Billiard legend Efren ‘Bata’ Reyes to star in exhibition match in Vietnam
By Ryan General
Filipino billiard icon Efren “Bata” Reyes is gracing the 2023 Hanoi Open Pool Championship this week, with an exhibition match scheduled for Oct. 14.
About Reyes: The 69-year-old legend, often referred to as “The Magician” for his mesmerizing skills on the table, has an impressive résumé, including over 100 international titles under his belt.
Reyes was the first to conquer the WPA World Championships in two different pool disciplines, and is a WPA World Nine-ball Champion, WPA World Eight-ball Champion, U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship winner, four-time Sands Regency 9-Ball Open champion and a remarkable 13-time Derby City Classic victor.
In 2003, Reyes became the first Asian to be inducted into the Billiard Congress of America’s Hall of Fame.
About the event: The 2023 Hanoi Open Pool Championship, a collaboration between Matchroom and Vietcontent, is being held from Oct. 10 to 15 at the My Dinh Indoor Athletics Arena in Hanoi. The event proudly joins the ranks of the globally respected World 9-Ball Tour, alongside tournaments such as the U.S. Open, U.K. Open, European Open and Spanish Open.
The championship has a prize pool of $200,000 and features a total of 256 players, composed of 128 Vietnamese and 128 international talents. World No. 1 Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz, No. 2 Shane Van Boening and No. 5 Fedor Gorst are among the participants.
Fame in Vietnam: Reyes, who maintains a huge following among global billiard fans, previously garnered enthusiastic support from Vietnamese fans during his participation in SEA Games 31 in 2022. Spectators in Hanoi are now anticipating his appearance on Saturday.
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