Worse was to follow for Deuel. Turning down the strategic opportunity to bank the 1, he made the 3 over the pocket instead, sending the cue ball smashing into the pack, pushing them all towards Reyes’s pocket. It was a schoolboy error, and Reyes skillfully ran nine and out from –1 to seal his second successive Derby City Classic o­ne-pocket win.

With o­ne day of the tournament to play, Reyes and Deuel are now the main contenders to claim the $25,000 Master Of The Table all-around prize. Both players are also undefeated going into Round 7 of the 9-ball event, but they face tough competition from the likes of Mika Immonen, Francisco Bustamante, and Johnny Archer in that discipline.

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