Fresh off his conquest of the Hanoi Open, Filipino cue artist Johann Chua hopes to lead Team Asia to victory in the inaugural Reyes Cup.
It’s good to be Johann Chua these days.
The 32-year-old Bacolod native is currently the top-ranked Filipino in Matchroom Pool’s World Nineball Tour, with his 2024 prizemoney already north of US$100,000. He finished runner-up in the prestigious European Open in August, and on Sunday night claimed his first solo WNT title by blasting Chinese Taipei’s Ko Pin Yi, 13-7 in the final of the Mansion Sports Hanoi Open.
The feat won Chua an additional US$30,000 in prizemoney, and more importantly, huge momentum heading into the very first Reyes Cup, which unfolds on Tuesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The team event will pit Filipino pool legend Efren Reyes’ Team Asia — comprised of Chua, Ko, Aloysius Yap of Singapore, Carlo Biado of the Philippines and Doung Quoc Huang of Vietnam — against Team Europe of Karl Boyes and composed of Jayson Shaw of Great Britain, Spain’s Francisco Sanchez Ruiz and David Alcaide, Eklent Kaci of Albania and Mickey Krause of Denmark.
For Johann Chua, it’s been a whirlwind 24 hours. Shortly after his Hanoi triumph, he went straight to the airport to catch a late-night flight back to Manila. He had barely slept when he arrived at the Reyes Cup press conference, but you wouldn’t notice it with the energy level he was exuding.
“Sobrang excited ko rito para bukas,” he told reporters. “At yung Hanoi ko naman last night, hindi pa talaga nagsisink-in sa akin na nanalo ako since di pa ako nakakapagpahinga, di pa ako nakapagbasa ng mga messages. Sobrang excited ako for tomorrow (Tuesday).”
Chua’s win in Hanoi was not unexpected given his recent form, and he admitted as much.
“Before naman pumunta talaga doon, meron naman akong tiwala sa sarili ko na makukuha natin ‘yun. And ‘yun, binigay naman ni God, binigyan tayo ng pabor na bola. And ginamit ko yung experiences ko sa last final ko sa European Open sa Germany.
“Kasi nagkaroon ako ng mga mistake doon na alam ko sa sarili ko kung ano yung naging dahilan. And tin-ry kong i-avoid yun nung kagabi sa Hanoi. So yun, nag-work siya so sobrang thankful po ako na nakukuha na natin.”
“Sinabi ko para sa atin po yun, hindi lang yung para sa akin. Kasi talagang kagabi po, hindi lang ako yung naglalaro doon sa arena. Kasama ko kayong lahat.”
Interestingly, Chua beat three Reyes Cup participants in the Hanoi Open on his way to the title. He topped Kaci in the quarterfinals, Biado in the semifinals, and Ko in the final, giving him a huge boost in confidence on the eve of the four-day event.
On paper, Team Europe appears to be the stronger side, with experience from playing in the similar Mosconi Cup as an added advantage. But Chua has high hopes for his fellow Asians, particularly the OG who will be captaining them.
“Wala akong masabi, kundi talagang the best yung team na ito,” he gushed. “Kasi andito si Biado, andito si Ko Pin Yi and si Yap, and then si star from Vietnam, si Huang. And then syempre nasa side natin si Tatay Efren, so isang bagay yun na wala sila.
“So yun yung malaking weapon natin, and alam ko magagamit kami ng tama ni Tatay Efren bukas.”
Chua knows, though, that team competition in pool isn’t just about talent. Familiarity with your teammates, particularly in doubles competition, is equally important. And while Team Europe has the edge here, Team Asia is banking on good vibes among its players to overcome this disadvantage.
“Actually outside pool naman magka-kaibigan naman talaga kami,” Chua said of his teammates. “Maganda yung mga communication namin. Sana magkaroon lang kami ng mas magandang bonding tomorrow sa arena, mag-jive kami ng mabuti. Since yun talaga yung lamang nung Europe sa atin dahil sila sanay na sila sa format na ito.
“May isang dekada na silang naglalaro ng ganyang format. Sila-sila lang din yan so alam na din nila. Tayo first time natin ito. Pero bukas pag nasa arena na iba na yung talent na ilalabas dito.”
Aside from bragging rights as the winners of the first-ever Reyes Cup, Chua feels that the team should win, given that the event is named after the greatest of all time.
“Gusto natin ipakita na yun nga, ang Asia is hindi nila pwedeng tanggalin sa laro na ito dahil nandito yung pinakamagaling, pinaka-legend ng larong ito. Galing sa Asia, sa bansa natin na Pilipinas. Napakagandang laro nito na mapapakita natin ngayon na maraming talento ang Asia.
“And hopefully makuha natin ito. We’ll be able to prove to them na tayo talaga ay the best in the world when it comes to pool.”
Banner Images by Sid Ventura.