Chezka Centeno
{{short description|Filipino pool player}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Infobox pool player
|name=
|nickname=
|image =Chezka Centeno KL 2017.jpg
| image_size =
|caption=Centeno in 2017
|birth_date= {{birth date and age|1999|6|30}}
|birth_place= Zamboanga City, Philippines
| death_date =
| death_place =
| sport country = Philippines
| professional =
| game =
| best finish =
| major wins =
| minor wins =
| other wins =
| world champ = Ten-ball (2023)
| current ranking =
| show-medals = yes
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | Women's nine-ball }}
{{MedalCountry | {{PHI}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games}}
{{MedalSilver | 2017 Ashgabat | Singles }}
{{MedalCompetition | Southeast Asian Games }}
{{MedalGold | 2017 Kuala Lumpur | Singles }}
{{MedalGold | 2015 Singapore | Singles }}
{{MedalGold | 2019 Philippines |Doubles }}
{{MedalSilver | 2019 Philippines |Singles }}
{{MedalSport | Women's ten-ball }}
{{MedalCompetition | Southeast Asian Games }}
{{MedalGold | 2019 Philippines |Singles }}
{{MedalSilver | 2021 Hanoi | Singles}}
}}
Chezka Centeno is a Filipina professional pool player from Zamboanga City.{{cite news |last=Padilla |first=Jaime |title=Chezka Centeno: The 15 Year Old Cueist Sensation |url=https://www.seagames2015.com/news/feature-stories/2015/6/chezka-centeno-the-15-year-old-cueist-sensation |access-date=June 10, 2015 |publisher=28th SEA Games Singapore 2015 |date=June 9, 2015 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610090601/https://www.seagames2015.com/news/feature-stories/2015/6/chezka-centeno-the-15-year-old-cueist-sensation |archive-date=June 10, 2015}} In 2023, Centeno claimed her biggest career win after she defeated multiple WPA World Nine-ball Champion Han Yu of China, 9–5, to win the Predator WPA women's World Ten-ball Championship.{{Cite web |last=Giongco |first=Mark |date=2023-10-23 |title=Chezka Centeno fulfills dream, wins World 10-ball Women’s title |url=https://sports.inquirer.net/535366/chezka-centeno-fulfills-dream-wins-world-10-ball-womens-title |access-date=2023-10-23 |website=Inquirer.net}}
Early life
Chezka was born to Fausto Albert and Josephine Centeno in 1999 and is the sixth of seven children. She started playing billiards at five years old and her potential was discovered at age eight when she played in local tournaments in the family's hometown.
Career
At the age of 11, she entered the Philippine National Games and finished third. When she was 12, she was invited to the Kremlin Cup in Russia and finished in the top 32. After being recruited into the national team, Chezka participated at the 2014 Asian Junior Championship and won 1st place under the girls' single category.{{cite web |title=2014 APBU Junior Championship-Girl's Single |url=http://www.cuesports.org.tw/apbu/wp-content/uploads/2014-APBU-Junior-Championship-Girls-Single.pdf |website=Asian Pocket Billiard Union |access-date=June 10, 2015 |archive-date=June 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610091553/http://www.cuesports.org.tw/apbu/wp-content/uploads/2014-APBU-Junior-Championship-Girls-Single.pdf |url-status=live }}
She later won the nine-ball women's single at the 2015 Southeast Asian Games, facing fellow Filipina Rubilen Amit in the final.{{cite news |last=Joble |first=Rey |title=SEAG: Pinay teenager Chezka Centeno beats out veteran Rubilen Amit for billiards gold |url=http://www.interaksyon.com/interaktv/seag-pinay-teenager-chezka-centeno-beats-out-veteran-rubilen-amit-for-billiards-gold |access-date=June 10, 2015 |work=InterAksyon.com |date=June 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810131128/http://www.interaksyon.com/interaktv/seag-pinay-teenager-chezka-centeno-beats-out-veteran-rubilen-amit-for-billiards-gold |archive-date=August 10, 2016 |url-status=dead}}
In 2016, Centeno participated in the Chinese Eight-ball World Championship in China, together with Rubilen Amit and Iris Ranola. Centeno won the inaguaral 2022 Asian Pool Federation Women's Nine-ball Championship after defeating Seo Seoa of South Korea in the final, 11-7, held at the Aspire Recreation Centre in Singapore.{{Cite web |last=Fuertes |first=Rommel Jr |date=2022-08-29 |title=Chezka Centeno claims Asian 9-Ball title in Singapore |url=https://sports.inquirer.net/475258/chezka-centeno-claims-asian-9-ball-title-in-singapore |access-date=2023-10-23 |website=Inquirer.net |archive-date=November 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102132301/https://sports.inquirer.net/475258/chezka-centeno-claims-asian-9-ball-title-in-singapore |url-status=live }}
