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Fisher, Tahti and Chinakhov Grab the Last Gold Medals

Fisher, Tahti and Chinakhov

At the 2017 Dynamic Billard European Championships for Men, Women and Wheelchair Athletes in the Salgados Palace Hotel in Albufeira, Portugal, the Gold Medals in the 9-ball individuals have been awarded. Jouni Tahti (FIN), Kelly Fisher (GBR) and Ruslan Chinakhov (RUS) are the title holders for the next year.

 

In the men’s division, Ruslan Chinakhov played against Ronald Regli (SUI) in the final match. Both players have somehow already achieved a huge goal by reaching the final match since the two finalists are automatically qualified for this year’s World Games which will be held in Wroclaw, Poland. Chinakhov’s way into the final match led over Niels Feijen (NED) 9:5, Daniele Corrieri (ITA) 9:1, Alexander Kazakis (GRE) 11:5 and Konrad Juszczyszyn (POL) 11:9. His opponent Ronald Regli terminated Artem Koshovyi (UKR) 9:6, Konstantin Stepanov (RUS) 9:7, Nick Van Den Berg (NED) 11:9 and Maksim Dudanets (RUS) 11:9 for his seat in the match for glory. The final match itself was high class by both players with Chinakhov simply being better than Regli. The Russian know how to use his chances and how to put extra pressure on his opponent Regli. In the end, the clear result of 11:6 was more than deserved for Chinakhov.

 

Top eight Men:
1. Ruslan Chinakhov (RUS)
2. Ronald Regli (SUI)
3. Maksim Dudanets (RUS)
Konrad Juszczyszyn (POL)
5. Daniel Tangudd (SWE)
Nick van den Berg (NED)
Alexander Kazakis (GRE)
Andre Lackner (GER)

 

In the women’s division, Kelly Fisher was here on a mission. Residing in the United States since several years now, she wanted to try and get her foot in the door to play at the World Games. In order to do so, she needed to reach the final. Her mission did not begin too promising since she lost her opening match and had to make her long way into the final through the loser’s side. Making it back to the single elimination, Fisher eliminated Jasmin Ouschan (AUT) 7:2, Veronika Ivanovskaia (GER) 8:2 and Ina Kaplan (GER) 8:5. Her opponent in the final match was Nataliya Seroshtan (RUS). She overpowered Yini Gaspar (SUI), Ine Helvik (NOR) 8:2 and Ana Gradisnik (SLO) 8:5 for her spot against Fisher. Like in the men’s division, both players have booked their spot for this year’s World Games by making it to the final of the 9-ball individuals at the Dynamic Billard European Championships for Men, Women and Wheelchair Athletes in the Salgados Palace Hotel in Albufeira, Portugal. The final match was quite unspectacular though. Fisher was way too dominant for Seroshtan today to have a real match going on. After 12 racks being played, Fisher came out as the clear 8:4 winner over Seroshtan, claiming this year’s title in women’s 9-ball in Europe.

 

Top eight Women:
1. Kelly Fisher (GBR)
2. Nataliya Seroshtan (RUS)
3. Ina Kaplan (GER)
Ana Gradisnik (SLO)
5. Vivien Schade (GER)
Veronika Ivanovskaia (GER)
Ine Helvik (NOR)
Kristina Grim (GER)

 

In the wheelchair division, the final match turned out a one man show for Jouni Tahti or, vice versa, a disaster for Henrik Larsson (SWE) who was Tahti’s opponent. Tahti creamed Larsson to the max and handed him a doughnut, winning the final match 7:0 over Larsson.

 

Top eight Wheelchair Athletes:
1. Jouni Tahti (FIN)
2. Henrik Larsson (SWE)
3. Fred Dinsmore (IRL)
Kurt Deklerck (BEL)
5. Matt Duffy (GBR)
Roy Kimberley (GBR)
7. Kim-Ronny Nygard (NOR)
David Himpe (BEL)

 

Final medal table after 5 of 5 events:

 

After the quarterfinal matches today, two players in the men’s and two in the women’s division were randomly drawn and brought for testing against doping. The EPBF is conducting anti-doping tests since many years now and will continue to do so in order to fulfil the requests from the international umbrella federations for a clean sport.

