Defending Champion Eklent Kaçi’s title defence kicked off with tough battle against Jose Alberto Delgado on the opening day of the BetVictor 2024 UK Open Pool Championship at the Telford International Centre, with the likes of Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, Fedor Gorst, Shane Van Boening, and Duong Quoc Hoang amongst the list of top names to not fumble yet live on broadcasters worldwide, including DAZN, Viaplay, and Sky Sports in the UK.
Kaçi faced a testing start on day one, locked in a neck-and-neck matchup with Spanish player Jose Alberto Delgado. Delgado took an early lead, but Kaçi rallied back after a series of rack wins exchanged between the two. Despite miscuing the 9-ball in rack 16, Kaçi managed to regain control after a scratch from break, securing his first win of the tournament.
Top-ranked players like No.1 WNT Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, Shane Van Boening, Fedor Gorst, Joshua Filler, and Mario He had smooth victories in their opening matches. However, the Austrian, Max Lechner faced his first defeat against Cypriot Antonis Brabin, who finished the day with two consecutive wins.
Duong Quoc Hoang continued his winning streak from the Scottish Open, defeating Spencer Oliver from Great Britain and the American Danny Olsen with scores of 9-2 each. Meanwhile, last year’s World Cup of Pool winner, Johann Chua, dominated Vincent Facquet 9-0 and later secured a close 9-7 win against fellow Filipino Bernie Reglario.
The Ko brothers, Pin Yi and Ping Chung, sailed through their initial rounds in the UK Open, while Ko Ping Han made a remarkable comeback against Korean star Seo Seoa. However, Ping Han fell short against the Brit Imran Majid in his second match, losing 9-7.
2023 World Pool Championship finalist, Mohammad Soufi faced off against Lin Tsung Han from Chinese Taipei, narrowly clinching a 9-7 victory. However, Soufi struggled in his following match against the rising star Sam ‘Ryno’ Henderson, who capitalised on Soufi’s errors to secure a well-fought win.
Adding to the excitement, Kledio Kaçi, the younger brother of the defending UK Open champion, made a memorable impression on day one, with a decisive 9-1 victory against Ali Asgar Merchant, followed by a 9-5 win against the Estonian, Denis Grabe.
Pia Filler, the first signed woman WNT professional, delivered a strong performance against Chris Wattanawonna, winning 9-5 against the Thai player. However, Filler faced a challenging match against Dutch cueist, Marc Bijsterbosch, losing in a tense hill-hill battle.
Commentating duo Jeremy Jones and Karl Boyes had mixed results on day one; Jones lost to Babken Melkonyan in a hill-hill match, while ‘Box Office’ Boyes defeated Konrad Juszczyszyn with a commendable 9-6 win. However, Boyes failed to maintain his momentum against the Indonesian Alvin Anggito, who showcased his skill with a dominant 9-2 victory in the pair’s second match.
Live rack-by-rack scoring will be available throughout the event at www.wntlivescores.com.
Wherever you are in the world, you will be able to catch the action with broadcasters globally and live on the Matchroom Pool and Multi Sport YouTube channels in selected territories and on Matchroom.Live. UK-based fans can see the final two days on Sky Sports with the opening four on Matchroom.Live and the Matchroom YouTube. Fans in the USA and Brazil will be able to watch all six days live on DAZN whilst those in Scandinavia, the Baltics, Poland, Netherlands, and Iceland can watch live on Viaplay.
Spectators will be able to catch the action live from the Telford International Centre throughout the week, with day tickets available from £22 and weekend passes for fans to take in the final two days for just £50.
Secure your ticket here
Joshua Filler survived being knocked to the loser’s side by Alex Pagulayan on day two of the World Pool Championship 2023 in Kielce, Poland as only 64 remain after two days of action live on Sky Sports, Viaplay, DAZN, Matchroom.Live and TV networks worldwide.
Filler faced Pagulayan early on for a spot in the Last 64 to avoid an extra match in Losers’ Qualification round this evening. The Killer fell to a 9-7 defeat, his second defeat to the Canadian in a matter of days after a loss at the Derby City Classic. It left Filler having to beat Daniele Corrieri to ensure his hunt for a second world title would continue and he did so in emphatic fashion in a 9-1 dismantling. Crucially, defeat to Pagulayan meant Filler lost his seeded position in the bracket ahead of the Last 64 redraw.
