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October 24. Quezon City, Metro Manila.
In a venue set up inside a shopping mall, the final of the Philippines Open was played.
Johann Chua, eleven.
Anton Raga, nine.
A final between two Filipinos.
It is the first time a Filipino has won this event.
The Second Edition
The Philippines Open began only last year.
On the World Nineball Tour, which travels the globe, it is counted among the majors.
In that first year, the one who lifted the trophy was David Alcaide of Spain.
The final finished thirteen to three.
The Philippines has given the world one 9-ball champion after another.
Efren Reyes. Francisco Bustamante. Carlo Biado.
And in its first year, the trophy of a tournament held in that country went away across the sea.
This year, the second, the four who reached the semifinals were all Filipinos.
The world number one and the U.S. Open champion had both left the event by then.
Ten to One, Ten to Two
In the quarterfinals, Chua faced world champion Carlo Biado.
Race to ten. Ten to one.
In the semifinals, ten to two over Bernie Regalario.
He had dropped the first two racks.
Of the eleven racks that followed, he took ten.
From Japan, Koki Sugiyama and Kenichi Uchigaki took part.
Sugiyama won his first-round match and went on into the draw of sixty-four.
From Five to Nothing
The final was a race to eleven.
Chua took the first five in a row.
From there, Raga began to close in.
Five to three.
Six to four.
Seven to six.
Ten to eight.
And then, ten to nine.
Raga had come within a single rack of drawing level.
The last rack, Chua ran out.
The voices of the home crowd, it is said, filled the hall.
For Chua, a second major title.
His first major on home soil.
Relieved, He Said
After the match, these were Chua’s first words.
“I’m speechless and relieved.”
Winning a major in his own country, he also said, had long been his dream.
Of his opponent in the final: “Anton is a great player.”
In Front of People You Know
The usual hall. The usual table.
The last game before closing.
You happen to look up, and a few of the regulars have stopped what they were doing to watch.
No one says a word.
And yet, more than under the eyes of strangers, your hands stiffen, just a little.
Miss, and you will be back here tomorrow.
Make it, and you will be back here tomorrow.
The last ball drops.
Someone claps, softly.
What comes out first is a long breath.
A golden Philippine sun.
The tournament’s trophy is called the “Golden Filipino Sun.”
The second autumn.
The trophy stayed in this country.
Video of the Final
World Nineball Tour official YouTube: “Johann Chua vs Anton Raga | FINAL | Philippines Open Highlights (2026)”
Sources for the Results
– On the hill!: “2026 フィリピンオープン：優勝はヨハン･チュア！” (2026 Philippines Open: Johann Chua Wins!, in Japanese) https://www.onthehill.jp/archives/109871
– World Nineball Tour: “Chua Crowned King Of The Philippines In All-Filipino Final Thriller” (October 24, 2026) https://worldnineballtour.com/news/chua-crowned-king-of-the-philippines-in-all-filipino-final-thriller/
– World Nineball Tour: “Filipino Final Four Set As Home Heroes Topple The World’s Best” (October 23, 2026) https://worldnineballtour.com/major/filipino-final-four-set-as-home-heroes-topple-the-worlds-best/
– AZBilliards: “David Alcaide Crowned Inaugural LiveSB.io Philippines Open Champion” (2025) https://www.azbilliards.com/?p=244811
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