By MARK REY MONTEJO
Rising star AJ Manas fell short once again, losing to hometown bet Ko Pin Yi, 12-13, to settle for a runner-up finish in the 2026 CTPBA Pro Tour Grand Finals in Taipei, Taiwan Tuesday night, Jan. 6.
The loss was a painful one for Manas as he controlled the match early, taking 3-0 and 12-9 leads only to lost steam in the critical stage of the game and eventually the title.
Still, Manas will go home richer by $3,175 (roughly ₱188,266) and a trophy, while Yi, a former world No. 1 and ruler of the 2015 9-ball and 10-ball world championships, bagged $6,350 (₱376,532) and the top honor.
“Finished as Runner-Up at the 2026 CTPBA Pro Tour. Thank you all for the support!” Manas wrote on his social media post.
The two-day event drew some of the finest cue artists, including Carlo Biado and Johann Chua.
Next for the Antipolo City native is the Universal 4th Chinese Taipei 9-Ball Open slated Jan. 8 to 11.
There, top-ranked cue artists in the likes of Biado, Spaniard Francisco Sanchez Ruiz and Singaporean Aloysius Yapp, the 2025 WNT’s Player of the Year awardee, are expected to join the fray.
Before booking his finals ticket, Manas overcame Taiwanese cueists Lu Hui Chan (10-9) and Ko Ping Han (11-3) in the knockout rounds.
