CEBU, Philippines – Cebu's pride Richard Pugoy Gonzales, the Philippines' No.1 table tennis player, kept his title hopes alive after winning his fourth match to barge into the Final Eight knockout stage of the 888sport World Championship of Ping Pong 2016 at the Alexandra Palace in London, England.
After downing equally-tough opposition from France and China, the 44-year-old Gonzales bested Filip Mlynarski of Poland, 2-0 (15-10, 15-10), then booted out Dmytry Popov of Russia in a three-setter, 15-12, 11-15, 15-7.
Gonzales, thus, sets up a mouth-watering quarterfinal showdown with hometown favorite Andrew Baggaley, who advanced after terminating Paul McCreery of Nothern Ireland, 15-9, 15-9.
The other quarterfinalists are Andrew Rushton of England, Lubomir Pistej of Slovakia, Maxim Shmyrev of Russia, Gavin Rumgay of Scotland, Christopher Doran of England and Alexander Flemming of Germany.
For making it to the quarters, Gonzales, a multiple medallist in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, is already assured of $3,000. A win over Baggaley would guarantee him of at least $5,000.
The champion of the three-day tilt that offers a total of $100,000 in prize fund will receive $20,000, while the runner-up will take home $10,000.
Gonzales' best finish was in 2014 when he snared bronze medal after losing Maxim Shmyrev in the semifinal. — EBV (FREEMAN)