Bata opens defense vs Dutch champ

Efren "Bata" Reyes opens his title-retention bid in the rich International Challenge of Champions against 2002 Holland champion Nick Van Den Berg Wednesday, hoping to hurdle the ace Dutch player in the knockout-style, winner-take-all tournament at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut, USA.

A victory by Reyes will line him up against the winner of the Earl Strickland-Yang Ching-shun duel in the other featured match in the lower bracket of the two-day tournament which drew eight of the world’s top players vying for the $50,000 purse.

On the other hand, Francisco "Django" Bustamante, the AzBilliards Player of the Year awardee last year, faces 2002 English champion Daryl Peach in the other match in the upper bracket.

Matches start at 4 p.m. with 2002 Canadian 9-Ball champion John Horsfall taking on 2002 US Open titlist Ralf Souquet of Germany.

At 7 p.m., Strickland, last year’s world 9-ball champion, clashes with reigning Taiwan national champion Yang, whom the American ace beat, 11-9, in the quarterfinal round of this year’s world 9-ball championship in Cardiff, Wales.

The final match will feature Reyes, who currently leads the Player Money list with $40,550 in earnings, against Van Den Berg with the talented Filipino cue master, who will turn 49 on Aug. 26, fancied to dispose of the Dutch player in the event.

The semifinals will be held Thursday at 4 and 5 p.m. with the finals set at 7 p.m.

From the US, Reyes and Bustamante will see action in the $62,000 World Pool Masters slated Aug. 29-31 where they will be pitted against the other 14 finest players in the world at the Hotel Zuiderduin at Egmond aan Zee in Holland.