Last year’s semi-finalist Abdullah Alyousef suffered a 9-3 defeat to USA hotshot Shane Wolford to be sent home at the first major hurdle whilst Oliver Szolnoki suffered the same fate in a hill-hill finish against Ajdin Piknjac. 2021 runner-up Omar Al-Shaheen struggled for his groove against Denis Grabe as the Estonian came good to knock the 2021 runner-up out the competition. There was frustration for 1996 champion Ralf Souquet also, the Kaiser well beaten by Pole Daniel Maciol in Winners’ Qualification before defeat at the hands of Dimitri Jungo. Home favourite Mieszko Fortunski was also knocked out with the World Pool Masters semi-finalist knocked out by Lars Kuckherm.
The 32 players who qualified through Winners’ Qualification were seeded in the Last 64 redraw against an unseeded player who came through the Losers Qualification matches with Karl Boyes completing the draw with Rachel Casey on the Matchroom Pool YouTube page. Pagulayan and Filler will have to dance again after being drawn against each other whilst defending champion Van Boening will come up against Uski.
Action returns from midday local time tomorrow on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, Viaplay in Poland, Scandinavia, the Baltics, and the Netherlands, DAZN in the USA and Italy as well as on Matchroom.Live and broadcasters worldwide. Table 2 and Table 3 are on the Matchroom Pool and Multi Sport YouTube Channels respectively and Viaplay in above listed territories. See where to watch here.
Shane Van Boening (Taka G Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport)
Shane Van Boening will begin the defense of his World Pool Championship title against Japan’s Masato Yoshioka in Kielce, Poland from February 1-5 live on Sky Sports in the UK, Viaplay in Poland, Scandinavia and the Baltics, DAZN in the USA as well as Matchroom.Live and networks worldwide.
The American will look to become only the second player in history to defend the title following in the footsteps of Earl Strickland in a packed arena at Targi Kielce. 46 countries will be represented in the 128-player field as it is whittled down to the Last 64 over the first two days of action before it’s straight knockout to the end where one will claim the $60,000 first-place prize and the world crown.
The draw was completed with the top 64 players from the Nineball World Rankings against an unseeded player from the other 64 in the hat. Standout first-round ties include 2015 world champion Ko Pin Yi facing James Aranas of the Philippines whilst 2022 semi-finalist Abdullah Alyousef faces the tricky prospect of Johann Chua. 2004 world champion Alex Pagulayan was unseeded and will meet Michael Schneider.
World Cup of Pool winner David Alcaide takes on Billy Thorpe and Shane Wolford‘s mission for a spot on Team USA at the 2023 Mosconi Cup takes on Pia Filler. Francisco Sanchez Ruiz had a year to remember last year and will begin his Nineball campaign against So Shaw of Iran.
Double elimination matches are all race to 9, with all matches from the Last 64 a race to 11 except the final, which is a race to 13.
Table 1 will be live on broadcasters worldwide including Sky Sports in the UK, Viaplay in Poland, Scandinavia, Baltics, and the Netherlands, DAZN in the USA, Canada, and Italy, as well as on Matchroom.Live and networks worldwide. See where to watch here.
Table 2 will be live on Viaplay in selected territories as well as on Matchroom.Live and the Matchroom Pool YouTube channel.
Table 3 will be live on Viaplay in selected territories as well as on Matchroom.Live and the Matchroom Multi Sport YouTube channel.
POLAND, COMPRISED OF Wiktor Zielinski and Wojciech Szewczyk, has won the first-ever Longoni 9-Ball League following an 11-5 victory over Spain in the final which took place at the BHR Best Western Hotel in Treviso, Italy. From an initial entry of 12 national teams based on Euro Tour rankings, the Polish duo, who were ever-present throughout the competition, had too much for their Spanish rivals, opening up a 7-1 lead, which despite a mini-comeback, proved too much for their opponents.
With current EuroTour rankings determining the selection of teams playing at any time during the course of the event, the regular Spanish duo of Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz and David Alcaide were forced to miss the final, as both are representing Europe in the Mosconi Cup. That allowed Jose Alberto Delgado and Jonas Souto to take the main stage in the final. However, despite trying to turn the match around at the mid-point, they didn’t have enough in the tank to upset the Poles.
