Cebu pride Anton “The Dragon” Raga gave an impressive performance on Sunday night dominating the Sharks Billiards Association (SBA) Philippine Open, which was held at Sharks Arena and Sports Bar along Tomas Morato Avenue in Quezon City. Talisay cue artist Anton, who is 28 years old proved his dominance on the table as he defeated Jerico “Panday” Banares with a resounding 13-7 victory in the race to 13 title match.
The SBA Philippine Open brought together the best of the country’s Filipino cue artists and Raga’s win was all the more impressive. His consistency, accuracy and cool head under pressure sealed his dominance throughout the tournament.
Raga’s victory saw him claim a PHP400,000 cash purse and the championship trophy, with runner-up Banares claiming PHP150,000 and a trophy. Excellence throughout the board was also rewarded by the tournament: third and fourth placers collected PHP75,000 each; those who placed 5th to 8th got PHP20,000 each; 9th to 16th placers received PHP7,500 each; 17th to 32nd placers got PHP4,000; and those 33rd to 64th received PHP3,000 each.
Raga’s commanding victory not only put Cebu in the limelight but also further raised the national profile of Philippine billiards. With a rapidly growing reputation and an improving competitive level in the sport, “The Dragon” continues to inspire a new generation of Filipino billiard greats.
