Reyes Cup — the Rest of the World finally have their noses in front
For two years the Reyes Cup has been Asia’s party. On Friday night at Makati Coliseum the visitors gatecrashed it, winning four of five matches to lead 6–3 in the race to 11, their first lead of the week (results per the World Nineball Tour and One Sports).
Joshua Filler was everywhere: a 6–9 combination to seal the team match after Asia had led 3–1, a singles win over Robbie Capito, then a hill-hill nightcap alongside Francisco Sánchez Ruiz.
- Team: Rest of the World 5–3 Asia
- Singles: Filler 5–3 Capito
- Doubles: Gorst / Pečelj 5–3 Manas / Duong Quoc Hoang
- Singles: Biado 5–3 Van Boening
- Doubles: Filler / Sánchez Ruiz 5–4 Capito / Januarta
Carlo Biado spared Asia a whitewash on the night, coming from 3–1 down against Shane Van Boening with four straight racks. “It was a big win and a needed win,” he said.
The finale was cruel on the hosts. Capito and 17-year-old Albert Januarta reached the hill at 4–3 with an 8–9 combination, and in the decider Sánchez Ruiz fouled the 1-ball, only for Asia to be left hooked. Capito’s jump failed to connect, and the European pair cleared up.
“They’ve won the last two years, but this year it feels like we finally have a proper team,” Filler told the WNT. Captain Ralf Souquet was more guarded: “There are two days left, so anything can happen.”
What Saturday looks like
Day Three starts at noon UK time with the longest card of the week: a team match, then singles, doubles, singles, doubles and singles. The sums are simple. If the Rest of the World win five of the six, the Cup is theirs a day early. It’s live on WNT TV, ESPN+ and One Sports.
Belfast — a second withdrawal, and Zhao’s No.1 spot is safe
Wu Yize isn’t the only absentee. TNT Sports reports that He Guoqiang has also withdrawn for similar reasons, sending Elliot Slessor through to the last 32. Wu had closed to within 26,650 of the top spot after Shenzhen. With him out, Zhao Xintong is guaranteed to stay world No.1 into the International Championship in Nanjing, which starts on 31 October.
Away from the table, the BBC reports that the man who burgled Kyren Wilson’s home in June, taking watches, jewellery and £2,000 meant for a children’s cancer charity, has been jailed for four years.
Billiards — Geet Sethi comes back
Cue Sports India reports, via Kozoom, that eight-time world billiards champion Geet Sethi is back for the English Open and the Worlds at Landywood, his first Worlds in years. The WPBSA calls it one of the strongest fields in years: 60 players from 12 nations, the entire top ten, and six former champions in Sethi, David Causier, Peter Gilchrist, Pankaj Advani, Sourav Kothari and Mike Russell.
Overnight and the weekend
- Australian Women’s Open groups start at Mounties, Sydney, at about midnight UK time.
- Northern Ireland Open, Waterfront Hall, from Sunday (TNT Sports / HBO Max).
- The PBA–LPBA NH NongHyup Card Championship opens at KINTEX, Goyang, on Sunday.
Feature image: “Joshua Filler straight pool” by MisawaSakura, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
