World Cup of Pool champions Johann Chua and James Aranas’ faith and trust in one another paid off as they won the men’s doubles event of the World Cup of Pool on Monday (Manila time) at the Pazo de Feiras e Congresos de Lugo in Lugo, Spain.
Speaking after their 11-7 win over Joshua Filler and Moritz Neuhausen of Germany in the final, Chua, said he was thrilled to finally win the title with Aranas — his friend for 18 years.
“I feel great. It feels amazing to win a world title. It’s such an honor to win with James. We’ve known each other since we were 13 years old,” said Chua, who ended the country’s 10-year title drought at the world level.
The last time the Filipinos won the World Cup was when Dennis Orcullo and Le Vann Corteza lifted the trophy in 2013. Prior to that, Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco “Django” Bustamante also emerged victorious in 2006 and 2009, respectively.
“To win with him is amazing. This has always been our dream. It’s a special achievement to win the World Cup of Pool.”
Aranas said he trusted Chua, especially during those nerve-wracking moments against the prized German tandem.
“He makes the extreme shots. I can lean on him if he says ‘I can make this,'” Aranas said.
“I just tell him to just go for it.”
But the road to the title wasn’t easy.
The Filipino duo had to pull off a 7-5 win over defending champions David Alcaide and Francisco Sanchez Ruiz of Spain in the Round of 32 before crushing another Spanish pair in Jose Alberto Delgado and Jonas Suoto Comino, 7-2, in the Round of 16.
Then, they survived the tough challenges thrown by Ko Pin Yi and Ko Ping Chung of Chinese Taipei, 9-8, in the quarterfinal before beating Albin Ouschan and Mario He of Austria in the semifinals, 9-8, to gain a shot at the title.
Aside from ending the Filipinos’ long drought, the victory was also a redemption for Chua and Aranas as they bombed out of the Spanish Open last month.
Chua lost to Emil Andre Gangflot of Norway while Aranas lost to China’s Wu Jia Qing in identical, 10-9, results in the Round of 64.
“This is such a blessing for us. We lost in the Spanish Open in a brutal way. Everything happens for a reason,” Chua said.
“For me, I have so many memories, it’s so exciting. This week is unforgettable, spending this moment with Johann too,” Aranas said.
