MANILA, Philippines—A familiar oe awaits Filipino legend Efren “Bata” Reyes when he makes his debut in the Philippine Big Time Billiards Series Friday night at the Airport Pagcor Casino in Parañaque.
Chinese ace Wu Jiaqing (formerly Wu Chia-ching of Chinese Taipei) will test Reyes’ mettle anew in a battle of former double world champions.
Wu, who rose to prominence by winning the world 9-ball and 8-ball titles in 2005 while representing China’s ideological rival on the other side of the Taiwan Straits, will also be making his first appearance in the series that has lured some of the finest players in the world.
The race-to-nine, 10-ball match starts at 9 p.m. with Wu installed as the favorite by sports betting firm Mega-
SportsWorld, which is also organizing the event with BRKHRD Corp.
A $1 wager for Wu will net only $1.68 while a $1 bet for Reyes will win $1.91. The winner will receive $5,000, with the loser settling for half that prize.
“I want to give a good show for pool fans,” said Reyes, the 1999 WPA World 9-Ball champion and 2004 WPA World 8-Ball titlist.
Backed by businessman Aristeo Puyat, Reyes will be looking to avenge the 8-9 defeat he took from Wu in the quarterfinals of last September’s Predator International 10-Ball Championship.
Reyes, who has an uncanny ability to nail the most difficult shots, is also hoping to continue the run of good results by Filipino players in the series.
Carlo Biado toppled Taiwanese ace Chang Jung-lin, 9-4, last week.
Among the Filipino players that have played in the series are Dennis Orcollo, Ronnie Alcano, Francisco Bustamante, Lee Vann Corteza and Roberto Gomez.
The match will be aired live over Solar Sports, Sky Channel 70 and Destiny Channel 34. Live streaming is available at www.megasportsworld.com and www.philippinebigtimebilliards.com.
Also backing the event are Airport Casino Filipino, Crown Sound System Sakura Amplifiers and Home Theater Systems, Malungai Life Oil, Diamond Billiard table, Hermes Sports Bar, I-Bar, Golden Leaf Restaurant, Bugsy Promotions, Mandarin Sky Sea Food Restaurant, Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP).