Hot Bata leads RP sweep bid

The Philippines starts its quest for a first-ever sweep of the San Miguel Asian 9-ball Tour with newly crowned IPT world 8-ball champion Efren "Bata" Reyes leading the charge in the first day of the fourth and final leg of the circuit at the Mutiara ballroom of the Gran Melia Jakarta Hotel in Indonesia today.

Reyes, winner of the kickoff leg of this year’s tour in Vietnam, takes on local bet Roy Apancho at 5:30 p.m. in Group 2 action then faces Taiwanese ace Yang Ching-shun in the 7:30 p.m. clash aired live on STAR Sports.

Francisco "Django" Bustamante, who with Reyes won the World Cup of Pool in Wales last month, heads the Group 3 cast that includes Wang Hung-hsiang of Taiwan and Chinese Li He-wen. Bustamante, the former world No. 1, battles Wang at 12 noon then tangles with Li at 7:30 p.m.

Rodolfo Luat, who ruled the third leg in Taiwan, is in Group 5 along with Thai Amnuayporn Chotipong and Indon Alwi, while Ramil Gallego, winner of the second leg in Bangkok, is bunched with Japanese Masaaki Tanaka, who eliminated Reyes in Kaohshiung, and Apsi Chaniago of Indonesia in Group 4.

The SMB Asian 9-ball Tour is the only ranking tour in Asia for players to qualify for the World Pool Championship slated in November in Manila. The top 10 finishers in the Order of Merit will automatically enter the world 9-ball event.

Reyes, who won the richest purse ($500,000) ever staked in billiards history with an 8-6 victory over Hawaiian Rodney Morris in the final of the IPT world 8-ball in Reno, Nevada last week, is fancied to top the three-day event, which stakes $10,000 to the winner.