15/10/2026
The battle for continental supremacy is underway, and after an action-packed opening day of the 2026 Reyes Cup, Team Asia and Team Rest of the World (R.O.W.) are deadlocked at 2–2!
The third edition kicked off at the Makati Coliseum in the Philippines, with legendary captains Francisco Bustamante and Ralf Souquet facing off in the ceremonial lag. Bustamante claimed the opening break for Team Asia, setting the stage for an exciting first day of competition.
Asia struck first in the opening team round, but R.O.W. quickly answered with wins from Joshua Filler and Shane Van Boening to take a 2–1 lead. Refusing to surrender the early advantage, Team Asia battled back to secure a 5–3 victory and claim the tournament's opening point.
Asia carried that momentum into the first doubles contest, where Carlo Biado and Robbie Capito delivered a commanding 5–1 victory over Joshua Filler and Aleksa Pecelj, extending their overall advantage to 2–0 and putting R.O.W. under early pressure.
With his team needing a response, Cuetec's Francisco Sanchez Ruiz stepped up in the day's first singles showdown. The Spaniard delivered a statement performance against Duong Quoc Hoang, cruising to a convincing 5–1 victory to put R.O.W. on the scoreboard and swing the momentum back in their favor.
The final match saw Asia's teenage duo of Albert Januarta and AJ Manas take on the formidable pairing of Shane Van Boening and Fedor Gorst. The young Asian stars had opportunities to keep their team in front, but costly mistakes proved decisive as the experienced R.O.W. pairing capitalized. Cuetec's own Van Boening sank the final nine-ball of the evening, completing R.O.W.'s comeback and leveling the overall score at 2–2.
Four matches. Two points apiece. Everything still to play for.
With pride on the line and momentum hanging in the balance, will either team seize control on Day Two, or will they continue trading blows?
