COMING from an early exit in the Hanoi Open going into the initial Reyes Cup, Singapore’s Aloysius Yapp seemed to be the weakest link for Team Asia pitted against powerhouse Team Europe in four days of competition at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

In the end, Yapp emerged as the X factor and hero as Team Asia captured the inaugural tournament named in honor of pool legend Efren “Bata” Reyes with an emphatic 11-6 triumph over the experienced Europeans early Saturday morning.

With Team Europe threatening another comeback at 6-10 after winning three of the first four matches, the boyish-looking Singaporean rose to the occasion, humbling 2023 world 9-ball champion Francesco Sancez Ruiz 5-1 to wrap things up.

The youngest member Team Asia at 28, Yapp did not drop a single match in the race-to-11 series and earned Most Valuable Player honors, with his jubilant teammates giving him a well-deserved victory ride as the hometown gallery erupted in delight.

Taiwanese Ko Pin-yi and Vietnamese Duong Quoc Hoang had earlier topped Ruiz and reigning European pool champ Mickey Krause of Spain 5-3 to give the Asians a 10-4 edge in the second match after Spain’s David Alcaide nipped hometown bet Johan Chua in the opening singles play.

Called for double singles duty by Team Europe skipper Karl Boyes, Scottish cue master Jayson Shaw downed Carlo Biado 5-3 in his first match then completed a sweep by vanquishing Vietnam’s Duong Quoc Hoang 5-2 to narrow the gap to 6-10.

Hardly awed by the reputation of his celebrated rival, Yapp surged to a 3-1 lead in the race-to-5 fifth match then pounced on Ruiz’s foul as he tried to hit the 3-ball from a difficult angle, reaching the hill at 4-1.

With local fans shouting “Uwian na!” as he sank the 2-ball in the side pocket on the break, the Singapore ace sent Ruiz packing by coolly sinking the rest of the ball, sealing the deal by potting the 9-ball on the same pocket where he began.

“I was thinking of nothing else during the final rack. I was just focused. I had some mistakes at the start of the week but my team still supported me. This MVP is not just for me, I believe all of my teammates are the MVPs,” Yapp said at the post-match press conference, displaying humility.

“Even Efren, he is the best coach you can ever ask for,” the player added, smiling.

“They played good and we were lucky,” Reyes, the skipper of the team, said of the outstanding performances of his players as he savored the milestone maiden win of Team Asia.

Speaking on behalf of his teammates, Chua, who acted as Reyes’ deputy, said “this is a priceless moment for all of us. To be part of this with champ Efren. We are really proud to be here.”

Chua, the newly-crowned Hanoi Open champion, added he was glad that Yapp won the MVP trophy “because I really wanted either Aloysius or Hoang to win it with the way they played for us. We are really proud of Yapp.”

AWAKENED by its close call on opening day, Team Asia displayed its all-around depth and talent to shut out Team Europe 4-0 on Day 2 of the Reyes Cup in front of a delighted hometown crowd at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium late Wednesday night.

Nursing a slim 3-2 edge going into the second day of action in the inaugural international team event in honor of billiards legend Efren “Bata” Reyes, the Asians made mincemeat of the vaunted Europeans and surged ahead.

Continuing his winning run from the previous night, Vietnamese Duong Quoc Hoang played a pivotal role in Team Asia’s 5-3 win in the opening team match with his tactical safety play in the eighth rack, a harbinger of things to come for the opposition.

In a battle of two former world 9-ball champions, Taiwanese Ko Pin-yi emerged with a riveting 5-3 triumph over Spanish Francesco Sanchez Ruiz in the first singles match after the tie was deadlocked at 3-all after six frames.

A dry break by Ruiz in the final eighth rack proved costly as Ko exploited the opportunity to clean up the rack and give Team Asia a 2-0 lead in the four-day series organized by Matchroom and Puyat Sports.

Taking over from where Ko left, the tandem of Singaporean Aloysius Yapp and Hoang humbled former world No. 1 Eklent Kaci of Albania and David Alcaide of Spain 5-2.