 

This concludes the coverage of the Dynamic Billard European Championships for Men, Women and Wheelchair Athletes in the Salgados Palace Hotel in Albufeira, Portugal. Starting Thursday, we will be back with more news from the upcoming Dynamic Billard Portuguese Open and Portuguese Women Open.

 

Dynamic Dutch Open – Gorst Wins Terrific Comeback Match Over van den Berg

Fedor Gorst

Fedor Gorst, 15-year-old player from Moscow, Russia, just came up with a magnificent comeback against Nick Van Den Berg (NED), winning the match with 9:8.

 

In the beginning everything looked like business as usual. Nick van den Berg, multiple European Champion and winner of 3 Euro-Tour stops, Mosconi Cup team player, was definitely favored over young talent Fedor Gorst. He took a quick 8:3 lead and went on the hill without any hiccups. It looked like the match would be over after a short time with an expected victor. But after rack eleven, the tide has turned in the match. Van den Berg’s break did not come anymore and Gorst hung in there, not accepting the threat of losing. To the contrary, it looked like Gorst grew stronger and stronger with every chance he could get. The match was really very entertaining to watch and after 16 racks played, the scoreboard suddenly displayed a tie at 8:8. The match had turned into a one-rack-decider. What a drama! In rack 17, van den Berg was definitely the better player. He played a good safety shot and left nothing for Gorst who could only hit the colored ball but left a shot for van den Berg. The Dutch however ran out of position for the 6-ball and had to play another safety shot which he did with all of his experience. The cue ball was hiding behind the 9-ball and the 6-ball was some 30 centimeters away, completely blocked. But Gorst went for it and flukes it in over two rails first, sinking the 6-ball in the side pocket. He then ran the remaining balls on the table to win the match with 9:8 and send Nick van den Berg to the loser’s side.

 

Other interesting results from today include Kasper Kristoffersen (DEN) winning 9:8 over Jim Chawki (SWE) in a match that was characterized by many errors from both players. IN an all-Polish clash, young Wiktor Zielinski defeated grandmaster Mateusz Sniegocki with 9:8. Alexander Kazakis (GRE) showed no mercy with Juan Carlos Exposito (ESP), creaming him with 9:1. Imran Majid (GBR) took down Francisco Sanchez Ruiz (ESP) with 9:7. After a long time of absence, Artem Koshovyi (UKR) is entering the European pool stage again. Today, his victim was Ralph Eckert (GER) with 9:4. „The Tornado“ Tony Drago (MLT) was already trailing 2:5 to Nikos Ekonomopoulos (GRE) when he seemed to shift into overdrive and started playing unbelievably strong. He allowed one more rack for Ekonomopoulos to take, winning the match with 9:6.

 

Joshua Filler (GER) turned 18 years old today and made himself a nice gift, winning with 9:2 over Wojciech Szewczyk (POL). Unheralded Roy Stolk (NED) powered past Andrey Seroshtan (RUS) with 9:3 and also proceeds to the winner’s qualification round. Mark Gray (GBR) defeated Steve Leisen (LUX) with a clear and unchallenged victory of 9:3.

 

Matches will continue tomorrow at 09:00 with the third loser’s round.

 

All matches can be viewed LIVE at www.kozoom.com. Up to 11 tables in HiRes quality are providing you with all the action of the event. You do not miss out one single match! Join today!

 

More information about participants, schedules, achievements, rankings, etc can be found on the event website www.eurotouronline.com

 

The event will be hosted by the European Pocket Billiard Federation EPBF and organized by International Billiard Promotion Foundation IBPF.

 

Souquet and Ouschan win the Dynamic Billard North Cyprus Open

Ralf Souquet and Jasmin Ouschan

Ralf Souquet (GER) and Jasmin Ouschan (AUT) have won the titles at the Dynamic Billard North Cyprus Open Euro-Tour.
 
