GERMAN FOILS BIADO IN DOHA WORLD 9-BALL

GERMANY’S Joshua Filler beat the Philippines’s Carlo Biado, 13-10, on Thursday night to capture his first World Pool Association World 9-ball Championship in front of a big crowd at the Al Arabi Sports Club in Doha, Qater.

The title victory came as Filler and his wife, Pia, celebrated their first year wedding anniversary.

Playing in his typical fast and loose fashion, the 21-yearold German battled his way against Biado, who tried to become the first man since Earl Strickland 27 years ago to win back-to-back world 9-ball titles.

The victory was extra special for the German considering that he was nearly left for dead in his semifinal match against Greece’s Alexander Kazakis earlier in the day.

Biado started the day with a showdown against the USA’s Shane Van Boening. The American had been playing marvelous pool all week in Doha, and fans in person and online made him the betting favorite to take his first world title.

The Filipino, however, put on a class act and literally mastered the break shot, always getting a ball or two down and leaving a shot on the one ball en route to an 11-6 victory.

“Hats off to Carlo Biado for getting back into the final,” Filler said. “That’s an amazing accomplishment and he could have very easily been the winner. For me it’s a dream come true and I am still overwhelmed with the situation, I’m the No. 1 in the world, I can’t believe that.”

As expected Biado was nothing but class in defeat. He could look back on an amazing 12 months where he won his first title and very nearly won another one.