Jonas Magpantay completes Cinderella run at Qatar 10-Ball World Cup

November 4 ------ Unheralded Jonas Magpantay shocked the entire field — and even himself — by capturing the Qatar 10-Ball World Cup championship, defeating 2022 World Junior Champion Szymon Kural of Poland, 13-9, in the finals in Doha.

Magpantay built a commanding cushion early, racing to an 11-6 lead against the 21-year-old Kural. The Polish cue artist mounted one last push, taking the next three racks to close in at 11-9. But a dry break in the 21st rack halted his rally and opened the door for Magpantay to seal the deal.

The 31-year-old native of Oriental Mindoro calmly cleared the table in the next two racks to secure the title — and the $100,000 champion’s purse. It was truly a Cinderella run for Magpantay, who wasn’t even supposed to reach the main draw. After failing to advance through his four qualifying matches, he only made it to the main bracket through the tournament points system.

Given that second chance, Magpantay made sure to prove he belonged. He blazed through a gauntlet of elite opponents on his way to the title match, notching wins over three world champions — compatriot Carlo Biado in the Round of 32 (11-8), Wojciech Szewczyk of Poland in the Round of 16 (11-5), and Niels Feijen of the Netherlands in the quarterfinals (11-7).

In the semifinals, he stunned 2025 Premier League Pool and Peri 9-Ball Open champion Moritz Neuhausen of Germany, 11-6, to earn his place in the final.

Source: tiebreakertimes.com.ph