Nine-Ball's Asian Swing: Four Stops Close Out the Fall
From Manila to Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok, the World Nineball Tour's fall calendar packs four tournaments and a junior showcase into six weeks.
The busiest stretch of the World Nineball Tour's year is here, and it runs through Southeast Asia.
The calendar
- Reyes Cup - October 15-18, Makati Coliseum, Manila. The team showdown between Asia and the Rest of the World, with Asia defending a 2-0 record.
- Philippines Open Pool Championship - October 20-24, Gateway Mall, Quezon City. A $100,000 prize fund and a 128-player straight-knockout draw, with David Alcaide defending the inaugural title.
- WNT NXTGEN - October 27-30, Embassy Suites, Frisco, Texas. The tour's junior showcase.
- Universal Open Ho Chi Minh - November 11-15, Sniper Billiards Club, Vietnam. $63,000 prize fund.
- Universal Open Bangkok - November 17-21, S1 Pool Hall & Sport Bar, Thailand. $63,000 prize fund.
Why it matters
The back-to-back Manila events effectively create a two-week festival of nine-ball: team competition gives way to an individual major without the field leaving town. For players chasing ranking points, the two Universal Open stops then offer lucrative points - and prize money - deep into November.
The concentration also reflects where the sport's center of gravity currently sits. Manila hosts both a team event and a major in the same fortnight, while Vietnam and Thailand get tour stops of their own.
Source: World Nineball Tour schedule.