In an unprecedented event, history was made in the United States when “The Magician” Efren Reyes – a living legend of Philippine billiards – became the first foreigner to reach the finals of the US Open 9-Ball Championship, one of the most prestigious and rigorous tournaments on the planet.
This event not only shocked billiards fans around the world but also marked an important turning point in the history of the development of this sport in the United States.
The US Open 9-Ball has long been considered the “holy land” of American players. With a long history and tradition, this is a tournament where it is very rare for foreigners to set foot in the semi-finals, let alone the finals.
However, Efren “Bata” Reyes – nicknamed “The Magician” – broke all the rules, smashed the barriers of geography, language and playing style to write his name in the record books.
Reyes' journey in that year's tournament was a true fairy tale. Not starting out as the number one candidate for the championship, many people thought that Reyes - then middle-aged - would have difficulty competing with young, energetic players who were familiar with the competition conditions in the US. But Reyes proved to the world that skill, strategy and ultimate composure are the key factors to creating a legend.
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Each match that Reyes experienced was like a mesmerizing symphony. He stunned his opponents with magical cues, shots that bent all the laws of physics, and seemingly impossible saves. The American audience was initially reserved, then gradually turned to admiration, and finally burst into cheers every time "The Magician" stepped onto the stage.
Particularly memorable was the semi-final match, where Reyes faced one of the strongest players in the US at that time - Earl Strickland. A tense confrontation between two schools of thought: the precision and reason of the Americans and the improvisation and art of Southeast Asia.
The match lasted for hours, each shot bringing breathtaking emotions to the audience. When Reyes made an impressive bank shot at the last rack to win by a narrow margin, the whole audience exploded with amazement.
That victory not only brought him to the finals - something that had never happened in the history of the tournament with a player from outside the United States - but also turned him into a global icon.
Major newspapers in the United States and the world simultaneously reported the news with headlines such as "Philippine wizard shocks America" or "Art triumphs over technology." No longer an unfamiliar Asian player, Efren Reyes is now honored as a living legend of international stature.
What makes Reyes special is not only his natural talent, but also his charisma and the way he masters the game. Not noisy, not ostentatious, Reyes plays as if he is immersed in a jazz piece - soft, rhythmic but always explosive. He makes the audience not only see billiards as a calculating sport, but also as an art that requires creativity, emotion and burning passion.
For young Filipinos, Reyes' achievement is an affirmation that talent is not limited by geography. Small neighborhoods, old billiard tables in Manila, Cebu or Davao... can all produce green stage artists if they are passionate and hardworking enough.
Reyes has inspired not only the Filipino people but also young players around the world - that the American dream is not only for Americans.
For fans in the US, Reyes opens a new chapter in the way of looking at billiards. They began to acknowledge that Asia's soft, flexible and highly technical playing style was a new trend, a breeze that made tournaments more attractive and unpredictable. Reyes not only represented himself, but also the image of an entire Eastern billiards culture reaching out to the world.
Although Reyes did not win the championship in the thrilling final match, that did not overshadow the miracle he created. Millions of people watched him compete, hundreds of thousands stood up to applaud, and dozens of the world's top players had to bow their heads and admit: Reyes is a living monument, an irreplaceable legend.
The day he stepped out of the arena with a calm smile, thousands of spectators chanted his name like a hero. And in the dazzling light of the stadium, people saw not just a small player from the Philippines, but a great artist who used the cue as a brush, used his will as a color, and painted a picture of history on American soil.
Efren Reyes – that name has become a symbol that goes beyond the limits of sport, nationality, or victory – he is the most vivid embodiment of the aspiration to rise, of true talent, and of a dream recognized by the whole world. History was written in America – by a Filipino. And that is the most miraculous thing.
