Filipina cue artist Chezka Centeno was this close to winning a second world championship in the span of a week.
But it wasn’t meant to be.
Centeno’s bid for another world crown ended in defeat as she couldn’t complete what would’ve been an epic comeback against Margarita Fefilova, dropping the final 1-4, 0-4, 4-1, 4-0, 0-4 in the Banca del Fucino WPA Women’s 10-Ball World Championship on Thursday evening at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Rome, Italy.
“I’m proud of how hard I worked to reach the finals, even though the ending wasn’t what I had hoped for,” Centeno wrote on social media. “I’m allowing myself to be proud of that, and I’m also choosing to give myself the same grace I would give any other athlete who gave everything they had.”
Centeno Falls Behind Early
The Filipina, who had just won the 2026 Oneida WPA Women’s World 8-Ball Championship, fell behind 2-0 early after losing the first two sets via routs. But she finally found her rhythm in the third set with a dominant 4-1 victory. She then followed it up with a commanding 4-0 win in the fourth set to set up a decider—and a potential reverse sweep.
The Belarusian, however, steadied the ship in the fifth set, taking a 1-0 lead to restore order. Centeno looked poised to retake momentum in the second game after sinking consecutive balls, only to miss on a bank shot that Fefilova capitalized on. It was the break she needed as she built a 2-0 cushion before winning the next two games for the championship.
Rising From the Losers’ Bracket
A reverse sweep would’ve punctuated a remarkable run for Centeno, who had to fight her way through the losers’ bracket after an uneven start to the tournament. But she found momentum eventually and set up a semifinal showdown with reigning world 9-ball champion Seo Seoa of South Korea.
Centeno proved too much for Seoa as she swept the South Korean champion, 4-0, 4-0, 4-3, to make it to her second consecutive final in a world championship. Seoa, incidentally, eliminated another Filipina—and Centeno’s good friend—Rubilen Amit in the quarterfinals.
With a championship on the line, Centeno once again showed her all-world skills. Unfortunately, her best wasn’t good enough in this one.
(Watch the final below.)
