At A Glance
- Jeffrey Ignacio stamped his class and dispatched compatriot Sean Mark Malayan, 13-1, to capture his first World Nineball Tour (WNT) crown in the 2026 TAOM Arena Open in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia recently.
Jeffrey Ignacio (WNT)
Jeffrey Ignacio stamped his class and dispatched compatriot Sean Mark Malayan, 13-1, to capture his first World Nineball Tour (WNT) crown in the 2026 TAOM Arena Open in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia recently.
The 33-year-old Ignacio stayed hot throughout the tournament and gave Malayan a reality check in the finale by cruising to the title victory and pocket the winner's purse of $10,000 (P617,135).
“Thank God that he guided me all throughout this event. Naramdaman ko na yun simula nung makalusot ako sa hill hill match ko with my fellow pinoy player,” said Ignacio. “At sa mga sponsors ko na walang sawa at di napapagod.”
“Sinwerte na naman po tayong makasungkit ng tropeyo! And lastly sa na katunggali ko sa finals Sean Mark Malayan napakaganda rin ng pinakita mo hanggang finals .. congrats bro!” he added.
Malayan, for his part, took the runner-up’s prize of $4,500 (P277,710) in the first-ever WNT meet set in Malaysia.
Prior to his championship on Malaysian soil, the Las Piñas cueist dealt Taiwanese Liu Ri Teng a 11-7 semis beating.
He also defeated Indonesian Ponco Klinton Manurung, 10-3, in the quarterfinals, and scored a Round-of-32 triumph against Filipino John Vincent Vicedo, 9–3.
Ignacio and Malayan weren't the only Filipino bets in the competition as world champion Carlo Biado, AJ Manas, Jefrey Roda, Paolo Galito, and James Aranas also joined the tilt.