In the men’s division, Ralf Souquet played at his best. He took down great names like Ivo Aarts (NED) 9:0, Imran Majid (GBR) 9:3, Mieszko Fortunski (POL) 9:3 and in the final match Karl Boyes (GBR) with 9:4. The final match was dominated by Souquet from start to finish. A bit scrappy in the beginning, Souquet turned out to have the far better break shot than Boyes. He pocketed almost every time a ball on his break and ran out 4 racks without even allowing Boyes into the table. The Brit however had to struggle with his break shot. Most of the time, he came up dry with no ball down or not enough balls crossing the kitchen line. This situation was taken advantage of by Souquet without any mercy. The BCA Hall of Famer played up to his standard and rightfully took the final match with 9:4. "I did not have the best two weeks before at the European Championships", stated Souquet after the match. "I won a bronze Medal in 9-Ball and one in the team competition. Normally, I am aiming for more", he added. "I am happy that I found my game in the Euro-Tour and that I was able to perform on that level", mentioned the likable German.
 
The first 8 players in the men’s division were:
 
1. Ralf Souquet (GER)
 
2. Karl Boyes (GBR)
 
3. Chris Melling (GBR)
Mieszko Fortunski (POL)
 
5. Phil Burford (GBR)
Imran Majid (GBR)
Francisco Diaz-Pizarro (ESP)
Serge Das (BEL)
 
The Top Ten men in the Euro-Tour rankings are:
 
1. Nick Van Den Berg (NED)
 
2 .Niels Feijen (NED)
 
3. Phil Burford (GBR)
 
4. Karol Skowerski (POL)
 
5. Tomasz Kaplan (POL)
 
6. Mateusz Sniegocki (POL)
 
7. Albin Ouschan (AUT)
 
8. Konstantin Stepanov (RUS)
 
9. Mark Gray (GBR)
 
10. Chris Melling (GBR)
 
These new rankings after the Dynamic Billard North Cyprus Open determine the European participants for the Men’s World 9-Ball Championships in Qatar later this year. Nominated through the WPA rankings will be: Thorsten Hohmann (GER), Karl Boyes (GBR), Mika Immonen (FIN), Nick Ekonomopoulos (GRE), Darren Appleton (GBR), Chris Melling (GBR), Niels Feijen (GER), Ralf Souquet (GER) and Huidji See. Nominated through the European Championships will be: Jürgen Jenisy (AUT), Albin Ouschan (AUT), Mateusz Sniegocki (POL), Konstantin Stepanov (RUS) and Michel Barthol (CRO). Nominated through the Euro-Tour rankings will be: Nick Van Den Berg (NED), Phil Burford (GBR), Karol Skowerski (POL), Tomasz Kaplan (POL), Mark Gray (GBR), Daryl Peach (GBR), Radoslaw Babica (POL), Stephan Cohen (FRA), Mieszko Fortunski (POL), Alex Kazakis (GRE), Imran Majid (GBR), Andreas Gerwen (SWE), Ivo Aarts (NED), Mario He (AUT), Petri Makkonen (FIN), Manuel Gama (POR), Artem Koshovyi (UKR) and Bruno Muratore (ITA). Nominated through the European Senior Championships will be: Tom Strom (SWE).
 
These names are subject to confirmation by the EPBF.
 
In the women’s final, Jasmin Ouschan demonstrated her superiority over all other players. In a total of six matches, she only lost seven (7!) individual racks! She defeated Katrine Feijen (DEN) 7:1, Monika Margeta (SWE) 7:1, Katarzyna Wesolowska (POL) 7:1, Oliwia Czuprynska (POL) 7:3, Monica Webb (USA) 7:1 and Kristina Tkach (RUS) in the final match even with 7:0. "I always try and play my best game", said Ouschan after the match. "This time, I was really feeling good and I think that was the reason why I could perform with my best game".
 
