Pagulayan stuns Bata in Tokyo final

Alex Pagulayan won the 2003 WPA-IBC World Tour Finals in Tokyo, getting back at compatriot Efren "Bata" Reyes in the championship match of the all-star 9-ball tournament that ended Sunday with an all-Filipino four.

The Canada-based Pagulayan won his first three matches, scoring wins over Go Takami, Ronnie Alcano and Antonio Lining but lost to Reyes. Pagulayan, however, bounced back with a win over Hiroshi Takenaka to make it into the semifinal round.

For a tournament that took place in Japan and featured some of the world’s top players, it was still no surprise to see an all-Filipino final four with Pagulayan playing Antonio Gabica and Reyes clashing with Lining. Reyes and Pagulayan won their matches to set the rematch in the finals.

Reyes actually pulled out a 7-5 win in the first set but Pagulayan roared back with a 6-1 victory in the next. Pagulayan kept the pressure on and scored the 6-4 win in the final set to bag the crown worth $15,000. Reyes settled for $7,000 while Gabica and Lining each won $4,000 for joint third.