Alcaide Marches On As Pecelj Seals Mosconi Cup Dream In Manila
David Alcaide’s bid for back-to-back Philippines Open titles gathered pace on Day Three of the 2026 Roobet Philippines Open Pool Championship, as he joined World No.1 Aloysius Yapp and Shane Van Boening in the Last 16. Aleksa Pecelj booked his place and secured a first Mosconi Cup appearance on the same afternoon, while Robbie Capito headlined the day’s departures.
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A day after his hill-hill escape, Alcaide looked far more like the defending champion, seeing off Skyler Woodward 10–6 to reach the Last 16. The Spaniard raced out of the blocks, and although Woodward found a way back into the match, Alcaide held his nerve to close it out.
Alcaide said: “I played so well at the start, but I made a couple of errors and let Skyler back in. He’s a solid player, and when I saw the luck was on his side, I started to lose a little confidence at the end. These conditions are tough, and we’ve seen that any match can turn around in this venue. I’m grateful for the win.”
Yapp was the first player through to the Last 16, comfortably beating Filipino star Michael Feliciano 10–3 as he chases a fourth Major title.
Yapp said: “It was a scrappy match at the start. The cue ball was sliding a lot, so I didn’t have much control early on, and I was lucky. But I played safe well, and he had some bad rolls. I’m lucky to get through to the Last 16, and if that luck continues, I could see myself reaching the final of a Major again this week.”
Van Boening was in equally ruthless form, beating local stars John Albert Refulle and Marvin Asis 10–4 each to reach his third Matchroom Major Last 16 of the year.
Van Boening said: “I performed well, I felt good, and I’m playing good. Simple. The balls are rolling my way. I know it’s going to get tougher, but I’ve just got to play my game if I want to keep going.
“It’s fun to watch the matches, especially the hill-hill ones. I’m enjoying the atmosphere a lot this week. I love playing in the Philippines.”
Van Boening’s Reyes Cup-winning teammates Fedor Gorst, Francisco Sánchez Ruiz and Aleksa Pecelj all followed him through, and for Pecelj it was a day to remember. His commanding 10–2 win over Justin Bergman, who had knocked out last year’s runner-up Arseni Sevastyanov on Day Two, put him in the Last 16.
Pecelj said: “I played really well today. There were only a few misses, and apart from that I was solid. I’m excited to be in another Last 16.”
While he was still at the table, results elsewhere confirmed his qualification for his first Mosconi Cup. The Serbian is set to join his teammates from last week, Francisco Sánchez Ruiz and Joshua Filler, to represent Team Europe next month.
“During my match, I saw that Oliver had lost, which meant I had automatically qualified for the Mosconi Cup. That’s why I looked over at Francisco and celebrated mid-match. It’s been in my head all week, so I’m so happy to have made it. It’s a dream come true. Now it’s time to focus solely on this tournament. I’m still chasing my first Major title, and after winning the Reyes Cup last week, this would be a special place to do it.”
There was still plenty of drama on Day Three. Capito suffered one of the biggest upsets of the day, conceding to Edwin Dela Cruz Gamas in the Last 32 to end his run in Manila. He was joined on the way out by Mickey Krause, Billy Thorpe, Woodward and Arizona Open champion Denis Grabe.
The Last 16 gets under way tomorrow with a blockbuster opener, as Mosconi Cup rivals Fedor Gorst and Jayson Shaw go head-to-head to kick off another dramatic day at Gateway Mall. Reyes Cup teammates Carlo Biado and Albert Januarta will also face each other with a quarter-final place on the line.
The Last 16 | 2026 Roobet Philippines Open Pool Championship
- Aloysius Yapp vs Baseth Mocaibat
- Shane Van Boening vs Edwin Dela Cruz Gamas
- Anton Raga vs Jefrey Roda
- Jayson Shaw vs Fedor Gorst
- Francisco Sánchez Ruiz vs Thorsten Hohmann
- Bernie Reglario vs David Alcaide
- Johann Chua vs Aleksa Pecelj
- Albert Januarta vs Carlo Biado
The 2026 Roobet Philippines Open Pool Championship returns to the iconic Gateway Mall in Quezon City, Manila, from 20–24 October, live on One Sport in the Philippines and on WNT TV across the globe.
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