Carlo Biado: The World No. 1 Comes Home to Manila
The Black Tiger leads Team Asia at the Reyes Cup in his home country - the latest chapter for a player who has twice won the world nine-ball title.
When the Reyes Cup opens at Makati Coliseum this week, no player will carry more of the home crowd's hopes than Carlo Biado.
The resume
Biado, nicknamed "The Black Tiger," turned professional in 2004 and has since built one of the strongest career records in modern pool. He won the WPA World Nine-ball Championship in 2017 and again in 2025, added the World Ten-ball Championship in 2024, and took the U.S. Open Pool Championship in 2021. He currently sits at No. 1 in the World Nineball Tour rankings.
A medalist at every level
Representing the Philippines, Biado has collected a World Games gold medal, an Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games bronze, and eight Southeast Asian Games medals including three golds - a haul that reflects nearly two decades carrying his country's flag in cue sports.
The Manila spotlight
The Reyes Cup puts that record on a team stage. Biado anchors an Asian side that has never lost the event, playing in front of a home crowd that treats elite pool players as genuine sporting celebrities. For a player born October 31, 1983, who will turn 43 later this month, the week doubles as a homecoming and a title defense.
Team captain Francisco Bustamante - himself a former world champion - has built his squad around Biado's steadiness in the singles seats, and the world No. 1 will be central to Asia's bid for a third consecutive trophy.
Sources: World Nineball Tour player guide for the 2026 Reyes Cup, Wikipedia.