Having arrived back from the World 8-Ball in the Caribbean on Wednesday, there was a possibility that tiredness could have played a part in the proceedings.
Commented Szewczyk, “We were aware that fatigue can be a factor here but both me and Wiktor are quite experienced. We know what to expect from our bodies and our mental game and we were as ready as possible for the final.
“You never consider it closed until it’s over but a 7-1 lead we were very happy about. We also saw a difference in the break which always gives you extra confidence so even if they steal a couple of racks, if you have that break advantage you know it will be harder for them to streak racks.”
The match itself was all Poland. With their break working for them while the Spaniards floundered, they lead 5-0 then 7-1 which seemed insurmountable for Delgado and Souto. However, they dug in and clawed their way back to 7-5 to give themselves a glimmer of hope.
That was to be their last contribution as the Polish duo came on strong down the stretch as the closed it out with an 11-5 victory.
For Zielinski, it was one in the win column after a heart-break loss in the World 8-Ball final earlier this week, “I just wanted to finally get a first place and after we took a big lead in the game, I was feeling quite confident that we could make it so I’m just happy that me and Wojciech managed to win.
“It will be tough to make the team next year as I will be defending two first places in a row and then a third place so it’s not going to be easy and I’m sure other Polish players will do well. We have a lotof great players so I was lucky that I could play with Wojciech all the way through,” he added,
Pierluigi Longoni of Longoni Cues was on hand to present the trophy to the winners and confirmed that the Longoni 9-Ball League would be back next year, starting at the opening Euro Tour event in Tallinn, Estonia in February.
FOLLOWING A YEAR of competition, the Inaugural Longoni 9-Ball League concludes next Friday 25th November when Poland takes on Spain in the championship match. Starting out in Lasko, Slovenia in February, there were 12 national teams split into four groups who have played down to the final two.
With current EuroTour rankings determining the selection of teams playing at any time during the course of the year, the dynamic Spanish duo of Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz and David Alcaide have led the way for their country. However, with both having been called up to represent Europe in the Mosconi Cup, it opens the window for the next two highest ranked players to step forward.
That means that Jose Alberto Delgado and Jonas Souto, who are ranked 17th and 37th on the EuroTour respectively, will be handed the golden opportunity of taking on Team Poland. Both Spaniards are playing well this year having both made it to the last 16 at the Tour stop in Slovenia and Souto making the same grade a few more times since.
They’re up against a formidable duo though, in Wiktor Zielinski and Wojciech Szewczyk, who are both enjoying stellar seasons. After the Polish pair came through a tough group consisting of Austria and Italy, they then beat a strong German side in the semi-finals and are surely now favourites to lift the Longoni 9-Ball League title.
Team Spain
The Longoni 9-ball league is a scotch doubles format involving 12 countries highest on the EuroTour rankings at the beginning of the year. The countries were split into four groups of three teams with each group winner proceeding to the semi-finals.
The winning team will receive €4,500 which includes prize money for wins in the group stages. The runners-up receive 2500 Euro plus group earnings and as with all the teams, the total prize money will be divided into match shares with one share for each team appearance.
The Final between Poland and Spain can be viewed live on the platform, TV. kozoom as well as on the Longoni 9 Ball League & EPBF Facebook pages
on Friday 25th November starting at approximately 9pm.
Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz (Taka G Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport)
Francisco Sanchez Ruiz is the new Nineball World Number One after clinching the 2022 US Open Pool Championship title beating Max Lechner in the final at Harrah’s Resort, Atlantic City to take home the $50,000 first-place prize.
The Spaniard’s week in New Jersey couldn’t have gone much better finding out earlier on that he would be an automatic pick for the 2022 Mosconi Cup Team Europe side as one of the three players to come from the Live Nineball World Rankings and it ended with a memorable victory in front of a sell-out crowd over Lechner to break the $100,000 mark and overtake World Champion Shane Van Boening at the top.
