Asian pool legends begin marathon duel

MANILA, Philippines - Efren “Bata” Reyes and Chao Fong Pang start their marathon challenge match dubbed “Face Off Series 2 - The Grandmasters” today at the Club Capo Exclusive in Tomas Morato, Quezon City.

The keenly awaited duel between two Asian pool legends, a race-to-50 nine-ball affair, will be available on pay-per-view through www..clubcapo.tv.

The PPV price is pegged at $19.99 for the two-day event ending tomorrow that will run from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. (Manila time) on both days.

“It’s nice to be playing again with one of my contemporaries, and I’m kind of intrigued on how he (Chao) plays now as we haven’t seen him in the tournament circuit for a long time,” said Reyes, who has been enjoying top form, winning three major tournaments, including the World Cup of Pool with Francisco “Django” Bustamante.

The Face Off Series 3 is presented by Club Capo in cooperation with Bugsy Promotions and JBET.net, and supported by Nuvo City , Outlast Battery, Puyat Sports and Negros Billiards Stable with The Philippine STAR as the official media partner.

Besides the World Cup of Pool, Reyes also won the Kadayawan leg of The Manny Villar Cup and the Galveston Classic One Pocket tournament in Texas, making him the slight favorite to win the faceoff offering $10,000 to the winner.

“I feel honored to be invited to play against the best billiards player in the world and I promise to play my best,” said Chao.

The Taiwanese star, who was last seen during the 2007 World Pool Championship, is a two-time World 9-Ball champion.

The Reyes-Chao match is part of a series of challenge matches organized by Club Capo. The exclusive membership club is planning to pit eight to other pairs of world-class cue artists each year.