Reyes Cup: Singapore’s Yapp caps off Team Asia’s mastery over Team Europe

MANILA, Philippines — Singaporean Aloysius Yapp smashed Spaniard Francsico Sanchez Ruiz, 5-1, Friday night to complete Team Asia’s 11-6 annihilation of fancied Team Europe in the inaugural Reyes Cup at the cavernous Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

From 1-1, the Southeast Asian Games gold medalist took control of the match in sealing the match win, the title for the host region and the MVP of the tournament that he deserved for a masterful performance he displayed in all four days of the epic meet that is a tribute to sport’s greatest of all time — Filipino Efren “Bata” Reyes.

Ko Pin Yi and Duong Quoc Hoang delivered the other win for the Asians on the final day with a 5-3 victory over Sanchez Ruiz and Mickey Krause, 5-3.

The Europeans tried to stage a miraculous comeback as they took three of the first four matches of the day courtesy of David Acaide over Johann Chua, 5-4, and Jayson Shaw over Carlo Biado, 5-3, and Duong, 5-2 that cut their deficit to 10-6.

Then Yapp restored order and delivered the coup de grace with that decimation of Sanchez Ruiz.

The emphatic win proved that Asia remains the strongest in the sport with the Philippines as its epicenter.