Player Profile Series: James Aranas – “Dodong Diamond”
Zoren James Aranas, a native of Cavite, Philippines, is a Filipino professional pool player known by his nickname "Dodong Diamond."He made his debut on the Action Pool Tour (APT) in 2017, going undefeated through a strong field of 48 entrants. He began his six-match run to the winner’s circle with an opening-round shutout and capped it off with victories over the APT's top-ranked player, Shaun Wilkie, in the hot seat match, and Reymart Lim in the finals. The event was hosted by Q Master Billiards in Virginia Beach, VA.In 2018, Aranas secured his first international title after defeating Chris Melling twice at the first Annual Asian Culture Day, held at the Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. This event marked the opening of the Efren Reyes retirement tour. In 2019, Aranas claimed the ten-ball title at the Super Billiards Expo Diamond Open, defeating Oscar Dominguez 13–10 in the final.In 2022, he reached the finals of the APP Asian 9-Ball Open in Singapore but fell short against Taiwan's Ko Pin-yi, 11–13.On February 3, Aranas was detained and deported back to the Philippines. He was held in a room alongside several athletes and artists from outside the United States who were on tourist visas, most of whom were from Europe.
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