Sanchez Ruiz was elated with his week’s work: “It is unbelievable how it feels. I feel so happy. Congratulations to Max. Thank you to everyone for the support, I love you guys. It’s the biggest win in my career. There are too many good feelings right now. I received the news of making the Mosconi Cup and it gave me so much. I want to say thank you to my team David Alcaide and Jose Alberto Delgado. It’s an unbelievable feeling, it really is.”
Joshua Filler was eyeing a second US Open, but it wasn’t to be as Eklent Kaçi abruptly ended the UK Open winner’s run in the Last 16. Despite that, Filler has opened up a $17,870 gap over Albin Ouschan at world number four.
Three Austrians now sit inside the top ten in the world with Lechner’s $25,000 winnings taking him from 15th to sixth just behind Mario He and Ouschan. Kaçi’s run in AC to the quarter-finals sees the Albanian break into the top ten whilst Alexander Kazakis, Wiktor Zielinski, and Abdullah Alyousef all had strong weeks to maintain their position inside the top ten.
The Ko brothers have been back in force in recent months after Pin Yi snapped off the APF Asian 9-Ball Open, Ping Chung reached the semi-finals to climb from 73rd in the world to 24th as one of the biggest movers. Poland’s Konrad Juszczyszyn steady year continued as he moved up to 15th and Sanjin Pehlivanovic moved inside the top 20.
2023 promises to be bigger and better for Nineball with the Matchroom provisional schedule revealed for the first time during the US Open. Matchroom’s calendar will begin with the World Pool Championship from February 1-5 before the World Pool Masters from May 6-9 ahead of the second-ever UK Open Pool Championship set to take place in London once again from May 30 to June 4. Both the World Cup of Pool and Premier League Pool will take place in June ahead of the European Open Pool Championship in Fulda, Germany from August 8-13.
The next US Open Pool Championship gets underway from September 25-30 before the Mosconi Cup caps off 2023 in December. See more on the 2023 Matchroom provisional schedule here.
The full Nineball World Ranking Schedule will be revealed in the coming weeks as it promises to offer more opportunities for players to earn their right to the biggest events on the calendar.
All eyes will now turn to the 2022 Mosconi Cup where both Team USA and Team Europe know three of their five-player rosters after Sanchez Ruiz and Ouschan were confirmed for Europe to join Filler. On Jeremy Jones‘ American side Skyler Woodward and Oscar Dominguez were confirmed to be joining Van Boening ahead of both Jones and Alex Lely confirming their two wild card picks.
Fans can expect to hear more soon from both skippers as they confirm their two wild card picks each to complete their sides ahead of the battle commencing in pool’s biggest battle.
Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz (Taka G Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport)
Francisco Sanchez Ruiz has won the 2022 US Open Pool Championship at Harrah’s Resort, Atlantic City beating Austria’s Max Lechner 13-10 in the final to shoot to World No.1 on the Live Nineball World Rankings taking home the $50,000 first place prize and becoming the first Spaniard to win one of pool’s oldest majors.
Rack 1 – Sanchez Ruiz 0-1 Lechner – Lechner won the lag before taking the opening rack in a break and run to curb any early nerves in the biggest match of both players’ careers.
Rack 2 – Sanchez Ruiz 0-2 Lechner – The Austrian doubled his advantage soon after with another break and run, laying down a real warning sign in the process of how he would attack the contest.
Rack 3 – Sanchez Ruiz 1-2 Lechner – After a brief safety exchange Lechner looked to be in to establish a 3-0 lead at the first commercial but a missed seven ball later and Sanchez Ruiz was on the board for the first time in the contest.
Rack 4 – Sanchez Ruiz 1-3 Lechner – Sanchez Ruiz broke for the first time in the match but was left stumped for a shot on the two. He chose to push out before Lechner put him back in. Sanchez Ruiz kicked at the two but opened up the table in the process to leave Lechner back at the table. The three was still troublesome for Lechner though who went aerial to make contact only to see it fluke in and make an easy out from there.
Rack 5 – Sanchez Ruiz 2-3 Lechner – The contest was swinging for the first time in Sanchez Ruiz’s favour thanks to a fluked carom to make the nine when jumping for the two.
Rack 6 – Sanchez Ruiz 3-3 Lechner – A golden break from Sanchez Ruiz brought the pair level for the first time since the start of the match at three all. He’d potted seven balls to win three racks.
