Team Asia, behind Aloysius Yapp, took the lead after following a 3-2 win over Team Europe on the opening day of the inaugural Reyes Cup on Tuesday evening at the Ninoy Aquino National Stadium.
Yap won a close contest with Jayson Shaw, 3-2, in the fifth game of the meet, held in partnership with Puyat Sports.
The match got tied at 2-all after Game 4 when Shaw and Mickey Krause pulled off a 5-3 triumph in their doubles’ clash with Johann Chua and Carlo Biado.
During Match 5, Shaw quickly gained control, winning the first two racks. That was when
Yapp struggled with a dry break and a foul in the opening rack, which handed Shaw an early advantage.
Shaw, a Mosconi veteran, held momentum with a break-and-run in the second to lead, 2-0.
Yapp fought back in the third after Shaw failed to pot the 7-ball, allowing the young Singaporean to claim his first rack, as he levelled the score at 2-all after Shaw broke dry and failed to reclaim control of the table.
Shaw fought it out for a 3-all tie, before the momentum shifted once again in his favor.
After that, Yapp hooked Shaw in the next rack, sweeping up to regain the lead, and controlled the table in the decisive rack to claim the win.
In Match One, Team Europe took the lead with a 5-4 victory over Team Asia.
In Match Two, Ko Pin Yi and Yapp gaved a 5-2 verdict over Team Europe’s Francisco Sanchez Ruiz and David Alcaide.
