NEWLY-CROWNED Hanoi Open champion Johann Chua is confident that his triumph in the Vietnamese capital over the weekend will be a huge boost for Team Asia when it takes on Team Europe at the start today of the inaugural Efren Reyes Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
“Malaking ang kumpiyansa ko sa team na to kasi apat sa amin ang tumalo sa apat nila (Team Europe) sa Hanoi Open,” Chua, who just arrived a few hours in Manila before the press conference, said.
“Hopefully, maging maganda ang maging bonding naman at nandiyan si Tata Efren na i-guide kami,” he said.
Chua pointed out that Taiwanese teammate Ko Pin-yi, whom he beat 13-7 in the Hanoi finals, had vanquished David Alcaide of Spain 10-7 in the round of 16 while compatriot Carlo Biado took out another Spaniard, Francesco Sanchez Ruiz, a former world pool champ 10-5 in the quarterfinals.
Ko also beat Hanoi Open defending champ and Team Europe standard-bearer Jayson Shaw of Scotland 10-9 in the quarterfinals while Chua took out Dane Kledio Kaci 10-6 in the same stage.
Billiard patron Aristeo “Putch” Puyat, who handled Reyes for most of his long and brilliant career and a moving force behind the tournament, acknowledged that beating the star-studded Team Europe would be difficult.
“May dalawang Spanish world champions (Ruiz and Alcaide) diyan kaya magiging mahirap. Pero handa ang Team Asia,” said Puyat of the squad also composed of Vietnam’s Duong Quoc Huang and Singapore’s Aloysius Yapp.
Reyes said he would love nothing better than to see Team Asia prevail in the maiden tournament named in his honor and patterned after the Mosconi tournament featuring Team USA versus Team Europe.
“Gusto ko talagang manalo sa kaunaunahang salang ng event na ipinangalan sa akin pero marami ring magagaling sa Team Europe kaya mahirap makapagsabi kung sino ang mananalo,” Reyes, considered by many as the greatest pool player of all time, said.
Team Europe English skipper Karl Boyes is banking on the depth and experience of all his players in the Mosconi Cup to spell the difference against their Asian counterparts.
This sentiment was echoed by Shaw, a five-time Mosconi Cup winner, who said: “This is a team competition so it will be a different ballgame altogether.”
Matchroom chief executive officer Angela Fraser was glad the Efren Reyes Cup was finally organized in tribute to the Filipino billiards legend in front of pool-crazy local fans.
“You wanted to have something like this so here you have it. We can expect four days of exciting pool action between these two evenly-matched teams in front of avid Filipino fans,” Fraser said.
