2006 WPA World 9-Ball Championship

Results

Place	Player	Prize
1	Ronato Alcano
2	Ralf Souquet

Recap

Published April 13, 2026

The Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay hosted the 2006 WPA World Nine-Ball Championship, where Ronato "Ronnie" Alcano captured his first world title as a home country player. Alcano defeated German veteran Ralf Souquet 17-11 in the final. The tournament marked the Philippines' debut as host nation.

Alcano's path to the championship included a quarterfinal victory over defending champion Wu Chia-ching of Chinese-Taipei. He then defeated China's Li He-win 11-8 in the semifinals to advance to the final against Souquet.

In the final, Alcano used defensive play and tactical positioning throughout the match. Souquet won the break, but Alcano took the advantage and built a 3-0 lead. He extended this to 8-2 through the middle stages of the match. Alcano managed physical discomfort between breaks while maintaining control of the pace of play and winning multiple safety exchanges.

Alcano extended his lead to 14-6 in the middle frames, leaving Souquet needing a significant comeback. Souquet found momentum late in the match, but Alcano's early dominance proved decisive in securing the 17-11 victory and the world championship.

The 128-player field tournament used a round-robin format that eliminated half the field before switching to knockout play. Alcano came from Calamba, Laguna and had pursued pool professionally despite financial constraints during his youth.

Sources: 2006 WPA World Nine-ball Championship – Wikipedia Ronato Alcano – Wikipedia

This recap was compiled from public tournament records and tournament organizer communications. ForceFollow is not affiliated with the tournament organizer.