The first 8 players in the women’s division were:
 
1. Jasmin Ouschan (AUT)
 
2. Kristina Tkach (RUS)
 
3. Monica Webb (USA)
Ana Gradisnik (SLO)
 
5. Caroline Roos (SWE)
Kristina Zlateva (BUL)
Claudia Kunz (SUI)
Oliwia Czuprynska (POL)
 
The Top Ten women in the Euro-Tour rankings are:
 
1. Jasmin Ouschan (AUT)
 
2. Anna Mazhirina (RUS)
 
3. Caroline Roos (SWE)
 
4. Martine Christiansen (NOR)
 
5. Ina Kaplan (GER)
 
6. Jennifer Vietz (GER)
 
7. Nataliya Seroshtan (RUS)
 
8. Louise Furberg (SWE)
 
9. Sandra Baumgartner (AUT)
 
10. Ine Helvik (NOR)
 
That concludes the coverage of the Dynamic Billard North Cyprus Open Euro-Tour for Men and Women.
 
All results and more info can be found on www.eurotouronline.eu . Videos of the event can be viewed by premium members at www.kozoom.com.
 
The event was hosted by the European Governing Body for Pool, the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF) and organized by International Billiard Promotion (IBP). For further information and reference please go to the federation website www.eurotouronline.eu or contact our press office press@epbf.com.

10-Ball titles for Wesolowska, Dinsmore and Alcaide

from L. to R: K. Wesolowska, F. Dinsmore and D. Alcaide

The 10-Ball titles at the 2014 Dynamic Billard European Championships have been awarded. In the women’s division, Katarzyna Wesolowska (POL) took the title over Ina Kaplan (GER). Fred Dinsmore (IRE) took the title in the wheelchair division over Roy Kimberley (GBR). In the men’s division, David Alcaide (ESP) collected the title with a victory over Ivo Aarts (NED) in the final match.
 
After she had already taken the bronze medal in the straight pool two days ago, Katarzyna Wesolowska was on a mission. The defending Champion, her teammate Oliwia Czuprynska (POL) lost her quarter-final match against Kristina Zlateva (BUL) with 2:6. That’s when she knew she had to stay in the competition to hold her home nation’s flag high. And she did that with style. Her way into the final match led her over Nataliya Seroshtan (RUS) with 6:4, Vania Franco (POR) with 6:1, Silvia Gaudino (ITA) 6:2. Then she had to face a strong opponent in Line Kjoersvik (NOR). However, she did not allow Kjoersvik to get into gear at all. 6:1 was the final result in Wesolowska’s favor. In the semi-final, she dealt with Marika Poikkijoki (FIN) 6:4. That brought her into the final match against Ina Kaplan. The German started her day with a 6:4 victory over favored Jasmin Ouschan (AUT) which gave her a lot of wind underneath her sails. She continued with a hill-hill arch against her teammate Kristina Schagan (GER). Schagan had beaten her in the preliminary rounds so she was up for some revenge. And she took it. 6:5 was the result in favor of Kaplan. After that, she made short work of Louise Furberg (SWE) and defeated her 6:1 in the semi-final. The final match was a „one-woman-show“ most of the time. Wesolowska took a 3:1 and 4:2 lead over Kaplan and the German could not find any way to stop the Polish from collecting rack after rack. With two more racks, Wesolowska won the match 6:4 and the Championship title.
 
In the wheelchair division, defending Champion Kurt Deklerck (BEL) was dethroned in the quarter-finals with a 4:6 defeat against Tony Southern (GBR). The British went on against his teammate Roy Kimberley (GBR) in the semi-final match which was taken by a hair’s breadth with 6:5 by Kimberly. In the lower part of the draw, Fred Dinsmore dealt with Henrik Larsson (SWE) 6:5 and Aslam Abubaker (GBR) 6:4. The final match provided no challenge for Dinsmore. He ruled at all times and won deserved with 6:0.
 
David Alcaide’s first step to glory was his match with Daryl Peach (GBR) in the round of the final 32 men. Peach had earlier defeated defending Champion Mateusz Sniegocki (POL) and is known to be a fierce opponent. However, Alcaide was better and won this match with 8:3. He then took the victory over Artem Koshovyi (UKR) 8:5. His counterpart in the quarter-final was none other than Nick Van Den Berg (NED). Alcaide managed to get the better of the Dutch and won with 8:6 to meet Ruslan Chinakhov (RUS) in the semi-final. There, he was quite „lucky“ according to his own estimation and he won again 8:6.
 
