Reyes advances in elite US tilt

Efren "Bata" Reyes defeated Niels Feijen of the Netherlands, 7-5, Wednesday and advanced to the semifinals of the 2002 International Challenge of Champions in Connecticut, USA.

The win moved the Filipino sports idol two wins closer to the title and the $50,000 prize put up by Billiards International, Ltd., promoter of the two-day 9-ball event at Mohegan Sun Casino featuring a select cast of eight top-rated pool pros from Europe, the United States, Asia and Australia.

Reyes meets Shao Lung Fang of Chinese Taipei while Steve Knight of England plays against Mika Immonen of Finland in the semifinals on Thursday (Friday in Manila). The finals will be held right after the semis.

Fang defeated Corey Deuel of the United States, 7-6; Knight beat John Younger of Australia, 7-4, and Immonen bested Satoshi Kawabata of Japan, 7-5, in the other matches on Wednesday.

This is Reyes’ second tournament in the US pool circuit this month. Last week, he placed fifth in the Peninsula 9-Ball Open in Virginia which Puyat Sports teammate Django Bustamante won. From Connecticut, Reyes moves on to Nevada where he and Bustamante will play in the Las Vegas International 9-Ball tournament on Aug. 18-23.