In 2023, Centeno defeated three-time women's WPA Women's World Nine-ball Champion Han Yu of China for the WPA Women's World Ten-ball Championship title at the Sportpark Klagenfurt in Klagenfurt, Austria. Drawing a first-round bye, Centeno met former world champion Pan Xiaoting of China in her opening match and secured a 7–4 win. She then faced BCA Hall-of-Famer Allison Fisher in the winner's qualification round match-up and won with a score of 7–3. In the round of 16, she won with a 9–0 whitewash against Melanie Sussenguth of Germany. As the tournament progressed, she continued her strong performance with a 9-2 victory in the quarterfinals against defending world nine-ball and world ten-ball women's champion Chou Chieh-Yu of Chinese Taipei (Taiwan).{{Cite web |date=2023-01-23 |title=Taiwan's Chou Chieh-Yu wins World 9-ball Championship {{!}} Taiwan News {{!}} 2023-01-23 14:39:00 |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4789001 |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=Taiwan News |archive-date=February 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240220134423/https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4789001 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=2024-02-16 |title=Chou Is New Predator World Women’s 10-Ball Champion |url=https://probilliardseries.com/world-10-ball-women/chou-is-new-predator-world-womens-10-ball-champion/ |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=Predator Pro Billiard Series |language=en}} In the semifinal rematch against Allison Fisher, Centeno fought her way back from being 8–4 down to achieve a 9–8 comeback win, setting up a final match against Yu, which she won convincingly 9–5.
Centeno is the second Filipina women's world champion in pool after Rubilen Amit who won the WPA event in 2009 and 2013. Centeno won the 2023 top prize of $50,000 (2.8m PHP), the biggest price in women's pool history.{{Cite web |last=Dioquino |first=Delfin |date=2023-10-23 |title=Chezka Centeno downs Chinese to capture world 10-ball crown |url=https://www.rappler.com/sports/results-chezka-centeno-wpa-world-10-ball-women-championship-austria-october-22-2023/ |access-date=2023-10-23 |website=Rappler |archive-date=October 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231023020119/https://www.rappler.com/sports/results-chezka-centeno-wpa-world-10-ball-women-championship-austria-october-22-2023/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Giongco |first=Mark |date=2023-10-23 |title=Chezka Centeno fulfills dream, wins World 10-ball Women’s title |url=https://sports.inquirer.net/535366/chezka-centeno-fulfills-dream-wins-world-10-ball-womens-title |access-date=2023-10-23 |website=Inquirer.net |archive-date=October 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024224146/https://sports.inquirer.net/535366/chezka-centeno-fulfills-dream-wins-world-10-ball-womens-title |url-status=live }}
In 2024, Centeno won the Predator Pro Billiards Series Las Vegas Ten-ball Women's Open and earned $18,000(P1 million) after defeating Chen Siming of China in two sets (4-2 and 4-2) at the Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino in the United States.{{Cite web |last=Villar |first=Joey |title=Centeno, Corteza rule Las Vegas 10-Ball Open |url=https://www.philstar.com/sports/2024/02/25/2336070/centeno-corteza-rule-las-vegas-10-ball-open |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=Philstar.com |archive-date=February 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240226115316/https://www.philstar.com/sports/2024/02/25/2336070/centeno-corteza-rule-las-vegas-10-ball-open |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=2024-02-25 |title=Pinoy Power: Centeno & Corteza Triumph in Las Vegas Open |url=https://probilliardseries.com/vegas-open/centeno-corteza-champions/ |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=Predator Pro Billiard Series |language=en |archive-date=September 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240909134728/https://probilliardseries.com/news/centeno-corteza-champions-vegas-open-2024/ |url-status=live }}
Titles
- 2024 Predator Las Vegas Open
- 2023 WPA Women's World Ten-ball Championship
- 2022 APF Asian Women's Nine-ball Open
- 2019 Southeast Asian Games Ten-ball Singles
- 2019 Southeast Asian Games Nine-ball Doubles
- 2018 The Perfect Storm Open Women's Division
- 2017 Southeast Asian Games Nine-ball Singles
- 2016 Chinook Winds Open Ten-ball
- 2016 Amway Cup 9-Ball Open
- 2015 Southeast Asian Games Nine-ball Singles
- 2015 WPA World Nine-ball Junior championship
References
{{Commons category|Chezka Centeno}}
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Centeno, Chezka}}
Category:Filipino pool players
Category:Sportspeople from Zamboanga City
Category:SEA Games gold medalists for the Philippines
Category:SEA Games medalists in cue sports
Category:Competitors at the 2005 SEA Games
Category:Competitors at the 2007 SEA Games
Category:Competitors at the 2015 SEA Games
Category:Competitors at the 2017 SEA Games
Category:Competitors at the 2019 SEA Games
Category:SEA Games silver medalists for the Philippines