FORMER world 9 and 8-ball champion Francisco Sanchez Ruiz of Spain and Vietnamese ace Duong Quoc Hoang complete the cast of Teams Europe and Asia for the inaugural Efren Reyes Cup set from Oct. 15 to 18 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

A two-time Mosconi Cup champ, Ruiz was the last wild card pick of English Team Europe skipper Karl Boyes while Duong was personally selected by Team Asia captain “Bata” Reyes, widely regarded as the greatest pool player of all time, in whose honor the tournament was named after.

“I can’t believe it! To be picked for Team Asia in the first ever Reyes Cup is a dream come true. Representing my country on the global stage is an honor I take great pride in, and I’m excited for the challenge of facing Europe’s best,” said Duong in a statement posted on the organizing Matchroom website.

The Vietnamese will join a powerhouse roster composed of Reyes, Carlo Biado, Johann Chua, vaunted former world 9 and 10-ball king Ko Ping-yi of Taiwan and Singapore star Aloysius Yap. 

“It wasn’t easy, but ultimately, Francisco was the right choice. What he has achieved on the World 9-Ball Tour is nothing short of remarkable, and his experience in events like the Mosconi Cup gives us an edge. I’m confident he will be a key player in this historic clash against Team Asia,” Boyes said.

Ruiz, also the 2022 US Pool king, will join Boyes, Scot Jayson Shaw, German Joshua Filler, Albanian Eklent Kaci and “Danish Viking” Mickey Krause for Team Europe.

The four-day tournament is inspired and patterned after the Mosconi Cup pitting Team USA against Team Europe, featuring five players on each team.

The teams compete over one team match, several doubles matches and singles matches, with the first team to win 11 matches claiming victory.