The other finalist, Ivo Aarts, also had a tough draw today. He defeated Roger Rasmussen (NOR) 8:6 to meet his teammate, „The Terminator“ Niels Feijen (NED). Today, Aarts was the better player and rightfully went one step ahead into the semi-final, defeating Feijen with 8:4. In the semis, Aarts took care of Petri Makkonen (FIN) with a clear 8:3 result. The final match between Alcaide and Aarts was a bit a clash of the generations. Alcaide representing the more experienced generation and Aarts being a part of the „young orange“ team provided a great show in the final. However, Alcaide had the better run of the balls and took the Championship with an 8:4 victory over Aarts.

“Maharaja” shows no mercy for “Fabulous” Fabio

Imran Majid (GBR)

Single elimination round demands popular victims

Cison di Valmarino, Italy: The "Maharaja" Imran Majid (GBR) ousted local hero "Fabulous" Fabio Petroni (ITA) with 9:5 from the tournament. 

Majid was the better player in the match and deserved the victory. He had balls down in 86% of his break shots with a 67% shot on the lowest numbered ball. Furthermore, he broke and ran 3 racks on Fabio. The Italian played a match of ups and downs. His break ratio was 100%, he always had a ball down on the break. But only in 29% was he able to play the lowest numbered ball. 
 
In the early stage of the match it looked like Majid would not allow it to become a fight at all. He was leading 4:0 after four racks, not leaving a chance for Petroni so far. A mistake which Majid committed in rack five opened the door for Petroni to get the first point in his account. Majid snookered himself and gave an open table away to Petroni. As the match went on, it was obvious that Majid was the player in better shape today. He played more constant and his safety shots were more efficient than Petroni’s. Also, the break shot efficiency from Majid outscored Petroni by a mile. In the 14th rack, Majid broke the balls and had a possible layout in front of him. All of a sudden, Petroni gave up, shook hands and unscrewed his cue sticks. That was a bit strange since he was only trailing three racks at the time. However, Majid deserved the victory and will now proceed to the round of the final 16 players which will be played tomorrow morning at 10:00 local time. 
 

Results final 32 players single elimination
Karol Skowerski (POL) v Danilo Cipriani (ITA) 9:3
David Alcaide (ESP) v Babken Melkonyan (ROM) 9:6
Fabio Petroni (ITA) v Imran Majid (GBR) 6:9
Mark Gray (GBR) v Jonni Fulcher (GBR) 9:7
Radoslaw Babica (POL) v Daryl Peach (GBR) 4:9
Dimitri Jungo (SUI) v Evangelos Vettas (GRE) 9:5
Tomasz Kaplan (POL) v Artem Koshovyi (UKR) 7:9
Ralf Souquet (GER) v Chris Melling (GBR) 9:5
Mateusz Sniegocki (POL) v Antonio Benvenuto (ITA) 9:7
Mario He (AUT) v Raul Hebles (ESP) 9:5
Roman Hybler (CZE) v Albin Ouschan (AUT) 4:9
Nick Van Den Berg (NED) v Francisco Diaz-Pizarro (ESP) 9:8
Alexander Kazakis (GRE) v Niels Feijen (NED) 7:9
Huidji See v Daniele Corrieri (ITA) 6:9
Andreas Gerwen (SWE) v Stefan Sprangers (NED) 9:5
Phil Burford (GBR) v Oliver Ortmann (GER) 9:7

 

Final 16 players single elimination
Karol Skowerski (POL) v David Alcaide (ESP)
Imran Majid (GBR) v Mark Gray (GBR)
Daryl Peach (GBR) v Dimitri Jungo (SUI)
Artem Koshovyi (UKR) v Ralf Souquet (GER)
Mateusz Sniegocki (POL) v Mario He (AUT)
Albin Ouschan (AUT) v Nick van den Berg (NED)
Niels Feijen (NED) v Daniele Corrieri (ITA)
Andreas Gerwen (SWE) v Phil Burford (GBR)

 
 
All results and more can be seen at www.eurotouronline.eu
 
All tables will be streamed LIVE throughout the event. Join in on www.kozoom.com/en/pool-billiard/ and become a premium member in order to enjoy all features of the site. 
 
