BUENOS AIRES - The Pan American three cushion championship, held in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, crowned a new continental champion. Mexican Alejandro Santiago, known in the circuit as ’Becerro’, won an exciting final against his compatriot Luis Sobreyra, securing the most important title of his career and qualifying for the upcoming World Championship in Belgium. The tournament was a huge success for Mexican three-cushion billiards.
The 26-year-old Alejandro Santiago, from Guadalajara, was one of the undisputed stars of the tournament. From the qualifying stage onwards, he showed that he was determined to make history. In his group, he defeated Ricardo Presa and Venezuelan Jesús Aguirre, and in a direct duel, he eliminated Colombian national champion Julián Torres with 1.176 on average.
In the main round of the group stage, Santiago delivered an excellent performance against local player Eduardo Vahedzian and Uruguayan Fernando Moreira, and drew against American Pedro Piedrabuena (30-30). With five points, Santiago finished second in the group and 17th in the overall standings for this round, with a solid average of 1.500.
In the knockout phase, the new champion's path was flawless:
Round of 32: Santiago defeated defending champion William Villanueva (Venezuela) 40-37 in 35 innings (1.143 – 1.057).
Quarter-finals: Santiago defeated Colombian Luis Martínez, number one in the Pan-American rankings, with a convincing 40-24 in just 20 innings, setting the best average of that phase (2.000) and the best run with 12 caroms.
Quarter-final: He defeated Ecuadorian Luis Aveiga 40-31 in 27 innings (1.481).
Semi-final: He defeated Huberney Cataño (Col) in a match with a high defensive level: 50-43 in 34 innings (1.471 – 1.265).
Final: Santiago faced his compatriot Luis Sobreyra, who was participating in his first international tournament. Santiago won with authority and limited his mistakes to just 7 innings without scoring. However, Sobreyra left his mark with the best run of the championship: 19 points and the best match of the tournament with 30 points in just 5 innings.
Both finalists – Santiago and Sobreyra – secured their qualification for the 2025 World Cup in Belgium.
The Pan American Championship continues with the team competition
This Thursday, the team phase starts, with Mexico represented by Alexander Santiago and Cristian Hernández, Ubaldito playing with Murillo and Sobreyra with Javier Vera, who will try to maintain the high level of the individual competition. An exciting battle is expected against Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Ecuador and the United States, who also have strong duos.
The teams for the Pan Americans nation teams