MANSION SPORTS HANOI OPEN | REYES CUP STARS KAÇI AND YAPP KNOCKED OUT ON DAY THREE

Eklent Kaçi and Aloysius Yapp suffered surprising early exits, while Jayson Shaw continues his title defence into the Last 64 of the 2024 Mansion Sports Hanoi Open, taking place from October 8-13

 at the Hanoi Indoor Games Gymnasium, Vietnam.

Reyes Cup stars Eklent Kaçi of Team Europe and Aloysius Yapp of Team Asia, the first to qualify for their respective sides, were knocked out early on the third day. Kaçi started strong with an 8-5 victory over Jake Newlove, but was later eliminated by 2022 World Pool Masters finalist Lo Ho Sum, who claimed a 9-6 win. Yapp’s hopes of a Hanoi Open title ended after a tough 8-4 defeat to Jundel Mazon earlier in the day.

Meanwhile, defending champion Jayson Shaw continues to impress, advancing to the Last 64 with a commanding 9-2 victory over Nguyen Van Hai. World Champion Fedor Gorst and former World Champion Francisco Sanchez Ruiz joined Shaw in the next stage, after solid wins against Antonios Kakaris and Max Eberle, respectively, keeping their hopes alive for their first Hanoi Open titles.

Filipino duo Johann Chua and Carlo Biado kept their strong form ahead of the inaugural Reyes Cup. Both secured spots in the Last 64, with Chua defeating Luong Van Nam and Biado dispatching Salvador Garcia. Their fellow Team Asia member, Duong Quoc Hoang, also advanced after a dominant 9-1 win over Roland Garcia, sealing the victory with a brilliant 4-9 combo.

AJ Manas, the reigning Hanoi Junior Open champion, showcased his talent with a thrilling victory over the Danish Viking Mickey Krause. Despite racing to a 4-0 lead, Manas found himself in a hill-hill battle. With the pressure mounting, Manas played a push-out safety on the 2-ball. Krause declined the shot, and Manas capitalised, executing a superb jump shot and clearing the table to win the deciding rack.

Krause, however, found redemption in Losers' Qualification, where he bounced back with a 9-5 win against Vietnamese star Nguyen Anh Tuan to secure his place in the next round.

After a narrow loss to Chinese Taipei’s Wang Hung Hsiang, Jonas Souto made a comeback in his second match, eliminating Fitim Haradinaj 9-3 to continue his run in the tournament. In a similar fashion, World Cup of Pool champion James Aranas moved into Losers’ Qualification after losing 9-5 to his Marboys teammate Jefrey Roda. Aranas then faced Do Van Khai, where he dominated with a 9-4 victory to advance to the next stage.