In the past week, the EPBF has launched its brand-new website. You can check all information around European pool at www.epbf.com Enjoy! 
 
The event is hosted by the European Governing Body for Pool, the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF) and organized by International Billiard Promotion (IBP). For further information and reference please go to the federation website http://www.eurotouronline.eu or contact our press office.

 

Austrian He defeats Cohen

First matches played at Dynamic Billard Castelbrando Open


Cison di Valmarino, Italy: In a tough first round match, Mario He (AUT) defeated Stephan Cohen (FRA) with 9:5. As expected, the two contestant both began their performance quite impressive. Cohen could not pocket a ball on his first break shot and He ran out two racks on him. Cohen ran rack number 3 and the score was 2:1 for He with no mistakes played yet. In the fourth rack, He was forced to commit a foul and Cohen used his chance to tie the match at 2:2. Then Cohen’s misery started. He could not capitalize from his break shot anymore and played a few poor safety shots which led to a 6:2 lead for He. It looked like the odds had turned in favor of He. But Cohen did his best to stay in the match. He won two racks to turn the score to 6:4 for He. In rack 11, Cohen broke and got no ball pocketed. He ran the rack but dogged a relatively easy 9-ball. Luckily enough for him he left a tough shot for Cohen who missed as well.

 

Being given a second life in the rack, He pocketed the 9-ball to take a 7:4 lead over his opponent. Cohen took the next rack. After that, luck became a factor in the match. In the 13th rack, He attempted to pocket the 1-ball but missed. However, he left an absolutely impossible shot for Cohen. Cohen obviously struggled with the situation. He tried all he could but the balls just did not roll in his favor. To the contrary, he even left an easy 2-9 combination shot for He to get on the hill with 8:5. He was on a roll now. He broke the 14th rack, being on the hill. He ended up having pocketed a ball but with no shot on the 1-ball. He executed a jump-shot, pocketed it and got position for the next object ball. While clearing the table, he almost scratched after pocketing the 5-ball. Things just seemed to go his way. In the end, He won with 9:5 over Cohen which was a bit too high.

 

Other notable results form the first round include Senharip Azar (SWE) surprisingly defeating Dominic Jentsch (GER) with 9:7. BCA Hall of Famer Ralf Souquet (GER) added another safe victory to his record book, smashing Pierfrancesco Garzia (ITA) with 9:1. Evangelos Vettas (GRE) won his first round match over Artem Koshovyi (UKR) with 9:4.

 

All results and more can be seen at www.eurotouronline.eu .

 

All 12 tables will be streamed LIVE throughout the event. Join in on www.kozoom.com/en/pool-billiard/ and become a premium member in order to enjoy all features of the site.

 

The event will be hosted by the European Governing Body for Pool, the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF) and organized by International Billiard Promotion (IBP). For further information and reference please go to the federation website http://www.eurotouronline.eu or contact our press office.

Corrieri Rushed Over Aarts

Daniele Corrieri (ITA)

Clear victory for the Italian


Kyrenia, North Cyprus: In a thrilling match, Daniele Corrieri (ITA) prevailed over Ivo Aarts (NED) with 9:3.


Both contestants were not necessarily expected in the quarter-final match of the Euro-Tour. In fact, it was the first time for both of them to get that far in their career. So obviously, they were both nervous but on the other hand also had achieved a lot already with not much to lose anymore. Ivo Aarts is part of the "Young Orange" team which is successfully coached by formerly well-known player Alex Lely. Despite of his young age he is a regular on the Euro-Tour and other international events. His best achievement to date was a 17th place in a Euro-Tour tournament. Daniele Corrieri is a rising star from Italy who is starting to make some noise on the Euro-Tour. His best finish so far was 25th at the Euro-Tour in Italy. He is not playing the Tour as regularly as Aarts. The clash between the two youngsters promised to be filled with excitement.