Rack 7 – Sanchez Ruiz 3-4 Lechner – Not much could separate the two who were contesting only the third-ever all-European US Open final and it was Lechner who took the initiative after seven. Sanchez Ruiz was looking to cut the three in only to be left in despair as it somehow clung onto the pocket.
Rack 8 – Sanchez Ruiz 4-4 Lechner – The two ball was Lechner’s hold-up at times in his semi-final with Ko Ping Chung and it was again in the eighth rack that brought Sanchez Ruiz to the table to level again.
Rack 9 – Sanchez Ruiz 5-4 Lechner – Sanchez Ruiz led for the first time in the match at 5-4. The Spaniard already buoyed by knowing he would be the new Nineball World Rankings No. 1 at the conclusion of the day had found a rhythm and making the most of it.
Rack 10 – Sanchez Ruiz 5-5 Lechner – It was a nightmare for Sanchez Ruiz just as things were heading his way. The 2022 World Cup of Pool winner scratched from the break to put Lechner back to the table to level once again.
Rack 11 – Sanchez Ruiz 6-5 Lechner – Lechner fouled when trying to jump over the four and five to make the three ball. With the ball in hand, Sanchez Ruiz took the lead and was ahead again.
Rack 12 – Sanchez Ruiz 6-6 Lechner – With the two over the pocket, Sanchez Ruiz kicked and missed trying to make it leaving Lechner his time to level once again.
Rack 13 – Sanchez Ruiz7-6 Lechner – Lechner broke and snatched at a chance with the rest on the five ball which allowed Sanchez Ruiz to swoop in and take the lead and reach the halfway mark first.
Rack 14 – Sanchez Ruiz8-6 Lechner – An expert break and run gave Sanchez Ruiz a two rack cushion for the first time in the match and Lechner was starting to rue missed opportunities.
Rack 15 – Sanchez Ruiz9-6 Lechner – Sanchez Ruiz crunched in the break in the 15th rack and made a clean run out to be four away from the title.
Rack 16 – Sanchez Ruiz10-6 Lechner – Four balls off the break for Sanchez Ruiz was just the ticket as he looked to hone in on his first-ever individual Matchroom title with another break and run. It was cruise control.
Rack 17 – Sanchez Ruiz 10-7 Lechner – The Sanchez Ruiz momentum was halted swiftly in the 17th after a brief safety exchange, FSR was back at the table but left with a tricky 5-6 combo to stay at the table. He put the table open when making contact with the five which allowed Lechner to swoop and steal a rack back.
Rack 18 – Sanchez Ruiz 10-8 Lechner – A break and run from Lechner brought him within two once again.
Rack 19 – Sanchez Ruiz 10-9 Lechner – Lechner was hooked by the eight when looking to make the seven but showed huge minerals to jump it and make the seven before holding position on the eight and nine to be one away from leveling up.
Rack 20 – Sanchez Ruiz 11-9 Lechner – Just when it looked like Lechner was finding his feet again with arguably the biggest shot of the match in the previous rack, he scratched on the break to leave Sanchez Ruiz with a routine run out to be two away.
Rack 21 – Sanchez Ruiz 11-10 Lechner – Things were just heating up as Lechner and Sanchez Ruiz got locked into a deep safety battle that in the end the former prevailed in after locking up the cue ball tight one end of the table. Sanchez Ruiz fouled to bring Lechner in to punish him and be one back.
Rack 22 – Sanchez Ruiz 12-10 Lechner – There was dispair for Lechner once again as he scratched off the break to allow Sanchez Ruiz in to clean up and get to the hill first.
Rack 23 – Sanchez Ruiz 13-10 Lechner – The cueball did the work for Sanchez Ruiz as it so always has in a golden year as he sealed a memorable win with a break and run.
What Sanchez Ruiz said
“It is unbelievable how it feels. I feel so happy. Congratulations to Max. Thank you to everyone for the support, I love you guys. IT’s the biggest win in my career. There’s too many good feelings right now. I received the news of making the Mosconi Cup and it gave me so much. I want to say thank you to my team David Alcaide and Jose Alberto Delgado. It’s an unbelievable feeling, it really is.”
