AJ MANAS STUNS WORLD CHAMPION AS HOME HEROES DOMINATE LAST 16
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 23 Oct 2025
AJ Manas’ pursuit of a maiden Matchroom Major title gathered momentum on day three, as the 18-year-old Reyes Cup MVP produced a stunning comeback to eliminate reigning World Champion Carlo Biado to reach a Filipino dominated Last 16.
In partnership with Puyat Sports, the newest Matchroom Major on the World Nineball Tour takes place at Gateway Mall, Quezon City, from 21–25 October, broadcast live on One Sport in the Philippines and WNT TV globally.
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It was another electric day in Manila, as Manas delivered a fearless performance to defeat his former Reyes Cup teammate Biado 10–7. Trailing 7–5, the young Filipino mounted a remarkable comeback in front of a roaring home crowd, running five racks in a row to seal one of his impressive wins to date.
Manas reflected: “I’m so proud of that win. Carlo is one of my heroes and someone I’ve always looked up to. It feels special but also emotional — we were teammates just last week, and now I had to face him here.
Winning my first major would mean everything to me, especially doing it here in front of the Filipino fans. I just want to keep making them proud.”
Biado’s exit was one of several shocks on day three, with World No.1 Fedor Gorst also bowing out after a dramatic hill-hill defeat to Team Asia captain Francisco ‘Django’ Bustamante. Gorst fought back from behind to tie the match at 9–9, but a missed 9-ball in the decider handed Bustamante the victory.
Gorst commented: “It’s always an honour to play Django — he’s a legend of the game. He proved again today that class is forever. I made too many mistakes, especially at the end, and that cost me the match. Still, the atmosphere here has been amazing. I’ll take the positives, regroup, and come back stronger next year.”
Despite conquering the World No.1, Bustamante’s run came to an end later in the day after falling to fellow Filipino Harry Vergara in the Last 32.
Bustamante said: “Today didn’t go exactly how I hoped, but I’m proud of how I played this week. Beating Fedor was a big win for me — I might be older now, but I can still compete with the best. What really makes me happy is seeing AJ Manas performing so well. I said it before — he’s a future world champion. Maybe that future is coming sooner than we think.”
Mosconi Cup captain Jayson Shaw continued his strong form, defeating Jerwin Capili Samia 10–5 to book his place in the Last 16 and lead the European charge.
Shaw comented: “I’ve been playing good all year, just haven’t had the results I wanted. But this week feels different. The atmosphere here is unbelievable — the crowd’s been packed across three floors every day, and that kind of energy really drives me. I’ve got a good feeling about this one.”
With ten Filipino cueists advancing, the host nation continues to dominate the inaugural Philippines Open as the Last 16 gets underway tomorrow. The home crowd will be eager to see whether AJ Manas can continue his fairytale run — and keep the title on home soil.
The Last 16
Harry Vergara (PHI) vs Jeffrey Ignacio (PHI)
Michael Baoanan (PHI) vs David Alcaide (ESP)
Pijus Labutis (LTU) vs Bernie Regalario (PHI)
Robbie Capito (HKG) vs Emil Gangflot (NOR)
Roland Garcia (PHI) vs Eric Navarrete (PHI)
Jeffrey Roda (PHI) vs Arseni Sevastyanov (FIN)
Patrick Gonzales (PHI) vs Jayson Shaw (GBR)
Paolo Gallito (PHI) vs AJ Manas (PHI)
For the full draw and live scoring, visit www.wntlivescores.com.
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