The match went back and forth in the early stage. Aarts managed to get away with a two-rack-lead. Corrieri, who in the previous round eliminated the current number two of the Euro-Tour rankings, Albin Ouschan (AUT), needed some time to get his foot into the match. A foul from Aarts in the third rack opened the door for him and he won the next seven racks in a row to take a 7:2 lead himself. The obviously shocked Aarts. Whatever he tried, he could not find his rhythm again. The final result of 9:3 truly indicates Corrieri's predominance in the match.


Konstantin Stepanov (RUS) had a tougher working day so far. He just defeated Francisco Diaz-Pizarro (ESP) by a whisker with 9:8. Niels Feijen (NED) had a great comeback in his quarter-final with Artem Koshovyi (UKR). After trailing 2:6, Feijen went ahead and won seven racks in a row to win the match 9:6. Bruno Muratore (ITA) won a close battler over Radoslaw Babica with 9:8. He will now face his fellow countryman Daniele Corrieri in the semi-final.

The semi-finals will be played one after the other at 14:00 and 16:00 local time with the final to begin at 18:00.


All action can be followed LIVE on all tables throughout the tournament on www.kozoom.com/en/pool-billiard/ .


The event is hosted by the European Governing Body for Pool, the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF) and organized by International Billiard Promotion (IBP). For further information and reference please go to the federation website http://www.eurotouronline.eu or contact our press office.

Koshovyi trounced Mindreboe

Artem Koshovyi (UKR)

Easy work also for Stepanov


Kyrenia, North Cyprus: Artem Koshovyi (UKR) trounced Kristopher Mindreboe (NOR) with 9:5 in the first winner's round of the Dynamic Billard North Cyprus Open.


Koshovyi was simply the better player today. He had the better start and took a quick 3:0 lead over Mindreboe. But his work was not going to continue to be that easy. Mindreboe who has been playing the European circuit for several years now, kept a foot in the door and even managed to tie the match at 4:4. Then, the balls ran in favor of Koshovyi and he got on the hill without allowing Mindreboe to put one single point into his account, taking an 8:4 lead. That came onto Mindreboe like a ton of bricks. The pressure was simply too high for him to stand. He scored one more rack and then fell to Koshovyi with 9:5.


Another one who definitely wanted his spot in the next winner's round was Konstantin Stepanov (RUS). He made short work with Italy's Gabriele Crovetto and took the match with 9:2. "My opponent made too many mistakes", stated Stepanov after the match, "it was easy for me to gain momentum. Once I am on the roll it is hard to stop me", added Stepanov. Stepanov's fellow countryman Ruslan Chinakhov was not so successful. He got defeated by "The Tornado" Tony Drago (MLT) with 9:4 in 50 minutes. Radoslaw Babica (POL) smashed Ali Karanfiloglu (TNC) with 9:1 and sent him to the loser's side.


The event is hosted by the European Governing Body for Pool, the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF) and organized by International Billiard Promotion (IBP). For further information and reference please go to the federation website http://www.eurotouronline.eu or contact our press office.

Ekonomopoulos wins Dynamic Austria Open

The winner, Nikos Ekonomopoulos from Greece Foto: EPBF/AMM

Nikos Ekonomopoulos (GRE) has won the final  of the Dynamic Austria Open and defeated Wojciech Szewczyk (POL) with 9:4.

The tournament was different to other Euro-Tours.  That could especially be witnessed in the latter stages of the event. IN the quarter-finals, eight different nations were represented. In the semi-finals, three out of four players have never gotten so far.  The two finalists, Ekonomopoulos and Szewczyk belonged to them.

The match started out quite evenly. After 7 racks, Ekonomopoulos was leading 4:3. Up until then, none of the two players was able to get an advantage over the other one of more than one rack.  But suddenly, Ekonomopoulos  seemed to  get in better shape. He benefitted from some mistakes from Szewczyk and took a three point lead. The scoreboard showed 6:3 for Ekonomopoulos. The 10th rack was determined by safety play. Szewczyk came out on top of the Greek and put another point in his account. But it was still 6:4 in favour of Ekonomopoulos. The next two racks were taken by Ekonomopoulos who went on the hill and took an 8:4 lead over Szewczyk. The pressure was on. In the 13th rack, Ekonomopoulos executed the break shot and came up dry. However, he was a bit lucky since Szewczyk could not see the 1-ball. Wojciech Szewczyk tried a safety shot but left a tough but makeable 1-ball for Ekonomopoulos. That was all that the Greek player needed. He finished the rack and took the Euro-Tour tournament victory for the first time in his life.

