Rest Of The World Move Within Touching Distance Of Maiden Reyes Cup Title
Team Rest of the World tightened their grip on the 2026 Roobet Reyes Cup with another commanding display at the Makati Coliseum, winning three of Day Three’s four matches to open up a 9–4 lead over defending champions Team Asia heading into the final day.
Fedor Gorst was the standout performer, playing a key role in the opening team match before dismantling Albert Januarta in singles, while Aleksa Pecelj produced the most complete performance of his week to see off AJ Manas. Carlo Biado and Januarta gave the home crowd something to cheer, sealing Asia’s only point of the day with a golden break from the 17-year-old Indonesian.
Reflecting on Team ROW’s position, Gorst said: “The tables have completely turned compared to last year, and that’s come down to one thing. Team ROW has the better players. We’ve picked up the momentum since Day One, and now we’re in full control. Just one more day to get the job done.”
Day Three result
Team Asia 1 – 3 Team Rest of the World
Score after Day Three
Team Asia 4 – 9 Team Rest of the World
Match Ten
Team ROW 5 – 3 Team Asia
Asia came out with intent. A probing safety from Robbie Capito forced a foul from Joshua Filler to take the opening rack, and Manas pounced on a dry break from Francisco Sánchez Ruiz to double the advantage.
The momentum didn’t last. Duong Quoc Hoang looked set to break and run the third, but a scratch handed Shane Van Boening the rack, and Gorst levelled with a clinical break-and-run. Pecelj escaped a Biado snooker to put ROW in front, and although Capito answered with another safety that forced Filler into a foul, a Manas foul under pressure from Sánchez Ruiz moved Rest of the World onto the hill. It came down to a final tactical battle between Van Boening and Duong, and the American came out on top to give ROW the first point of the day.
Van Boening said: “It’s nice to be on the winning side. What can I say? This team has worked well, and it seems we get better and better each day this week.
“It felt strange coming into this tournament knowing Ralf would be the captain, but he’s made this team work so well together. We’re all champions, and we know we can all play. Ralf has taken it that extra step to make us almost unstoppable together.”
Match Eleven
Fedor Gorst 5 – 1 Albert Januarta
Januarta made the perfect start, winning the lag and running out to lead, but that would be the teenager’s only rack. A missed 4-ball let Gorst level, and the World No.1 then forced the Indonesian into a scratch, using ball-in-hand to land a 4–9 combination and take the lead.
From there, Gorst was ruthless. A run-out extended his advantage, and he reached the hill after edging a short safety exchange on the 1-ball. Januarta had one final chance to stay in the match, but left the 2-ball open on a safety attempt, and Gorst cleared up to complete a commanding win.
Gorst commented: “Albert has proven he’s a good player on Tour, there’s no denying that. But the better man won that match, and I think it came down to my experience again.”
Match Twelve
Carlo Biado & Albert Januarta 5 – 3 Joshua Filler & Fedor Gorst
Filler and Gorst took the opening rack and looked set to double their lead after a dry break from Biado, but Gorst couldn’t escape a hook, and Biado made amends with a 1–9 combination. A misjudged jump shot from Gorst then let the Asian pair in front.
The fourth was a scrappy affair. Januarta hung the 3-ball over the pocket, only for Filler to make a rare miss on the 4-ball and hand the rack back to Asia. A costly decision from the German in the next rack, playing the 2-ball into the 9-ball, put Biado and Januarta on the hill, and the young Indonesian fittingly sealed the win with a golden break, giving the home crowd their first point of the day.
Biado commented: “It was an important win with Albert. He was lucky with the golden break at the end, but he showed heart in that match. He is so talented at such a young age, and he’s shown he can beat any of the top players this year. I knew we could win this together.
“It was a tough day again, but anything can happen going into Day Four. We’ve all got to stay focused and trust in our game.”
Match Thirteen
Aleksa Pecelj 5 – 1 AJ Manas
Pecelj set the tone from the very first rack, capitalising on a poorly placed snooker from Manas after an opening safety exchange. A poorly executed kick from the Filipino handed the Serbian the second, and he then made the most of Manas’s push-out to race into a 3–0 lead.
Manas got on the board after a scratch from Pecelj, but a failed safety on the 1-ball let his opponent through to the hill. Pecelj ran out the final rack in style, putting Team ROW 9–4 up heading into the final day.
Pecelj said: “My game has got better and better each day in this event. In that match against Manas, I felt I was in complete control. That win gives me confidence for tomorrow. Despite the lead, we still have one more day to go. Team Asia could pull off a miracle so we can’t be complacent.”
Rest of the World have never been closer to a first Reyes Cup title, and now hold a five-point lead with just one day remaining. Team Asia face the ultimate test on home soil: a comeback for the ages to keep their bid for a third straight crown 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.
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