The World Nineball Tour (WNT) announced featured first-round ties for the 2026 Philippine Open at Gateway Mall, Quezon City, from October 20–24. Defending champion David Alcaide, world champion Carlo Biado, world No. 1 Aloysius Yapp, Fedor Gorst and Shane Van Boening are among those in the draw.
Players represent 23 countries, including 74 Filipinos. The event is single elimination, ending a player's campaign with a first-round defeat. It is also the final ranking cutoff for the 2026 Mosconi Cup and World Pool Masters.
Eleven featured opening ties announced
Alcaide opens against home player Rodlin John Bautista, while Biado faces American David Keith Dennison. WNT's eleven featured ties below are first-round arrangements, not the entire draw.
| Player | First-round opponent |
|---|---|
| David Alcaide | Rodlin John Bautista |
| Aloysius Yapp | Raphael Dabreo |
| Carlo Biado | David Keith Dennison |
| Francisco Sánchez Ruiz | Genesis Ouano |
| Fedor Gorst | Vitaly Pavlukhin |
| Shane Van Boening | Chris Stripple |
| Johann Chua | Tony Piazza |
| Thorsten Hohmann | Chezka Centeno |
| AJ Manas | Rommel Janael Santos |
| Francisco Bustamante | Rodrigo Geronimo |
| Sean Mark Malayan | Jaybee Sucal |
A Yapp–Bustamante meeting remains conditional
The announcement highlighted a possible last-64 meeting between Yapp and Filipino great Francisco Bustamante. Yapp must first beat Raphael Dabreo and Bustamante must defeat compatriot Rodrigo Geronimo for that encounter to happen.
Other confirmed openers include Gorst against Vitaly Pavlukhin, Van Boening against Chris Stripple and Sánchez Ruiz against Genesis Ouano. Former world champion Thorsten Hohmann plays the Philippines' Chezka Centeno.
Another significance of the final ranking cutoff
The results also affect the Mosconi Cup and World Pool Masters. WNT explicitly identified this as the final ranking cutoff for both, placing its results within the last pre-deadline competition. The announcement sets the checkpoint; actual places still depend on results and qualification rules.
Viewing arrangements
Global viewers can watch through WNT TV, while Philippine viewers can use ONE SPORTS. The event begins October 20 and ends October 24. A last-64 Yapp–Bustamante meeting first depends on their opening results.
