By MARK REY MONTEJO
Team Asia overcame a lethargic start and went on to dominate Team Rest of the World (ROW) anew to take a commanding 9-1 lead in the 2025 Reyes Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila Saturday, Oct. 18.
A day after rising star AJ Manas stunned world No. 1 American Fedor Gorst, this time the veterans took charge as Vietnam’s Dương Quốc Hoàng, Singapore’s Aloysius Yapp, and Carlo Biado delivered the goods for the Asian bets on the third day.
Putting behind a painful 4-5 loss in Match 8 of the team event, Hoàng rocked American Skyler Woodward, 5-1, in their singles duel in Match Nine to spark another assault.
With its huge lead, Team Asia is now just two points away from completing its back-to-back crown in the four-day meet that is dedicated to billiards icon Efren “Bata” Reyes.
Even though we were leading, the pressure was still there. I didn’t start great, but I stayed calm and trusted my game,” said Hoàng, who shrugged off a lackluster first rack before prevailing in the next five frames over Woodward.
Team Asia’s barrage didn’t stop there as Biado and Yapp put on a show as they blanked fellow world champions Spain’s Francisco Sanchez Ruiz and Germany’s Moritz Neuhausen, 5-0, in their doubles showdown.
Yapp, a multi-titlist on global stage, had nothing but praises to his familiar foe now teammate Biado, who was supported by his family, including her mother.
“Carlo was unbelievable out there, you can see why he’s a world champion. I left some tough shots for him, but he saved me every time,” Yapp told Matchroom Pool.
“We know we’re close, but we can’t take anything for granted. We’ll reset tonight and aim to finish strong tomorrow,” he added.
