Despite trailing after Day 1 of the 2024 Reyes Cup, Jayson Shaw remains confident in Team Europe's ability to bounce back, emphasizing that momentum can quickly shift in the tournament.
Despite a challenging Day 1 at the inaugural Reyes Cup, Team Europe’s Jayson Shaw remains confident in his team’s ability to bounce back.
Shaw, who played a pivotal role in Europe’s doubles match comeback alongside Mickey Krause, emphasized the importance of staying composed and united as the tournament progresses.
Team Europe currently trails Team Asia 3-2 at the end of the first day of action at the Ninoy Aquino National Stadium in Manila.
“It doesn't matter if you lose one point or two points, you just gotta stay as a team and remind each other that it's a race to 11,” Shaw told reporters. “You can celebrate all you want out there, but it's only the first day. We'll do our celebrating on the last day.”
Shaw underscored how easily momentum can shift in a team competition like the Reyes Cup, using his doubles match as an example.
He stressed the importance of staying focused and not letting setbacks dictate the day's outcome.
“It's easy to lose two or three games without doing anything wrong. Like you've seen when Mickey and I played, we lost three games where we did absolutely nothing wrong,” Shaw explained.
“You just gotta stay in the moment and know that if you get one or two racks on the board, the game can change very quickly. We've seen that over the years at Mosconi [Cup]. When you're down three or four, it really doesn't matter. It only takes one or two racks to put the heat back on, and then the game changes very quickly,” he added.
[ALSO READ: Jayson Shaw, Mickey Krause stage thrilling comeback vs Pinoy bets Johann Chua, Carlo Biado in 2024 Reyes Cup]
The Scottish star also pointed out the unpredictable nature of team play, where one small mistake or a lucky break can turn the tide of a match.
While acknowledging that Team Asia has had the upper hand, Shaw remains optimistic about Europe’s chances moving forward.
“They've been good for Team Asia. It's been a little bit kind of one-sided, but we expected that. Overall, it's been a good experience, and we're looking forward to tomorrow.”
Shaw also touched on the significance of the nine-ball break, noting how it can be a game-changer. But while he’s had his fair share of golden breaks in Day 1, Shaw made it clear that’s not how he prefers to win.
“It's nice to get a couple of golden breaks, but it's not the way you want to win the rack. You want to get on the table, get a feel for it, run out, and give the fans what they're here for—see some nice run-ups,” said Shaw.
[ALSO READ: Team Europe completes stunning reverse sweep of Team Asia to open 2024 Reyes Cup]
With two more days of competition remaining, Shaw and the rest of Team Europe will look to claw back from their early deficit and turn the tides on Day 2 of the Reyes Cup later at 7:30 p.m. on Pilipinas Live, and 8:30 p.m. on One Sports.
[NEXT: Reyes Cup: Event guide, schedule, where to watch, results]
(With reports from Maureen Muarip/One Sports Digital)