Lourence Ilagan extended his lead at the top of the PDC Asian Tour Order of Merit after clinching his second title of 2023 in Hong Kong over the weekend.
Philippines’ trailblazer Ilagan shared the spoils alongside his compatriots Christian Perez and Paolo Nebrida at the Regal Riverside Hotel, which played host to Events 10-12 on April 29-30.
Filipino trio Rosendo Lubaton, Ryan Condat and Reynaldo Rivera clinched maiden titles on the Asian Tour earlier this month, and the Philippines’ remarkable winning streak continued in Hong Kong.
Saturday’s opening event saw PDC Asian Champion Perez secure Event Ten success with a comprehensive 5-1 victory over India’s Nitin Kumar.
Perez posted a ton-topping average to whitewash Japan’s former World Cup semi-finalist Seigo Asada in the last eight, before battling past fellow countryman Joel Hizon in the semi-finals.
The 41-year-old then reeled off five consecutive legs from 1-0 down to demolish Event Eight runner-up Kumar, who overcame Mikuru Suzuki, Noel Malicdem and Harith Lim to reach his second Asian Tour final of 2023.
However, the performance of the day was delivered by Hong Kong’s Event Four winner Lok-Yin Lee, who produced a sensational 113.43 average in his four-leg blitz of Pak Hei Choy in the last 64.
Saturday’s second event saw top seed Ilagan come through a 143-player field to celebrate his ninth PDC Asian Tour title, sealed with a resounding 5-1 victory over his compatriot Rivera.
Ilagan survived a scare in his second round clash against Masatsugu Irabu, before following up a convincing victory over Event Ten runner-up Kumar with a whitewash win against Royden Lam.
The seven-time World Championship qualifier continued his progress by dumping out Alex Tagarao in the last eight, and he defied a spirited fightback from Lee to prevail in a dramatic decider in the semi-finals.
Rivera produced averages of 98, 99 and 94 to reach the Event 11 decider, but he was swept aside by a clinical Ilagan, who converted 102 and 143 checkouts en route to scooping the $2,000 top prize.
Rivera avenged his defeat to Ilagan in the Event 12 semi-finals, although he was denied a second title of 2023 by PDC Asian Championship finalist Nebrida, who fired in a 14-darter to triumph in a last-leg shoot-out.
Nebrida claimed the scalps of Singapore icon Paul Lim and Asada in the latter stages of Event 12, and a hard-fought victory over Rivera saw him seal his maiden Asian Tour title.
Ilagan boasts a $3,700 lead at the top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit following Event 12, with Hong Kong’s Man Lok Leung and Rivera in second and third spots respectively.
The PDC Asian Tour – which will see 24 events take place across the continent in 2023 – continues on May 27-28, with Events 13-15 set to take place in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar.
2023 PDC Asian Tour
Saturday April 29
Hong Kong
Event Ten
Quarter-Finals
Nitin Kumar 4-2 Noel Malicdem
Harith Lim 4-3 Royden Lam
Christian Perez 4-0 Seigo Asada
Joel Hizon 4-3 Haruki Muramatsu
Semi-Finals
Nitin Kumar 5-1 Harith Lim
Christian Perez 5-3 Joel Hizon
Final
Christian Perez 5-1 Nitin Kumar
Event 11
Quarter-Finals
Lourence Ilagan 4-2 Alex Tagarao
Lok-Yin Lee 4-3 Jun Matsuda
Rosendo Lubaton 4-0 Eupakaree Attapol
Reynaldo Rivera 4-2 Sonny Balagat
Semi-Finals
Lourence Ilagan 5-4 Lok-Yin Lee
Reynaldo Rivera 5-3 Rosendo Lubaton
Final
Lourence Ilagan 5-1 Reynaldo Rivera
Sunday April 30
Event 12
Quarter-Finals
Lourence Ilagan 4-3 Rosendo Lubaton
Reynaldo Rivera 4-2 Nitin Kumar
Paolo Nebrida 4-0 Sai Cheong Hon
Seigo Asada 4-3 Noel Malicdem
Semi-Finals
Reynaldo Rivera 5-3 Lourence Ilagan
Paolo Nebrida 5-4 Seigo Asada
Final
Paolo Nebrida 5-4 Reynaldo Rivera
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