Hall of Famer Efren “Bata” Reyes led the charge of the Filipino cue masters in the opening day of the 45th All Japan 10-Ball Championships being held in Amagasaki, Japan. Reyes outclassed H. Yamamoto of Japan via a 9-3 victory in the first round of the tournament which offers a total prize fund of $100,400 with the winner getting $28,600 top purse. The 56-year-old veteran artists arranged a second-round duel with compatriot Mark Aristotle Mendoza, who shocked 2011 World 9-Ball Pool champion Yukio Akagariyama of Japan, 9-7. Veteran campaigners Lee Van Corteza, and Jeffrey de Luna, and unheralded Dante Razalan also made their presence felt in the event sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association.
Corteza whipped H. Sakurai of Japan, 9-3; de Luna toppled Masayuki Sato of Japan; and Razalan stunned Ko Pin-Yi of Taiwan, 9-5. In the second round, Corteza faces K Tokoro of Japan; de Luna meets Naoyuki Oi of Japan, and Razalan battles S. Saito of Japan.
Ramil Gallego and Valeriano Pajuay Jr., on the other hand, were relegated to the losers’ bracket after succumbing to Taiwanese players Chen Yung-Chieh (5-9) and Chang Yu-Lung (5-9), respectively.
Former world champion Francisco Bustamante, Elvis Perez, Carlo Biado, Jundel Mazon, Dennis Orcollo, Antonio Lining and Johann Gonzales Chua were still playing as of press time. (E. Noguera, MS)
