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Kyle Amoroto pulls off huge upset of Johann Chua for All Japan crown

Sports

Kyle Amoroto pulls off huge upset of Johann Chua for All Japan crown

By Reynald I. Magallon

At A Glance

Kyle Amoroto pulled off a gargantuan upset of two-time world champion Johann Chua, 11-5, to reign in the All Japan Championship 2025 in Osaka on Sunday, Nov. 23.

Kyle Amoroto pulled off a gargantuan upset of two-time world champion Johann Chua, 11-5, to reign in the All Japan Championship 2025 in Osaka on Sunday, Nov. 23.

The 23-year-old cue artist displayed poise under pressure as he strung together five straight racks to recover from a 0-3 start en route to claiming not only the crown and roughly around P600,000 prize pool but also the biggest win of his young career.

Amoroto made sure to take advantage of the little errors from Chua, who looked poised to take a 4-0 start to the match if not for a fumble on the seven-ball in the fourth rack.

Buoyed by brilliant shotmaking that was paired with great composure, Amoroto cleared the next two racks and then outwitted Chua in a series of safety battles to take a commanding 5-3 lead.

Gunning for a third all-Japan crown after winning his first two in 2015 and 2017 edition, Chua refused to back down and cut the deficit to one, 4-5. Amoroto then claimed the next two racks to keep his head above the water but the veteran stayed within striking distance, 5-7.

Not yielding to the pressure from his veteran foe, Amoroto then took care of business and dominated the next four racks to win the tournament that was dominated by Filipinos.

Aside from Amoroto and Chua, fellow Filipinos Antonio Lining and Rommel Santos also advanced to the semifinals, making the Final Four of the Japanese tournament an All-Filipino affair.

Like in the finals match, Amoroto trailed 5-7 against Lining before getting the momentum and winning the next five racks to reach the hill first and eventually the win, 11-8.

Chua, on the other hand, outlasted Santos, 11-10 in a thrilling hill hill battle that saw the latter completing the comeback after trailing 9-10.

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