Singapore pool player Aloysius Yapp to star for Team Asia at inaugural Reyes Cup

SINGAPORE – The Republic’s pool ace Aloysius Yapp has been named as one of Team Asia’s players for the inaugural Reyes Cup, which will pit them against Team Europe from Oct 17-20.

Named after Filipino pool legend Efren Reyes, the competition will be held in Manila and will mirror the prestigious Mosconi Cup, an annual tournament between Team Europe and Team USA.

Yapp, along with Albania’s Eklent Kaci, were the first to secure their spots, with organisers Matchroom confirming their participation on July 1.

Yapp leads Team Asia’s rankings for the Reyes Cup and will be joined by two more players. A captain will then pick two wild cards.

The former world No. 1 believes that Team Asia will be able to go toe-to-toe with their European counterparts.

Yapp, ninth in the World Nineball Tour (WNT) standings, told The Straits Times: “We definitely stand a very good chance. Asian players have always been really strong, and (both) Asia and Europe are dominating most of the events, it’s really very even on paper.”

Adding that it feels “amazing” to be selected, the 28-year-old said: “I am excited to compete against the best and bring my best game to the table. This tournament is going to be something special. They have finally added an Asian team into the mix. For many years, a lot of Asian players and fans have wanted an Asian team (to play) and Matchroom finally made it happen.”

He feels that the next player to join him could be the Philippines’ Johann Chua, who is just behind him on Team Asia’s rankings after his run to the World Pool Championship semi-finals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in June.

Said Yapp: “He’s very near to me on points. He almost overtook me in the world championship, which was the first cut-off point. He should be the next to be confirmed unless someone wins a big event.”

Yapp finished joint-33rd at the world championship but had already done enough to seal his spot in Team Asia, having won the Battle of the Bull and the International Open tournaments in 2023.

Kaci was the first to qualify for Team Europe after finishing second in Jeddah, which moved him up to third in the WNT rankings.

The 25-year-old told the Matchroom website: “I’m thrilled to be part of the first-ever Reyes Cup. Competing at this level and representing Team Europe for the first time is an incredible honour, and I can’t wait to showcase my talent at this prestigious tournament.”

Yapp’s last competition was the June 25-30 Maldives 10-Ball Open Championship, where he finished joint-17th. He is now in Indonesia for the Batam Open and will compete at the Bandung Open next.

After that, he will head for various stops on the WNT Tour, including the July 26-28 Lushan Open in China and the Aug 1-4 Helsinki Open, before the European Open Championship from Aug 6-11 in Fulda, Germany.

There will be two more stages for players trying to qualify for the Reyes Cup, which will be shown on Sky Sports in Britain and Ireland.

One player per team will be announced after the European Open and the Aug 19-24 US Open Pool Championship.

Reyes, widely regarded as one of the best pool players of all time, said: “The Efren Reyes Cup is not just a tournament, it’s a celebration of the sport we love, and I am excited to see the pool community come together for its first edition in the Philippines.”