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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Corteza turns back Dutch rival, captures Virginia 9-ball tourney title

Corteza turns back Dutch rival, captures Virginia 9-ball tourney title

Published Aug 5, 2025 12:48 pm

At A Glance

  • Veteran Lee Vann Corteza kicked off the American tour with a bang after pulling off a come-from-behind 15-14 win over Dutch Yannick Pongers to reign supreme in the Rally in the Shenandoah Valley at On Cue Sports Bar & Grill in Front Royal, Virginia over the weekend.
Lee Vann Corteza, center, poses with his trophy after winning the Rally in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia over the weekend. (Matchroom Pool)
Lee Vann Corteza, center, poses with his trophy after winning the Rally in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia over the weekend. (Matchroom Pool)
Veteran Lee Vann Corteza kicked off the American tour with a bang after pulling off a come-from-behind 15-14 win over Dutch Yannick Pongers to reign supreme in the Rally in the Shenandoah Valley at On Cue Sports Bar & Grill in Front Royal, Virginia over the weekend.
Heading into the race-to-15 finale with an unblemished record, the 46-year-old Corteza didn’t show any signs of slowing down as he came back from a 7-13 deficit off a 7-1 run that forced a hill-hill before he completed his final salvo against his younger rival.
The victory not only gave Corteza a morale boost for future competitions this month, but also earned him the $10,000 (around P570,000) winner’s purse.
Pongers, 20, settled for the $5,000 (around P280,0000) runner-up prize in the 64-man event where Corteza was the lone Filipino in the field.
Prior to his title win, the Southeast Asian Games multi-medalist claimed the scalps of Americans Nathan Childress (13-9) and American Long (11-6), and Swedish Walter Laikre (11-6).
He also toppled hometown bets Brandon Shuff (9-3), Kashton Keeton (9-6), and Long (9-6) in the preliminaries.
Meanwhile, Corteza joined fellow Filipino cue artists that include recently crowned world champion Carlo Biado, Johann Chua and AJ Manas in the Florida Open Pool Championship in Orlando slated on Aug. 5 to 10.
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