MANILA - Philippine billiards has a new star in JBET Poker.net Women's World 10-Ball Champion Rubilen Amit.

The lady cue artist earned acclaim when she stunned two-time 9-Ball champion Shin-Mei Liu of Chinese Taipei, 10-4, to be the first Women's World 10-Ball champ.

She also beat American Jeanette Lee and Japanese Akimi Kajitani enroute to her historic victory.

“I'm so, so happy from the bottom of my heart. Thank you sa lahat ng nanonood dito at sa TV. Feeling ko sila ang nagpanalo sa akin,” Amit said of the Filipino billiards fans who trooped to the Sky Dome at SM North EDSA in Quezon City Saturday to watch the event.

Even pool champion Francisco “Django” Bustamante praised Amit. “Surprised ako. Super galing niya, at hindi siya nanginginig di tulad namin.”

Amit, 27, was calm and collected throughout the final, even smiling at times when trying to go for difficult shots.

“I was praying na lang each shot, ‘God, help me. Help me please,’ Ganun ang ginagawa ko,” she shared.

Amit won the top prize of $20,000. She said she plans to "save, invest, and donate” her winnings.

Amit, who hails from Cebu, is a three-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist. She was also a runner-up in the 2007 Women’s World 9-Ball Championships. With reports from BilliardPhilippines.com and Dyan Castillejo, ABS-CBN News