Team ROW Turn The Tables On Asia As Filler And Sánchez Ruiz Lead The Way

Team Rest of the World took the lead for the first time with a commanding Day Two at the Makati Coliseum, winning four of the five matches to go 6–3 up on Team Asia. 

Joshua Filler brought his Mosconi Cup form to Manila with a key singles win, before partnering Francisco Sánchez Ruiz to a hill-hill doubles victory that closed out the day. World Champion Carlo Biado was the only player to claim a point for the defending champions after a day of struggles for Team Asia.

Reflecting on his side’s dominant display, Team ROW captain Ralf Souquet said: “Of course it’s good to get the lead today, but Team Asia aren’t giving up. They showed at the end of the day that you can’t count them out.

“I’m proud of the team. We’ve shown that the world’s best can play their best together. There are two days left, so anything can happen, but I want to lead Team ROW to their first victory at the Reyes Cup, and I know these guys are more than capable of doing it.”

Day Two result
Team Asia 3 – 6 Team Rest of the World

Match Five
Team ROW 5 – 3 Team Asia

Asia looked to have the brighter start to Day Two, as last year’s MVP AJ Manas won the lag and took the opening rack. US Open champion Francisco Sánchez Ruiz hit back straight away, but a golden break from Duong Quoc Hoang and a miscalculated snooker from Shane Van Boening, punished by Albert Januarta, had the home side 3–1 up.

That was as good as it got for Asia. A misplaced jump shot from Robbie Capito let Aleksa Pecelj in, and Fedor Gorst produced the shot of the match, a 3–9 combination from ball-in-hand after a Manas foul, to draw ROW level. Sánchez Ruiz moved them onto the hill, and when Duong scratched in the next rack, Joshua Filler sealed it with a 6–9 combination to put Rest of the World in front for the first time this week.

Match Six
Joshua Filler 5 – 3 Robbie Capito

The singles clash was far from flawless, with both players making unforced errors in the early racks. Capito missed the 7-ball after winning the lag, Filler gave the rack back with a scratch, and the German then missed the 9-ball on a two-way shot, only for Capito to scratch on a misjudged cut and hand him ball-in-hand to go 2–1 up.

Once Filler settled, he looked every bit the Mosconi Cup star. A break-and-run made it 3–1, and although Capito pulled one back with some well-judged safety play, another quick clearance took Filler to the hill. Capito refused to go quietly, escaping a snooker with a superb jump shot to make it 4–3, but Filler locked him in a safety he couldn’t get out of and cleared up to double ROW’s lead.

Filler said: “I’m feeling good and comfortable out there. I still need to work on my cue-ball control as I’m getting used to the table, but I’m happy with this win. I try not to get frustrated by mistakes in a match. I just learn from them and move on. Whether I’m on a team or playing on my own, I always want to give 110%.

“I was surprised by some of the mistakes Robbie made; they’re not the kind he usually makes. The team spoke yesterday, and we know we have to put pressure on them. That hasn’t happened in the previous two years, but they’ll feel the nerves too, especially in front of a home crowd that expects them to deliver.

“They’ve won the last two years, but this year it feels like we finally have a proper team. We work as a proper team, and we’re going to show it.”

Match Seven
Fedor Gorst & Aleksa Pecelj 5 – 3 AJ Manas & Duong Quoc Hoang

After trading break-and-runs, the doubles turned on a costly miss from Duong, who missed a straightforward 8-ball just after Pecelj had let Asia in. Gorst and Pecelj made it count, and when Manas scratched off the break, they pulled clear at 4–1.

Manas and Duong showed real fight to win the next two racks, the second helped by a rare twitch on the 2-ball from Gorst. Just as the comeback gathered pace, it ended in the cruellest way: Manas scratched off a needed golden break, handing the match to the ROW pair.

Pecelj said: “I felt pressure at the start of the tournament, as I’m not used to this format, but I feel excited, especially playing with Fedor. We both have very similar playing styles and I think today that showed. We’re a great duo, and I’m happy we got the win in the end.”

Match Eight
Carlo Biado 5 – 3 Shane Van Boening

With Asia’s lead gone and ROW threatening to run away with the day, it fell to Carlo Biado to stop the slide. He was 3–1 down to Van Boening after leaving himself hooked and fouling in the fourth rack.

The Filipino World Champion then showed why he is so hard to beat. He tightened his safety play, slowed the American down and won two straight racks to level. A scratch off the break from Van Boening let Biado onto the hill, and a composed final clearance completed the comeback, denying Rest of the World a clean sweep and giving Asia their only point of the day.

Biado said: “It was a big win and a needed win. I was surprised by some of the mistakes Shane made, but because of them I knew I still had a chance and the game wasn’t over. I just stayed focused and enjoyed the game.

“Even when we’re down and they’re leading, I know we’ll all do our best. If we do that, we can win this tournament again. It’s good experience for the debutants on Team Asia. All I can do is share my experience and watch them grow.”

Match Nine
Francisco Sánchez Ruiz & Joshua Filler 5 – 4 Robbie Capito & Albert Januarta

Capito and Januarta made the brighter start, coming out on top of a cagey opening safety battle and capitalising on a Sánchez Ruiz scratch to lead 2–0.

The European pair hit back with three straight racks, helped by an open table after a Capito jump shot and a missed long 2-ball from Januarta, but the Asian duo answered in kind. They levelled at 3–3, then reached the hill with an 8–9 combination at the end of a scrappy seventh rack. A failed snooker from Capito let Sánchez Ruiz and Filler force a hill-hill decider.

The final rack swung both ways. A foul on the 1-ball from Sánchez Ruiz seemed to hand Asia the match, but they were left hooked, and Capito’s attempted jump shot failed to connect. Sánchez Ruiz and Filler cleared the table to cap a dominant day for Rest of the World.

Sánchez Ruiz said: “It was a tough match but I knew I could get it done with Josh. The team knew what we had to do today. We spoke last night and said we have to push if we want the lead. The energy in the team is so good, and I think today has showed how well the dynamic is working right now.”

For the first time in Reyes Cup history, the pressure is on the defending champions. Team Asia will need to rediscover their Day One form, and quickly, if they are to stop Rest of the World and keep their bid for a third straight title alive.

Returning to Manila for its third edition, the 2026 Roobet Reyes Cup runs at the Makati Coliseum from October 15–18, as Team Asia defend their crown against Team Rest of the World in an event staged in partnership with Puyat Sports and broadcast globally via ESPN, ONE SPORTS and WNT TV.

Join us at Makati Coliseum from 15–18 October as Asia chase a third straight title and Rest of the World seek their breakthrough.