Joshua Filler defeated Albert James “AJ” Manas 13–6 to win the Qatar World Cup 10-Ball 2026 at the Ezdan Palace Hotel in Doha on October 29, ending the Filipino teenager’s bid for the title.

The German won seven consecutive racks from 3–3 to build a 10–3 lead. Manas fought back to 10–6, but Filler took the final three racks to secure the championship and the US$100,000 first prize.

Manas earned US$40,000 as runner-up from the US$450,000 prize fund. His campaign included an 11–10 semifinal victory over Daniel Macioł, reversing an earlier defeat to the same opponent.

Seven straight racks give Filler control

Manas took the early initiative, leading 1–0 and 2–1 as the opening racks featured repeated safety exchanges. Filler moved ahead for the first time at 3–2, but AJ answered on the German’s break to draw level at 3–3.

The seventh rack changed the direction of the match. Manas made a ball on the break but missed a long 3-ball carom attempt, allowing Filler to take the rack and regain the lead.

Filler followed with a break and run for 5–3. A loose safety from Manas gave him another opening, and he extended the advantage to 6–3.

Even a dry Filler break failed to stop the run. After another safety exchange on the 3-ball, the German gained the opening he needed to move ahead 7–3, then added three more racks for a seven-rack cushion.

The streak was especially costly for Manas under the alternate-break format. Four of those seven racks began with his break, leaving him unable to protect his own turns at the table as Filler pulled away.

Manas cuts the gap before Filler closes it out

Manas stopped the run after Filler broke dry in the 14th rack. AJ cleared the table to make it 10–4, then added the next two racks to reduce the deficit to four.

Two of those three racks came on Filler’s break. Having recovered from difficult positions in both the quarterfinals and semifinals, Manas had given himself another chance to work back into the match.

His next break came up dry, however, leaving Filler an inviting layout. The German took the rack for 11–6, won the next to reach the hill and finished the match in the 19th rack.

Filler’s response ended the comeback before Manas could bring the gap within three. The final was settled by the German’s seven-rack run through the middle and his three consecutive racks at the finish.

Filler wins eight straight after an opening defeat

Filler’s title run began with a setback. According to Qatar News Agency’s tournament report, he lost 5–9 to Mustafa Alnar in his opening main-draw match before beating Mohammed Al Balushi 9–1 and Jan van Lierop 9–2 to qualify for the last 64.

He went on to win all six of his knockout matches, completing eight consecutive victories after that opening defeat.

His semifinal opponent was Wojciech Szewczyk, who had won the separate WPA Men’s 10-Ball World Championship in Ho Chi Minh City in September. Filler defeated the Pole 11–9 to earn his place in the final.

The Qatar title also followed Filler’s victory at the ARAMITH Men’s Open in Bali earlier in October, where he beat Mi Le 2–0 in sets in the final.

Manas turns an earlier defeat into semifinal revenge

Manas also reached the knockout rounds through the losers’ side. He opened with a 9–2 victory over Hadi Sukkari, lost 4–9 to Macioł and kept his campaign alive by beating Mohammad Ali Berjaoui 9–7.

In the quarterfinals, AJ recovered from 0–3 against Hsieh Chia Chen. He drew level at 3–3, later moved ahead 8–6 and completed an 11–8 victory to reach the last four.

His semifinal rematch with Macioł demanded a larger recovery. The Pole led 6–1 and later 8–4, putting Manas in danger of losing to him for the second time in the tournament.

AJ kept closing the gap. From 9–6 down, he won three consecutive racks to draw level before Macioł produced a break and run to reach the hill at 10–9.

Manas answered with a break and run of his own to force a deciding rack. Macioł then scratched on the final break, and the Filipino took the decider for an 11–10 victory.

That result sent Manas into the championship match as the last Filipino remaining, with a chance to follow defending champion Jonas Magpantay as the Qatar titleholder.

The finalists’ knockout results

Both players entered the single-elimination stage needing six more wins for the title. Their results from the last 64 onward were:

Another international final for the 19-year-old

For Manas, who is listed as 19 by the World Nineball Tour, the runner-up finish added to a month that had already included a world doubles final.

On October 5, he and Carlo Biado finished second at the WPA Men’s Doubles 10-Ball World Championship in Bali. They lost the final to Spain’s Francisco Sánchez Ruiz and David Alcaide, according to the Predator Pro Billiard Series report.

His progress in Doha also drew recognition from the host federation. In post-tournament comments reported by Qatar News Agency, the QBSF president singled out Manas as an example of the emerging young talent on display at the event.

Prize money and final standings

The tournament ran from October 19 to 29, with the 128-player main event held from October 24. The opening main-draw phase used double elimination and races to nine before single elimination began at the last 64.

Knockout matches were races to 11 through the semifinals, with the final extended to 13. The top four payouts, set out in the official tournament invitation, were:

Full tournament results are available through the official QBSF bracket and QBSF scoring page.