Essaying their critical roles in the previous round, Yapp and Hoang surged to a 3-0 lead in the only doubles match, allowing their rivals to narrow the gap to 2-3 but regained control by winning the last two racks.

Johann Chua and Carlo Biado stood up smiling from the Team Asia bench to give Yapp a high-five in succession after the tandem’s triumph.

Energized by the doubles win, former world 9-ball champion Biado capped the triumphant campaign for Team Asia by subduing reigning European Open Mickey Krause of Denmark 5-3 in the last and other singles match of the night.

With the count tied at 2-all after four racks, Krause failed to execute a safety on the 3-ball that allowed the hometown bet to regain the lead before seeing his opponent make a foul in the seventh frame to finish the match with plenty to spare in the eighth.

“I am very happy with the way our team played today that gave us the shutout (win). Hopefully we can continue with this performance tomorrow night (Thursday)) and finally clinch this series a day early,” Biado said after the sweep gave Team Asia a commanding 7-2 lead in the race-to-11 series.

Team Asia is keenly aware that Team Europe, given the proud pedigree of its players, is capable of turning things around in an instant just like what the squad did on the close first day of the competition.

While all of the five players on each squad are each guaranteed $15,000 (roughly P865,912) whether they win or lose, the bragging rights as the inaugural Reyes Cup champion may mean much more for all of the participants.

TEAM Asia learned an object lesson in the opener of the inaugural Reyes Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium that ended late Tuesday night: never let your guard down.

In the first match featuring all five players in the team event, Team Asia’s seemingly comfortable 4-0 lead in the best-of-five series went up in smoke through the heroics of reigning European champ Mickey Krause, who broke the ice for Team Europe in the fifth face-off against Taiwanese Ko Pin-yi.

Krause pounced on the opening left by the former world 10 and 9-ball champ, sinking a difficult 3-9 combination on the left corner pocket that paved the way for the Europeans to complete a stunning 5-4 comeback.

Singaporean Aloysius Yapp saved the day for the Asians, mounting a rally of his own to edge Scottish veteran Jayson Shaw 5-4 in the fifth and last match of the series that lasted near midnight for a thrilling 3-2 win for Team Asia.  

Yapp, who also won his match in the first event, combined with Ko in a rousing 5-2 upset of the fancied Spanish duo of Francesco Sanchez Ruiz, the 2023 world pool champion, and David Alcaide to knot the series at 1-all.

Buoyed by their success, Vietnamese ace Duong Quoc Hoang brought Albanian Eklent “Golden Eagle” Kaci down to earth 5-2 before Team Europe deadlocked the series with two wins each as Shaw and Krause downed newly-crowned Hanoi Open champion Johann Chua and compatriot Carlo Biado 5-3.

With the animated hometown crowd rooting for them, Chua and Biado looked set to finish their rivals off as they surged to a 3-0 lead, but Shaw and Krause refused to wilt, with Krause, dubbed “The Viking” Krause scoring a golden break in the fourth game that served as the springboard for the come-from-behind win.

It was left for the last singles match between Yapp and Shaw to decide the night’s winning squad, with the 28-year-old Singaporean cue artist winning the battle of nerves to ensure the predominantly Team Asia gallery did not go home disappointed and got their money’s worth.

Play resumed at 7:30 last night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium of the Mosconi Cup-style tournament named in honor of the celebrated Efren “Bata” Reyes, the Team Asia skipper, and jointly organized by English promoter Matchroom and Puyat Sports.

JUST another fan in the crowd to watch the maiden edition of the Reyes Cup last Tuesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium was newly-minted world women’s 9-ball queen Rubilen Amit, who openly cheered for Team Asia and national teammates Johann Chua and Carlo Biado.

“Siyempre, I am here to support Team Asia and Johann and Carlo,” said Amit, who had combined with her compatriots to clinch the World Team Pool Championship trophy two years ago in Klagenfurt, Austria. 

“I am also very excited about this big team event featuring Europe versus Asia. It’s been a while na mayroon tayong ganito at nakakatuwa ‘yung turnout nu’ng crowd na maraming gustong sumuporta sa kanilang kapwa Pilipino at sa Team Asia,” the petite cue wizard said.