Final standings Top 16 Dynamic Austria Open:
1. Nikos Ekonomopoulos GRE 3.400,- €
2. Wojciech Szewczyk POL 2.200,- €
3. Marcus Chamat SWE 1.400,- €
Nicolas Ottermann GER 1.400,- €
5. Niels Feijen NED 1.000,- €
Roman Hybler CZE 1.000,- €
Bruno Muratore ITA 1.000,- €
Artem Koshovyi UKR 1.000,- €
9. Ralf Souquet GER 900,- €
Darren Appleton GBR 900,- €
Nick v.d. Berg NED 900,- €
Oliver Ortmann GER 900,- €
Karlo Dalmatin CRO 900,- €
Kristoffer Mindreboe NOR 900,- €
Cliff Castelein BEL 900,- €
Phil Burford GBR 900,- €

Top Ten Euro-Tour rankings:
1. Dimitri Jungo SUI 2235 pts
2. Nick v.d. Berg NED 2190 pts
Darren Appleton GBR 2190 pts
4. Chris Melling GBR 2160 pts
5. Marcus Chamat SWE 2135 pts
6. Albin Ouschan AUT 2115 pts
7. Mark Gray GBR 2105 pts
8. Ralf Souquet GER 2010 pts
9. Oliver Ortmann GER 1960 pts
Serge Das BEL 1960 pts

That concludes the coverage of the Dynamic Austria Open 2012.

The event was hosted by the European Governing Body for Pool, the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF) and organized by International Billiard Promotion (IBP). For further information and reference please go to the federation website www.epconline.eu , follow us on twitter @EPBF_News or contact our press office

Van den Berg sends Drago to one-loss side

Nick van den Berg (NED) Foto: EPBF/AMM

With the closest result possible, Nick van den Berg (NED) wins over Tony Drago (MLT) 8:7.

Drago’s performance was, as usually, determined by aggressive and fast play. He went for all shots and did not take too much time, even if the situation was awkward.  When playing with all shields down, of course sometimes one leaves a good position for the opponent. That is exactly what happened to Drago. After 10 racks, van den Berg was  leading with  6:4.  It looked like it would be a clear victory for van den Berg. But Drago is known to be a great shotmaker. Whenever van den Berg left him a shot, Drago ran the rack and  closed the gap.  Though van den Berg was even leading 7:5, he could not close the book on Drago. The “Tornado” from Malta even managed to tie the match at hill-hill. Then van den Berg broke the balls, pocketed one ball and almost had the cue ball scratching in the corner pocket. It was just lying outside the jaws of the pocket. Van den Berg played a push out and rolled the cue ball a bit forward, not giving any shot of value to Drago. But Tony Drago tried the impossible and failed, leaving an open table to van den Berg. The only problem left was the 7-ball which was uncomfortably close to the 10-ball. But van den Berg showed no nerves, played all balls down to the 7-ball and then announced the 10-ball in the side pocket. He played the 7-ball very thin and made the 10-ball in the called pocket. That gave him the rack and the match with a heartbreak result of 8:7.

Other notable results  from tonight  include Artem Koshovyi (UKR)  steamrolling another local hero, Fabio Petroni (ITA) with 8:3.  Oliver Ortmann (GER) won over Roger Rasmussen (NOR) with 8:7. The winner of the last Dynamic Euro-Tour in Sarajevo, Albin Ouschan (AUT), remained victorious over Babken Melkonyan (ARM). European 8-ball Champion Dominic Jentsch (GER) won his match over Tomas Larsson (SWE) with 8:6.

The event  is  hosted by the European Governing Body for Pool, the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF) and organized by International Billiard Promotion (IBP). For further information and reference please go to the federation website www.epconline.eu , follow us on twitter @EPBF_News or contact our press office.