Centeno offers win to late mother
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Chezka Centeno reaffirmed her status as one of the world's finest cue artists after overpowering Kelly Fisher of England, 9-6, to capture the Oneida WPA Women's World 8-Ball Championship on Monday in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The victory handed the 27-year-old Zamboanga City native copped her third world title, adding the Women's World 8-Ball crown to the World 10-Ball Championships she won in 2023 and 2025.
But more than the title, Centeno offered her victory to her late mother, Josephine, who passed away in May.
“Ma. World 8-Ball champion tayo, Ma. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Ma. I love you,” she posted on social media.
Centeno completed a dominant, unbeaten campaign, denying former world No. 1 and two-time world champion Fisher another major title.
The championship match swung back and forth early as Fisher grabbed the opening rack and led, 2-1, before Centeno settled down and took control after the fifth rack.
With the match tied at 5-5, Centeno delivered the decisive surge, winning two straight racks to seize a 7-5 cushion.
Fisher responded by trimming the deficit to 7-6 but miscued on a routine corner-pocket shot in the 14th rack, allowing Centeno to clear the table and move to the hill.
Centeno had a chance to finish the match immediately but missed the 12-ball. Fisher, however, was ruled to have committed a foul on a safety attempt after an instant replay review, giving the Filipina ball-in-hand.
Centeno made sure there would be no second chance, calmly clearing the table to clinch another world championship.
The Filipina ace never lost a match throughout the tournament.
She swept the qualifying stage with victories over Ada Lio of the United States, 7-2; Eylul Kibaroglu of Turkey, 7-3; and Seo Seoa of South Korea, 7-5.
Centeno's path to the title became even tougher in the knockout rounds, where she knocked off four former world No. 1 players.
She opened with an emphatic 8-4 victory over defending champion Jasmin Ouschan of Austria in the Round of 16, avenging her heartbreaking 9-8 defeat in last year's final.
She followed it up with an 8-6 win over mentor and three-time world champion Rubilen Amit in the quarterfinals before eliminating Wei Tzu Chien of Chinese Taipei, 8-5, in the semifinals.
Centeno isn't done yet, as she and Amit will join forces in the FUJIFILM Women's Doubles Master Showdown in Rome this August.