She was among the close to 3,000 fans who watched the inaugural 9-ball team event named in honor of the legendary Efren “Bata” Reyes and remained until the wee hours, watching Team Asia score a close 5-4 thriller over their European counterparts at the start of the four-day series.

“I am definitely watching from start to finish. I wish Johann, Carlo and Team Asia luck and I hope they will all enjoy the moment as they play their best and play well. Especially for Chua and Biado since they rarely get to play in front of the hometown crowd. I am excited for them,” she said.

Amit rooted openly for Team Asia to win the Reyes Cup, pointing out that “siyempre iba ang pusong Pinoy na palaban at ganun din ang Team Asia.”

She disclosed that she and compatriot Chezka Centeno are set to compete in the women’s world 10-ball championship scheduled from Nov. 10 to 16 in San Juan, Puerto Rico where Centeno will defend the title she won last year in Klagenfurt, Austria.

ARMED with a stellar record in overseas play, Johann Chua’s bid for a major stand-alone international 9-ball billiards title remained elusive, although he came close to achieving that as a losing finalist to Dane Mickey Krause in the European Open in Fulda, Germany last August.

Chua’s quest for individual glory in the event favored by Filipinos finally ended late Sunday night when he held off fancied Taiwanese Ko Pin-yi and scored an empathic 12-7 win in the finals to bag the Mansion Sports Hanoi Open plum in the Vietnamese capital.

A former world 9 and 10-ball and Asian 9-ball champ, Ko rallied from 2-7 down and threatened at 7-8, seemingly having gained the momentum in the 17th rack when Chua failed to pocket the 6-ball on the left side pocket.

But the usually cool and calculating Taiwanese blundered as well, the 6-ball caroming out of the right corner pocket — much to the relief of Chua, who cleaned up the rack and never looked back.

“Atin na to!” yelled the usually reserved Filipino player nearing the end of the 19th and final frame with the match in hand before jumping on the pool table, pumping his fists in triumph with tears running down his cheeks.

Sitting in his corner, Ko could only smile and look in admiration at his Team Asia teammate in the Efren Reyes Cup starting tomorrow at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

“I knew how good Ko is and was never sure of victory until I had pocketed the last ball,” said the 32-year-old Bacolod pride, who handily beat compatriot Carlo Biado 11-5 earlier in the semifinals, and took home the top prize of $30,000 (around P1.720 million) while showing respect to his defeated foe. 

“Winning this title in Hanoi means very much to me since this was where I won my singles 9-ball gold in the SEA Games in 2022,” recalled Chua of his victorious experience at the same Hanoi Indoor Games gym two years ago.

“Johann really played well tonight, and this is for Team Asia,” said Ko, who settled for the runner-up purse of $15,000 (P859,935), as he looked forward to his partnership with Chua in the Asia vs. Europe competition named after pool legend Efren “Bata” Reyes.

In the semis, the Taiwanese whipped Filipino Jeffrey Roda, who, together with Biado, took home $9,500 (P544,000) apiece.

FORMER World Team Championship teammates Carlo Biado and Johann Chus plus compatriot Jeffrey Roda beat separate rivals last Saturday night to gain the semifinals of the Mansion Sports Hanoi Open at the Hanoi Indoor Games Gymnasium in the Vietnamese capital.

Biado, who teamed up with Chua and Rubilen Amit in capturing the World Team Championship in 2022 in Klagenfurt, Austria, claimed the biggest scalp with a 10-5 rout of two-time World Pool champion Francesco Sanchez Ruiz of Spain.

Chua was just as sharp in downing reigning Spanish world 10-ball king Kledo Kaci 10-6 while Roda, a former snooker player, nipped countryman Harry Vergara 10-8 as three Pinoys reached the semis of the tournament organized by English promoter Matchroom.

Biado and Chua will clash in the race-to-11 semis set late yesterday while Roda was up against Taiwanese former world 10 and 9-ball champ Ko Pin-yi, who dethroned Scotland’s Jayson Shaw 10-9 in a gripping quarterfinal match.

The winner of the race-to-13 championship scheduled late last night will bring home the top prize of $30,000 (roughly P1.716 million).