Billiards player Quoc Hoang was selected for the Asian team.

Matchroom announced the final two wildcards for the Reyes Cup 9-ball pool on September 26, with Quoc Hoang for Team Asia and Francisco Sanchez Ruiz for Team Europe. The 2024 Reyes Cup will be held from October 15 to 18 in Manila, Philippines, for the first time, with teams from Asia and Europe each receiving five spots.

Five Asian players will compete in the tournament, including three official slots based on their achievements in 2024, namely Johann Chua (Philippines), Aloysius Yapp (Singapore) and Ko Pin Yi (Taiwan), and two wildcard slots for Carlo Biado (Philippines) and Quoc Hoang.

The three main European spots go to Joshua Filler (Germany), Eklent Kaci (Albania) and Mickey Krause (Denmark), with two wildcard spots for Jayson Shaw (England) and Ruiz (Spain).

The person who selected Vietnam's number one player for the Asian team was captain Efren Reyes. Nicknamed "The Wizard", Reyes is considered by many to be the greatest pool player of all time.

Quoc Hoang had known about his selection for the Reyes Cup before, through a call from Matchroom CEO, Emily Frazer. To surprise the 37-year-old player, Frazer texted him in advance that the call would be about the Hanoi Open from October 8 to October 13.

At the beginning of the call, Frazer, 34, also mentioned the Hanoi Open, but halfway through, she asked Quoc Hoang: "Are you free on October 15?".

While Quoc Hoang looked bewildered, Frazer shouted: "Reyes Cup", then gave a thumbs up. Quoc Hoang asked back: "Reyes Cup?", then exclaimed: "That's great", then clenched his fists and tensed up. Frazer laughed loudly, covered his mouth with his hand, then asked: "Are you okay?".

For the remainder of the video call, which lasted for several minutes, Quoc Hoang repeatedly placed his hand over his heart, seemingly still surprised and moved. "You deserve this spot," Frazer added. "We are honored to see you in the Asian team."

Matchroom representatives further explained that the legendary Reyes wanted to choose the last wild card slot for Vietnam because he loves this country. And Quoc Hoang is the number one player in Vietnam, so he was chosen. Quoc Hoang's assistant said that many people had discussed that if Quoc Hoang was chosen for the Asian team, it would be because of the large number of pool fans in Vietnam. "But when she said Quoc Hoang deserved it, we were very touched," the 37-year-old assistant player added.

Duong Quoc Hoang is currently ranked 38th in the world in 9-ball pool, and there are 12 Asian players above him. Therefore, he did not expect to be selected by Reyes for the five-man Asian team. "I can't believe it," Matchroom quoted Quoc Hoang as saying. "My dream has come true. Representing Vietnam on the world stage is an honor that I am very proud of. I am also ready to compete with the strongest players in Europe."

The Reyes Cup is a tribute to Efren Reyes, with a format similar to the Mosconi Cup - a tournament between Europe and the US. The 2024 Reyes Cup will have a total of 21 matches, from singles to doubles, each match is played to five wins. The team that wins 11 matches first will be crowned.

Efren Reyes, 70 years old, world champion of 9-ball pool in 1999 and 8-ball in 2004, is famous for his creative and showy playing style, so he is called "The Wizard". He is expected to come to Vietnam to play an exhibition match at the Hanoi Open, starting on October 8.