Next
Next up is the 2022 Mosconi Cup from November 30 to December 3 at Bally’s Las Vegas where Jeremy Jones‘ USA side will be looking to steal the Mosconi Cup back from Alex Lely‘s European side live on Sky Sports in the UK, DAZN in the USA, Canada, Italy, and Spain, Viaplay in Scandinavia, the Baltics, Poland and networks worldwide including on Matchroom.Live for those without a broadcaster in their country.
Both Team USA and Europe have three spots each locked up from the Live Nineball World Rankings with Shane Van Boening joined by Skyler Woodward and Oscar Dominguez this week for the Americans whilst Joshua Filler was joined by Francisco Sanchez Ruiz and Albin Ouschan. Ouschan qualified after Lechner finished as runner-up. Fans can expect to hear more soon from both skippers as they confirm their two wild card picks each to complete their sides ahead of the battle commencing in pool’s biggest battle.
Going into the PRP Nineball Open last weekend (Sept. 14-18) at the Exe Boston Hotel in Zaragoza, Spain, the struggle for a 3rd place spot on the Mosconi Cup’s European team, defined, as of August 31, by the Nineball World Rankings, was something of a race between Austria’s Mario He and Spain’s Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz. Both made it undefeated through two separate knockout rounds of the 128-entrant field in Spain. They both went on, undefeated to the finals where Sanchez-Ruiz prevailed to claim the event title, his fourth major title of the year.
With the USA’s Shane Van Boening and Germany’s Joshua Filler holding the top two spots in those Nineball World Rankings and being too far ahead in the rankings to be unseated, each Mosconi Cup team will select two more from the list at the conclusion of the final three ranking events; The Euro Tour Dynamic Billiards Slovenia Open in Lasko, Slovenia (Oct. 1-3), the Sandcastle 9-Ball Open at Sandcastle Billiards in Edison, NJ (Oct. 6-8) and the US Open Pool Championship at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, NJ (Oct. 10-15). With Austria’s Albin Ouschan, who did not compete in Spain, currently in the #3 position in the World Rankings and in the driver’s seat to claim a second spot on the Mosconi Cup team, the third selected seat continues to be a struggle between Sanchez-Ruiz (currently #4) and He (#5). Though at the moment, Sanchez-Ruiz has a commanding lead and seems likely to draw the third pick, it might well continue into next week’s Slovenia Open and depending on whether the two opt for a trip to New Jersey afterwards, it could end up on this side of the Atlantic.
Sanchez-Ruiz and He emerged from separate brackets to advance to the PRP Nineball Open’s final draw of 32. Sanchez-Ruiz, after being awarded an opening round bye, defeated two of his fellow countrymen, Manuel Fernandez and Gabriel Carral 9-2 to qualify for the single-elimination Phase Two (well over 50% of the field was from Spain). He was joined from the winners’ side of the bracket by countrymen Jose Alberto Delgado and Jose Castillo, Lithuania’s Pijus Labutis, Poland’s Wiktor Zielinski and Mieszko Fortunski, Marc Bijsterbosch from the Netherlands and Hungary’s Oliver Szolnoki.
In the other Phase 1 bracket, Mario He (also awarded a bye) defeated Spaniards Amalia Matas 9-4 and Mayte Ropero 9-7 to be among the winners’ side competitors to advance. Germany’s Ralf Souquet was on that list, too, as were Poland’s Konrad Juszczyszyn, Switzerland’s Ronald Regli, Spain’s David Alcaide and Jonas Souto, Estonia’s Denis Grabe and, also in the running for that 3rd spot on the Mosconi Cup team, behind He, Alex Kazakis from Greece.
Sanchez-Ruiz’ toughest battle advancing to the event’s quarterfinals came in the opening round of the single-elimination Round 2, when Francisco Diaz chalked up eight racks against him. From there, it was relatively smooth sailing through Ivan Nunez 11-3 for Sanchez-Ruiz to arrive at his quarterfinal matchup versus Delgado. He, on the other hand, began his single-elimination advancement with two double hill matches against Portugal’s Sara Rocha and Spain’s Iker Echeverria, which he successfully negotiated to face Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Sanjin Pehlivanovic. Three competitors lurking behind Sanchez-Ruiz and He on the rankings list, appeared in the other two quarterfinals. Kazakis, immediately below He on the list, faced Denis Grabe (in the 20s on the list), as Szolnoki, immediately below Kazakis, met up with Zielinski, immediately behind him.
