Manas upsets Shaw, reaches US Open Pool Round of 64

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Filipino cue artist AJ “Starboy” Manas pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the ongoing US Open Pool Championship after defeating former world champion Jayson Shaw, 9-4, in Frisco, Texas, on Aug. 28, 2026.

The 19-year-old prodigy is currently on a roll in the prestigious pool tournament, defeating William Compton and Bader Alawadhi before setting up the highly anticipated duel with Shaw in the final qualifying match of the preliminary phase.

Despite giving up a wealth of international experience, Manas showed poise under pressure, stunning Shaw with a series of break-and-runs to take a commanding lead early in the match.

From his brilliant pocketing to his on-point defensive game, Manas stepped up in almost every facet of the matchup and didn’t give Shaw any room to breathe.

Manas’ decisiveness in taking riskier attempts paid dividends, leaving Shaw constrained in the middle racks en route to a 7-3 lead.

Shaw was able to score one more rack, but Manas’ run-out in the 11th rack, followed by a nip-and-tuck defensive duel in the 12th, propelled him to the much-needed victory.

Manas also showcased his tremendous reads on Shaw’s tendencies as he took a page from his Florida Open playbook, where he first got the better of the Scottish star.

Instead of hard-breaking clustered balls along the rail, Manas utilized the kick shot to perfection, especially in the eighth rack when Shaw attempted to hide the cue ball behind the 5 and 6 balls.

With the win, Manas joined a talented Philippine squad in the Round of 64, bannered by Carlo Biado, Jefrey Roda, and Roberto Gomez.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey De Luna, Marvin Asis, Harry Vergara, Michael Baonan, Roland Garcia, and Michael Feliciano also advanced via the losers’ bracket.