The final was not for the faint-hearted – that was what fans kept saying when talking about the classic match between Efren "Bata" Reyes, a living legend of Philippine billiards, and Toh Lian Han, a talented player from Singapore who was once considered one of the emerging geniuses of Asian billiards.
But the praise for Toh was quickly drowned out by Efren Reyes' unimaginable performance. A thrilling match, where experience, bravery, and above all, magic – the magic that only Reyes can create – turned a night of competition into an everlasting legend.
Even before the match took place, the atmosphere was extremely tense. Toh Lian Han was considered to be in extremely good form, with a series of consecutive wins and sharp playing style. He brought with him great expectations from Singaporean fans, along with obvious confidence when stepping onto the table. Meanwhile, many people thought that Reyes – with his increasing age and not as strong as in his prime – would have difficulty with the youth and speed of his opponent. But they were wrong.
Right from the first shots, Toh showed his dominance. He took advantage of every little gap Reyes made to score points. Many times, he made the audience stand up and applaud when he made surprisingly accurate shots.
Meanwhile, Reyes started slowly, almost… leisurely. There were times when many people in the audience and on television thought that the “King of Billiards” was starting to be pushed into a dead end. But they did not know, that was just a light warm-up before the magic really began to take place.
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The turning point happened when Toh took the lead in a crucial shot, with only 3 balls left to end the game. But at that moment, Reyes began to play the role of a magician, who was not just playing billiards – but creating the art of living. From a position with almost no chance of turning the ball over, Reyes suddenly performed an impossible shot: a massé that circled the two balls in front, spun the edge of the table, and gently hit the object ball and pocketed the cue ball – all in utter amazement.
The audience was stunned. The commentator almost held his breath, before bursting out:
"UNBELIEVABLE! THAT'S A SHOT FROM ANOTHER PLANET!"
From that shocking shot, the tide of the game was completely turned. Reyes seemed to wake up, no longer a defensive player, but an offensive warrior with almost absolute precision. Toh Lian Han, on the other hand, went from confident to bewildered and distracted after being knocked out by the unexpected shot.
Reyes continued to unleash a series of skillful shots, with the ball's trajectory as if pre-programmed. Each touch, each shot, was gentle but razor-sharp. Every time Reyes bent down to the table, the audience held their breath. And every time he stood up, there was a thunderous applause. He didn't just play - he performed a living magic show, turning the floor into a stage for seemingly unrealistic things.
When the decisive moment came - the final shot - Reyes was faced with a ball position so difficult that many billiards experts admitted that there was only a 1 in 1000 chance of clearing the table. But Reyes was no ordinary person. He calculated for a few seconds, then executed a complicated bank-shot: the cue ball traveled along the edge of the table, hit three times, then hit the 9 ball at the right angle and... disappeared into the pocket.
Toh Lian Han stood motionless. His face was blank, unable to believe what he had just witnessed. The rest of the audience erupted – no one sat still. They had just witnessed one of the most thrilling and dramatic finals in history, decided by a shot that one might never see again.
After the match, when interviewed, Reyes simply smiled gently and said:
"I just do what I love… and billiards is where I have always seen miracles happen."
This victory not only brought Reyes to the championship trophy, but also once again affirmed that no matter how many new talents appear, no matter how much time passes, the magic of Efren "Bata" Reyes is still something that goes beyond the usual limits of this game. He is living proof that billiards is more than just a sport – it is an art, a passion, and the highest expression of intelligence and creativity.
And if someone asks: “When will Reyes become a legend?” – the answer might be: “Every time he steps on the mat – history is rewritten.”