Sanchez-Ruiz downed Delgado 11-5 and in the semifinals, picked up Zielenski, who’d eliminated Szolnoki 11-8. He defeated Pehlivanovic 11-2 and drew Kazakis, who’d eliminated Grabe 11-7.
Assuring their spots on the rankings list, Sanchez-Ruiz and He advanced to the finals; Sanchez-Ruiz 11-5 over Zielinski and He 11-2 over Kazakis.
It was clear from the outset of the finals that Sanchez-Ruiz and He were playing for more than bragging rights at their local pub. He broke the initial rack and ran the table to open the scoring. Sanchez-Ruiz broke and won the second to create the first of only two ties in the race to 13.
Sanchez-Ruiz won the next four to go ahead 5-1, at which point the two of them embarked on a series of runs that narrowed that lead down to between two and three racks. He got within a single rack three times in that stretch, at 6-5, 7-6 and 8-7, but He’s win of rack #15 opened the door for Sanchez-Ruiz to head on out on a four-match run that put him on the hill, ahead by five at 12-7.
He, though, came right back and matched Sanchez-Ruiz’ longest run of the game at the start, winning five racks to force a single deciding game. He broke, but left himself with a low-percentage shot at the 1-ball, sitting north of and at a sharp angle to a side pocket. He played safe and began a two-ball safety battle that took up nearly half of the final match-time. Sanchez-Ruiz broke it up after He had given him an opening on the 2-ball that also opened the table. Sanchez-Ruiz ran them from there and claimed the event title.
The battle for the two remaining European Mosconi Cup slots (not counting the coach’s two wild-card picks), moves on to Lasko, Slovenia.
Albin Ouschan and Shane Van Boening will contest the inaugural European Open Pool Championship final in a repeat of the 2022 World Pool Championship final for the $30,000 first place prize at Hotel Esperanto, Fulda in Germany live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, DAZN in the USA, Canada, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, and Switzerland as well as on Viaplay in Scandinavia, Poland, and the Baltics and various other broadcasters worldwide including Matchroom.Live in relevant countries.
Ouschan was looking to reach another Matchroom final on his birthday whilst his opponent and close friend Mario He was making his first semi-final appearance. Ouschan won the lag and came up dry in the first rack to allow He in to take the initial lead. A dry break from He in the following rack wasn’t enough for Ouschan to get on the board just yet as He made it 2-0 after a brief safety battle. On his birthday, Ouschan was being left no presents be He who soon rose up to a 4-0 lead with the first break and run of the match in the fourth rack.
At 5-3, He missed the two leaving it over the pocket for Ouschan only for the two-time World Champion to scratch when screwing back for position on the three to put He back at the table to establish a three rack buffer aided by an expert double kiss on the four ball to loosen it free of the eight. At 6-3 up, it was He’s turn to scratch in the middle pocket when coming back for position on the eight, it was a gift that Ouschan needed to get back in at 6-4.
Ouschan was struggling on the break but got it going in the 11th to be one away thanks to a break and run as he crunched the balls. The Austrian duo know each other’s game better than most around thanks to their winning World Cup of Pool partnership and it was He taking the upper hand making four balls on the break in the 13th rack to establish a three rack lead again at 8-5 with Ouschan faltering on a 1-8 combo to open the table up.
In the following rack, He made his own error overcooking the cue ball when trying to tuck it safe at the opposite end of the table. Ouschan from there had a routine run out to get the break back. The break was becoming easy for Ouschan but it came to his downfall in the 15th rack as the 9-ball looked destined to go in off the break after being kicked by the two only for it to hang over the pocket and leave He and easy combination to be two away.
Ouschan was pinpoint in his quarter-final win over Konrad Juszczyszyn but it wasn’t so true in this encounter as he missed the five ball to leave what seemed to be a routine runout for He only for the Panda to lose position moving from the seven to eight. He opted to cut it only to miss it and leave Ouschan an easy eight and nine ball to be back in it.
