Bustamante and Reyes Fall Short in WNT Legends Matches; Bustamante Sets Up Final Clash with Strickland

On January 22, 2026, the WNT Legends tournament at Gateway Mall 2 in Cubao, Quezon City witnessed tough setbacks for Filipino billiards icons Efren "Bata" Reyes and Francisco "Django" Bustamante. Reyes was handed a 6-11 defeat by American maestro Earl "The Pearl" Strickland, while Bustamante suffered a narrow 10-11 loss to German veteran Ralf "The Kaiser" Souquet.

Bustamante appeared in control early, building an 8-2 lead against Souquet. However, a series of unforced errors allowed the German star to stage a remarkable comeback. Despite Bustamante reaching the hill first at 10-7, Souquet rallied to claim three consecutive racks and level the score at 10-10. In a tense deciding frame, Souquet maintained his focus post-break to clinch the match 11-10.

Although Bustamante was defeated, he advanced to the finals due to a higher total rack count, finishing with 21 racks won compared to Reyes' 17. The tournament format stipulates that the highest-ranked Filipino contender will confront the top foreign player for the championship, while the lower-ranked Filipino faces the lower-ranked foreign player for third place.

Consequently, Bustamante is set to challenge Strickland for the WNT Legends title, while Reyes will contend with Souquet in the third-place playoff. Both Filipino legends remain central figures in this highly competitive cue sports event.