Team ROW moves within 2 wins of maiden Reyes Cup title

Noah Barro

Team Rest of the World (ROW) is now two wins away from a historic breakthrough.

ROW dominated three of four matches to seize a 9–4 lead over Team Asia in the race-to-11 format at the Makati Coliseum on Oct. 17, moving within reach of its first-ever Reyes Cup trophy.

ROW built a comfortable five-point cushion as the defending champions sought to recover from a 6–3 hole entering Day 3 of the tournament.

The visitors, bannered by world champions Fedor Gorst, Shane Van Boening, Joshua Filler, Francisco Sánchez Ruíz, and Phoenix Open champion Aleksa Pecelj, punished Asia’s errors to move closer to their first Reyes Cup crown since its inauguration in 2023.

In the opening team match, SVB showcased his shotmaking prowess by pocketing the 4-ball after Vietnam’s Dương Quốc Hoàng left it in a challenging position to mark the start of ROW’s rally in the Day 3 of the tourney.

17-year-old cue artist Albert Januarta then had a chance to take a 2–0 lead in the day’s first singles match, punishing Gorst’s scratch in rack two, but failed to pocket the 4-ball, allowing his opponent to tie the affair at 1-all.

The former World Nineball Tour (WNT) world No. 1 then claimed the next four racks—highlighted by a jump shot in the fifth rack—to extend ROW’s lead to 8–3.

World No. 2 Carlo Biado displayed composure under pressure after hitting the 3-ball to sink the 9-ball, lifting Asia to the hill alongside Januarta.

Januarta then produced a golden break to nail Asia’s first win of the day against ROW’s formidable tandem of Filler and Gorst.

Pecelj then proved reliable in the 13th match of the competition, building a 3–0 lead over AJ Manas before capitalizing on his opponent’s scratch to complete a clearance in the sixth rack and seal a 5–1 victory, putting ROW on the verge of its first Reyes Cup title.

On Day 4, ROW will strive to secure the two points necessary to win the championship, while Asia seeks to stage a historic comeback and maintain its title defense.