Chua Crowned King Of The Philippines In All-Filipino Final Thriller

Johann Chua is the 2026 Roobet Philippines Open Pool champion after beating Anton Raga 11–9 in an all-Filipino final at Gateway Mall. He becomes the first Filipino to lift the title on home soil and claims his second Matchroom Major, in his first Major appearance of the year.

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Chua said: “I’m speechless and relieved. We both felt the pressure, but I’m so grateful to get the opportunity to win in front of my home country. It has always been a dream to win a Major in my country, and it feels amazing to do it this week.

“Anton is a great player. We’ve played so many times in the past, and he’s a warrior. In the past he has had my number, so I just wanted to beat him today. He is one of the best players in the Philippines, and I’m honoured to share the stage with him.”

Final
Johann Chua 11 – 9 Anton Raga

Raga won the lag, but the nerves showed straight away. A scratch off the break handed Chua the table, and the former Hanoi Open champion struck first with a 3–9 combination. When Raga twitched the 9-ball in the second, Chua pounced to double his lead, then ran out the third and trapped Raga behind the 8-ball to force a foul in the fourth. With the home crowd in full voice, “Bad Koi” made it 5–0, and the title looked his for the taking.

Raga had other ideas. A stunning one-rail kick on the 2-ball finally got him on the board. He then jumped in the 3-ball and finished with a 4–9 combination to make it 5–2, and when he pulled another rack back at 5–3, the momentum had swung. A second scratch off the break halted his charge, and Chua restored control at 6–3.

What followed was a battle of nerves. A self-inflicted hook forced Chua into a missed masse, and Raga closed to 6–4. Chua answered after a tense safety exchange on the 2-ball, but a poorly executed kick shot let Raga back in again, and suddenly the gap was just one rack at 7–6.

Raga’s third scratch off the break then opened the door for Chua, but even this rack wouldn’t come easily. Chua misjudged a cut on the 4-ball, only for Raga to miss the same ball, and an epic safety battle broke out. Chua produced a sensational 4–7 combination, but left himself hooked. His jump shot failed to connect, and Raga missed in the middle pocket, allowing Chua to edge 8–6 ahead.

Chua then produced some of his finest cue-ball control of the week to run out the next rack. Raga hit back when Chua left the 2-ball open on a jump attempt, but a costly time foul put Chua back at the table, and he moved onto the hill.

With Gateway Mall holding its breath, Raga staged one final fightback. He punished a dry break from Chua to make it 10–8, and when Chua hooked himself and miscued on a kick, the gap was down to a single rack. Then came the twist: a fourth scratch off the break from Raga left Chua with ball-in-hand and the title in sight, and he cleared the table to send the home crowd into raptures.

Chua added: “I’m really happy to be able to showcase my talent in my country and share it live with my people. It meant a lot last night when four Filipinos made the semi-finals. Knowing a Filipino would win today was a gift for our countrymen.”

Chua reached the final by beating 21-year-old sensation Bernie Regalario 10–2 in the semi-finals. He trailed 2–0 early on, then took complete control, winning ten of the last eleven racks. Raga beat Baseth Mocaibat 10-6 in the other semi-final.

After an all-Filipino final four and a final that went down to the wire, the Golden Filipino Sun trophy stays in the Philippines with a Filipino champion for the first time, and Chua has written his name into the history of the sport in his homeland.

The 2026 Roobet Philippines Open Pool Championship lit up 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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