Rest of the World lead Asia 9-4 at Reyes Cup as Gorst and rookie Pecelj leave them two points from the title
Fedor Gorst and Aleksa Pecelj won their singles 5-1 on day three in Makati, leaving the Rest of the World two points from a first Reyes Cup title over two-time champions Asia.
The Rest of the World are two points away from their first Reyes Cup. On Saturday 17 October at the Makati Coliseum in Metro Manila, they won three of the four matches on day three to lead Team Asia 9-4 in the race to 11. Asia have won the event in both previous editions, and they now need seven straight match wins to complete a hat-trick.
Day three: Gorst and Pecelj take control
Ralf Souquet's team won the day 3-1. Fedor Gorst beat Indonesia's Albert Januarta 5-1, sinking a long 9-ball in the final rack, and rookie Aleksa Pecelj beat AJ Manas, last year's MVP, by the same score.
ROW also won the team match 5-3. At 3-3, Manas missed the 4-ball and Spain's Francisco Sanchez Ruiz cleared the table. Later, a miss by Vietnam's Duong Quoc Hoang in the eighth rack left Shane van Boening a simple shot to win the match.
Asia's only point came in doubles. Januarta and Carlo Biado of the Philippines beat Gorst and Joshua Filler 5-3, holding on after ROW recovered from 3-1 down to 3-3. Januarta clinched it with a strong final break.
How the lead was built
The opening day on Thursday 15 October ended 2-2. ROW then won four of the five matches on Friday to lead 6-3. Biado's 5-3 singles win over Van Boening was Asia's only point that day. Filler, the German star making his Reyes Cup debut, has been at the centre of the visitors' run along with Sanchez Ruiz and Gorst.
Asia, captained by Francisco Bustamante, have won both previous editions. They won 11-3 in 2025, when Manas was named MVP. This year's line-up is Biado, Manas, Robbie Capito, Duong and Januarta, with Singapore's Aloysius Yapp left out of the team.
What happens on the final day
The fourth and final session is on Sunday 18 October and is listed for 7pm local time. The Philippines is in the same time zone as Malaysia, so that is also 7pm in Malaysia. Under the race-to-11 format, ROW need two more match wins. Asia would need to win seven matches in a row on the final day. If the score reaches 10-10, the captains choose a doubles pair for a deciding match.
Pool fans across Southeast Asia have had reasons to follow both teams. Biado and Manas carry the Philippine hopes, while Vietnam's Duong and Indonesia's Januarta also play for the Asian side, which has never lost this event.
Key takeaways
- Rest of the World lead Team Asia 9-4 after three days of the 2026 Reyes Cup in Makati.
- Fedor Gorst and rookie Aleksa Pecelj both won their singles 5-1 on day three, and ROW won the team match 5-3.
- Carlo Biado and Albert Januarta won Asia's only point of the day in doubles.
- The final session is on Sunday 18 October from 7pm Malaysia time; ROW need two points for a first title.
FAQ
What is the score at the 2026 Reyes Cup? After three days, the Rest of the World lead Team Asia 9-4. The first team to 11 points wins.
Has the Rest of the World won the Reyes Cup before? No. Team Asia won both previous editions, including an 11-3 win in 2025, so a ROW win would be their first title.
What time is the final session in Malaysia? Sunday's session at the Makati Coliseum is listed for 7pm local time, which is also 7pm in Malaysia.
Sources: AZBilliards, Spin.ph, Absolute Pool, Explained.ph