duong Quoc, 9-5, in the quarterfinals.

After a nip-and-tuck affair in the opening racks of the finals and the score tied at 3-all. Malayan found his rhythm and went off with four straight racks to take a 7-3 lead. 

Unfortunately, he couldn’t sustain the momentum as Alinsub regained consciousness and took over the match.

Meanwhile, the 10-ball tourney already opened as of presstime with the four Filipinos also joining the event.