On Sunday, January 29, at the Caesars in Southern Indiana, the 68-year-old living billiards legend, long regarded as the greatest pool player ever, delighted the crowd and astounded his younger competitors by placing third in the 2023 Derby City Classic One Pocket Tournament.
Sure, Reyes didn't win the championship after losing to Jonathan "Hennesee" Pinnegar, 3-0, in the tournament's semifinals. Back in his prime, Pinnegar won 13 titles there, including six one-pocket championships.
Out of the 428 competitors, Reyes advanced to the semifinals after going undefeated through the first 12 rounds. To get to the Final Four, he defeated Skyler Woodward with a score of 3-0 before defeating former world champion and Canadian Alex Pagulayan with a 3-1.
Despite having played for six hours—a feat already regarded as extraordinary for an already worn-out cue master—the Filipino sports legend mustered all of his strength and displayed exceptional mental and physical stamina in the semifinal match.
Still, it was insufficient to defeat the younger Pinnegar.
Even still, Reyes had accomplished something so incredible that practically everyone—including Pagulayan—was in amazement.
He acknowledged that losing put him in fifth place, which was a bittersweet setback for him, but he was happy to have seen firsthand the marvels of a legend in Reyes.
"Playing the guy deep in such a famous event was an honor. To get to this round of the competition, Efren had to defeat many opponents who were quite challenging. The man is still going strong at the age of 68, folks. Thank you for another memorable match, Pagulayan said in a social media message.(Romeo Braceros Jr.)