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3 OUT OF 4!
PINOYS DOMINATE PDC ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIP AND QUALIFIER

Updated Sept 28, 2022
 
 
Another Milestone for Pinoy Darters

The Philippines marks another milestone in the international darts arena with three (3) Filipino darters bound for the Cazoo World Darts Championship in London this December.

At the conclusion of the PDC Asian Championship in Fukuoka, Japan – Pinoy darters Lourence Ilagan, Christian Perez, and Paolo Nebrida alongside Japan’s Toru Suzuki emerged as the top four darters of the competition and were hailed the Asian Qualifiers for this year’s World Darts Championship scheduled from December 15 to January 3 in Alexandra Palace, London.

Christian Perez snatched the Asian Championship title, bringing home $15,000 and the Asia Qualifier slot in the 2022 Grand Slam of Darts in Aldersley, England. Paolo Nebrida bowed down at second place with $7,000 in cash prize. In the semis, Lourence Ilagan lost to Perez 6-1 while Toru Sukuzi yielded to Nebrida, 6-3. Both Joint 3rd & 4th placers bring home $5,000 each.

RJ Escaros and Alain Abiabi made it to the Top 16, while Raymond Copano fell short in the round-robin eliminations. DJ Tongcopanon and Leo Buizon dropped out in the 2-day Asian Series Matches.

On to the Next Round

This will be Ilagan’s seventh appearance at the Ally Pally, having been a qualifier and representative to the country in 2009, 2013, and from 2019 to 2022. Ilagan also represented the Philippines in the PDC World Cup of Darts with Christian Perez in 2012 and 2021, with Gilbert Ulang in 2015, with Noel Malicdem in 2019 and 2020, and most recently with RJ Escaros. Lou takes with him years of experience competing in international dart events, such as the WDF Asia-Pacific Cup in 2000 and 2006, the World Soft Darts Championship from 2011 to 2018, and the Winmau World Masters in 2009 where he made a semi-finals finish.

Perez will mark his fourth stint at the World Darts Championship stage after qualifying in 2010, 2012, and 2015. Perez brings along with him years of experience from international dart tournaments, such as the PDC Asian Tour Series, the Shanghai Darts Open in 2009, the World Soft Darts Championship from 2012 to 2013, and the World Cup of Darts in 2012 and 2021.

Paolo Nebrida makes his dream come true to once more step on the PDC international stage. In 2021, Nebrida qualified to compete alongside Ilagan in the Cazoo World Cup of Darts in Germany, but protocols on recognized COVID-19 vaccination restricted him from competing. Nebrida was the first Filipino player to participate in the PDC World Youth Championship in 2018 where he made a Top 16 finish. He also holds under his belt international darting exposure from the Hong Kong Open, Malaysian Open, and PDC Asian Tour Series.

The Philippines is yet to achieve a top finish at the World Darts Championship, having only reached as far as the second round. With three of the country’s top players in the competition, the nation hopes to move far ahead into the World Darts Championship stage.

The National Darts Federation of the Philippines and the Filipino darting community extends our warmest congratulations to Lourence Ilagan, Christian Perez, and Paolo Nebrida. We wish you well in your preparations and the best of luck in the PDC international competitions ahead.

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