INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines—Rejuvenated Filipino billiards icon Efren “Bata” Reyes and Taiwanese legend Chao Fong-pang start their marathon challenge match “Face Off Series 2—The Grandmasters” on Wednesday at the Club Capo Exclusive on Tomas Morato Avenue, Quezon City.

Both two-time world champions, the 55-year-old Reyes and the 42-year-old Chao will dispute the $10,000 winner’s purse in a race-to-50 nine-ball affair to be beamed on pay-per-view through www..clubcapo.tv.

Slated from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., the two-day event can be viewed for a PPV price of $19.99.

Recovering from a two-year title-drought, Reyes has won three major tournaments this year and is tagged the slight favorite over Chao, the first Asian to pocket the world 9-ball title in 1993 and the first to repeat in 2000.

“It’s nice to be playing again with one of my contemporaries,” said Reyes, who topped this year’s World Cup of Pool with Francisco “Django” Bustamante, the Kadayawan leg of The Manny Villar Cup and the Galveston Classic One Pocket tournament in Texas in succession.

The Face Off Series 2 is presented by Club Capo in cooperation with Bugsy Promotions and JBET.net, and supported by Nuvo City, Outlast Battery, Puyat Sports and Negros Billiards Stable.

Chao, noted for his skillful jump shots, migrated two years ago to China where he now imparts his knowledge and experience to young pool enthusiasts.

The Reyes-Chao encounter is part of a series of challenge matches Club Capo is putting up this year, including a showdown between former double world champions Ronnie Alcano and Ralf Souquet of Germany.