AJ Manas thrives under pressure in Reyes Cup debut as Team Asia roars ahead

MANILA, Philippines – Scottish pool star Jayson Shaw warned Filipino teen prodigy AJ Manas was going to “feel the heat” in his Reyes Cup debut.

But Manas, the youngest player of the tournament at 19 years old, thrived under pressure and helped Team Asia race to a commanding 4-0 lead against Team Rest of the World as they swept the opening-day matches.

“Of course there is pressure because I’m the youngest and this is my first time in this kind of event. But I handled the pressure so I was able to play well,” said Manas.

Handpicked by Filipino legend and Team Asia captain Francisco “Django” Bustamante, Manas showed he belongs with the big boys of pool, including world nine-ball champions Carlo Biado and Fedor Gorst of the United States.

In the team match, Manas completed a break and run as he never let American opponent Skylar Woodward get a shot at the table.

Manas then teamed up with Singapore’s Aloysius Yapp in the first doubles on the way to a convincing 5-2 victory over Shaw and Spain’s Francisco Sanchez Ruiz.

“There were nerves because a lot of people were watching and the matches were short — they were only race-to-five — so you cannot make mistakes,” said Manas.

“I also got lucky with the ball.”

Even Yapp admitted Manas did the heavy lifting against Shaw and Ruiz, who are no strangers to team events, having won the Mosconi Cup multiple times for Team Europe.

“Honestly, I felt like AJ carried me in that match. We knew we were up against a pair with a lot of experience, but AJ showed maturity beyond his years,” said Yapp.

Although comfortably ahead, Manas and Team Asia still have their work cut out for them in their bid to get to the 11th point, with Team Rest of the World having until Sunday, October 19, to turn its fortunes around. – Rappler.com