Reyes Cup 2026: Filler and Sanchez Ruiz lead Rest of the World to 6-3 lead over Team Asia in Makati

Team Rest of the World took control of the 2026 Reyes Cup on Friday, 16 October, winning four of the five matches on day two at the Makati Coliseum to open up a 6-3 lead over two-time champions Team Asia. Joshua Filler and Francisco Sanchez Ruiz were central to the turnaround, and Carlo Biado's singles win over Shane Van Boening was the only point the home-region side collected all evening. The first team to 11 points wins the cup, so Ralf Souquet's side need five more points, while Francisco Bustamante's Asia team need eight.

How day two unfolded

The evening began with a team match that Rest of the World won 5-3, giving them a lead for the first time in the event after the opening day had finished level at 2-2. Filler then beat the Philippines' Robbie Capito 5-3 in singles to stretch the gap.

The visitors also won both doubles matches. Fedor Gorst and Aleksa Pecelj beat AJ Manas and Vietnam's Duong Quoc Hoang 5-3, and Sanchez Ruiz and Filler closed the night by edging Capito and Indonesia's Albert Januarta 5-4.

Asia's only reply came from Biado, the former world 9-ball champion, who beat American star Van Boening 5-3 in the night's second singles match. It was not enough to stop the momentum swinging firmly towards the Rest of the World.

A reversal of day one

The result is a sharp change from the opening night on Thursday. Asia won two of the first four matches, through the team match and a 5-1 doubles win for Biado and Capito over Filler and Pecelj. Rest of the World replied with a 5-1 singles win for Sanchez Ruiz over Duong and a 5-1 doubles victory for Van Boening and Gorst over Manas and Januarta, leaving the scores level at 2-2.

Day two showed how quickly the event can swing. With every match decided over short races, a run of errors or a single missed safety can hand over a full point, and all four of Asia's defeats on Friday came by just one or two racks.

Asia's title defence under pressure

Team Asia have won both previous editions of the Reyes Cup, which is named after Filipino legend Efren "Bata" Reyes. They beat Team Europe 11-6 in the inaugural 2024 event and beat the Rest of the World 11-3 last year, when Manas was named the most valuable player.

This year's Asia line-up is Biado, Capito, Manas, Duong and Januarta under Bustamante. The Rest of the World are captained by Germany's Souquet and field Filler, Van Boening, Pecelj, Sanchez Ruiz and Gorst, a squad full of major title winners.

Under the format, players must appear at least once in the second, third or fourth matches each day, and if the score reaches 10-10 the captains must pick a doubles pairing for the decider.

What comes next

The event runs until Sunday, 18 October, with two days left after Friday's session. Day three is scheduled for Saturday, 17 October, with play listed from 7pm, which is the same time in Malaysia because Manila and Kuala Lumpur share the UTC+8 time zone.

Asia need a strong night to stop Rest of the World moving within touching distance of the title. The champions receive US$20,000 per player and the runners-up US$10,000 each, from a total prize fund of US$150,000.

The cup is shown on OneSports in the Philippines and is streamed on WNT TV in several countries, including Vietnam and Indonesia, while ESPN carries it in the United States.

Key takeaways

• Rest of the World lead Team Asia 6-3 after winning four of five matches on day two in Makati.
• Joshua Filler won both a singles and a doubles match on Friday, while Sanchez Ruiz also added a doubles point.
• Carlo Biado's 5-3 win over Shane Van Boening was Asia's only point of the day.
• The first team to 11 points wins, so Rest of the World need five more and Asia eight.

FAQ

What is the score in the 2026 Reyes Cup? After two days, Team Rest of the World lead Team Asia 6-3. The opening day finished 2-2.

How do you win the Reyes Cup? The first team to reach 11 points wins. Each match is worth one point, and a 10-10 tie is settled by a doubles match chosen by the captains.

When is the next session of the Reyes Cup? Day three is scheduled for Saturday, 17 October, from 7pm local time in Makati, which is also 7pm in Malaysia. The final day is Sunday, 18 October.

Sources: AZBilliards, Spin.ph, OneSports, Absolute Pool