MANILA – Billiards ace and reigning World Champion Rubilen Amit, the most decorated female sports figure in the Philippines, will represent the Philippines and lead the East Team (Asia) in the 2015 AM8.com Queens Cup next month, April 16-18, 2015, at the Resorts World Manila Casino & Hotel.
The Queens Cup will showcase the rivalry between the Asians and their western counterparts in Europe and USA, very similar to the Ryder Cup in golf or Davis Cup in tennis. Elite professional women from their respective countries and continents are selected into two groups representing the East and West.
The event will be for three days in a 10-Ball format that will conclude when one team reaches 10 match wins. Style of play will include singles, doubles, triples, and 4-on-4. Captains will be put to the test to create the best strategy in partnerships and chemistry of match-ups. If the matches go 9 to 9 hill-hill, a final 4-on-4 play will set the scene for a dramatic conclusion.
Last year, Team Asia dominated their competition and Team West is looking forward to even the score. Amit will face her western captain counterpart in Ewa Mataya Laurance & Jennifer Barretta, while leading her teammates Jennifer Chen (Taiwan) & Eunji Park (Korea).
“Rubilen is one of those quiet champions that doesn’t make a lot of noise, but when you talk about the best of the best, you have to include her. She has the humility of Efren Reyes, the precision of Dennis Orcullo, and the heart of Alex Pagulayan. And her stats in team competition is incredible. She was the obvious choice to captain Team Asia this year”, explained Charlie Williams, Executive Producer of the AM8.com Queens Cup.
The 5-time South East Asian (SEA) Games gold medalist says she is “up for the challenge”.
“The last AM8.com Queens Cup was truly an experience to remember,” Rubilen said. “I’m honored and thankful to be able to participate in this exciting event. Being chosen captain is such a huge honor and to be hones, it’s a lot more pressure. But I learned so much from being a part of the past team events from leaders such as Efren Reyes. He is so inspiring with his will to win. I will follow in the footsteps of these great men and women that have led me in the past.
Bob Guerrero of Yahoo Sports said that “Bingkay (Amit’s nickname) should also be a terrific captain. She has the personality to bring out the best in the other Asian players, with whom she is very close to. Bingkay is a fun loving young lady, so for sure she will keep things loose and fun as well. The East team will be very tough to beat with her in it.
Rubilen was born in Cebu and graduated with an accounting degree and had won a couple of collegiate billiard titles. Beginning in 2005, she represented the Philippines following her selection to the Philippine National Team for the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. She won the gold, which was the first of seven gold medals that she would win in her career.
Her breakthrough came when she shocked the world winning the Women’s World 10-ball in 2009, and then becoming the only player to repeat the feat when she won again. Aside from singles events, Rubilen has had an unusually high success rate in team competitions. She has won two world Mixed Doubles titles with her hero Efren Reyes both times, took the silver in the Team Philippines finale at the World Team Championship, and nearly went undefeated for Team Asia all 3 days of the last Queens Cup.
AM8.com Queens Cup will be hosted by Resorts World Manila Casino & Hotel and sponsored by Andy Cloth, Aramith Balls, and Viking Cue. Pay-per-view is now available at a special $20 pre-event sale.
