AJ Manas of Team Asia during a press conference for the Reyes Cup, October 15, 2025 in Mandaluyong. Handout/Cignal-One Sports
MANILA – Rising Filipino cue artist AJ Manas kicked off the new year with a runner-up finish in the 2026 Chinese-Taipei Professional Billiards Association Pro Tour Grand Finals.
The 18-year-old bowed to Taiwan's Ko Pin Yi, a former World Nineball Champion, in a close 12-13 result on Tuesday night.
READ: Team Asia's youngest player AJ Manas raring to play in Reyes Cup
Manas took the lead early in the match, gaining a 3-0 advantage over the hometown bet.
But the Taiwanese cue artist dug deep to mount a comeback, winning three racks in a row to level the score 3-3.
Manas found his groove again to take back the lead 7-3 over the hometown bet.
The Filipino rising star got on the hill first at 12-8, but missed the 1-ball to give his opponent an opening to regain momentum.
The Taiwanese cue artist won four straight racks, including a golden break to cut Manas' lead and later on forced a hill-hill battle, 12-12.
In the final and deciding rack, the 36-year-old Ko Pin Yi leaned on his veteran experience to close out the match and win the championship.
The result shows the growing potential and improvement of Manas, who continues to put up a strong showing at his young age.
"Finished as Runner-Up at the 2026 CTPBA Pro Tour. Thank you all for the support!" he wrote on his Facebook account after the tournament.
Manas was the only Filipino cue artist remaining in the competition, after compatriots Carlo Biado, Johann Chua, and Jefrey Roda bowed out in the round-robin stage.
Up next for the 18-year-old dubbed "Starboy" is the Universal 4th Chinese Taipei Open set from January 8 to 11.