The contest ebbed and flowed but ultimately it was He edging it at 9-8 as the closing racks approached. Ouschan left a golden chance for He to get to the hill after breaking but it was the latter who scratched to allow Ouschan in to reach the hill first and lead for the first time. In the final rack, Ouschan broke dry but He pushed out left the man who had led for the most part back at the table only to leave Ouschan in the prime position to complete a nervy victory with four racks in a row.
Shane Van Boening (Taka Wu – Matchroom Multi Sport)
World Champion Shane Van Boening met with rising Spanish star Jose Alberto Delgado and it was the former who looked to have control of the opening rack after a dry break from Delgado. The dry break wasn’t the whole story of the opener though as Van Boening misjudged his route on the five to miss it and hand Delgado an easy table to lead 1-0.
It was a nervy opening affair as they shared the opening four. Into the fifth and Delgado played a brilliant kick behind the one but totally messed up the table speed on the two to leave it hanging in the jaws to bring SVB back to the table to lead at 3-2 and soon 4-2. In the seventh, Van Boening scratched off the break to allow Delgado back to the table and it looked like he’d close the deficit again only to scratch himself with the nine left.
Van Boening’s break was causing a whole heap of problems for the American great and he scratched again at 5-2 up. Delgado pulled another back to 5-3. At 6-3 up, Van Boening scratched on the break again and from there Delgado got another on the board at 6-4, it was the case of the five-time US Open champion being his own worst enemy.
Despite his issues on the break, Van Boening has been in this situation far more often than most and Delgado was hooked on the break to leave his opponent in the optimum position to lead 7-4. Delgado stole another rack at 7-5 to be right behind the USA man.
The new break box was causing both players and at 9-5, Van Boening scratched for the fourth time much to his despair as Delgado got within three again. Delgado made three balls on the next break but he couldn’t close the table out meaning Van Boening got to the hill at 10-6. It was brought back alive after another scratch from Van Boening gave Delgado another rack. Breaking at 10-7, Delgado left on a 1-9 combo to narrow the gap to two again.
In the end, Van Boening did see it out 11-8 in the end thanks to another dry break from Delgado to meet Ouschan in the first-ever European Open Pool Championship final.
The Final @ 6:30pm (CEST)
Shane Van Boening (USA) vs Albin Ouschan (AUT)
Sunday, action is available on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, DAZN in the USA, Canada, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, and Switzerland as well as on Viaplay in Scandinavia, Poland, and the Baltics and various other broadcasters worldwide including Matchroom.Live in relevant countries. See the full where to watch list here.
Joshua Filler crashed out of the inaugural European Open Pool Championship as only four remain at Hotel Esperanto, Fulda in Germany live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, DAZN in the USA, Canada, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, and Switzerland as well as on Viaplay in Scandinavia, Poland, and the Baltics and various other broadcasters worldwide including Matchroom.Live in relevant countries.
Filler came into the quarter-finals off the back of a dominant display over Jayson Shaw and the home country favourite was looking to get the better of Mario He, someone who had flew under the radar so far this week. He let Filler make the mistakes to let him in early doors and he lead 2-1 after three racks. The Austrian was strolling around the table with ease leading 5-1 when he opened up a chance for Filler after a miss on the one ball brought the Mosconi Cup star his chance to get back on the board at 5-2.
It seemed that Filler would pull back into the contest at this stage but Filler wasn’t at his best and He was back in during the eigth rack after a dry break. He was relentless and playing almost perfect pool as he ran the racks up to leave Filler in a perilous position at 9-2 down needing only two more to book a maiden semi-final appearance in a Matchroom singles event.
The 12th rack saw He break well but leave no potting angle on the one, he opted to push out only for Filler to force him back in, with that He left it open for Filler to get back in at 9-3. A quick break and run in the resulting rack put the difference to only five racks, something Filler wouldn’t be too fazed by. Filler was struggling at times with the table and a cut on the five illustrated just that to bring He back to the table who took full advantage to get on the hill at 10-4.
He broke dry in the 15th rack to bring Filler back to the table. Filler laid a brutal hook on the six which opened up the table for the German to get another rack on the scores and gather some momentum once again. Both have won the World Cup of Pool in recent times and the drama wasn’t done just yet, Filler looked to be clear through to take another rack off He only to rattle both sides of the middle pocket on the six leaving a simple table for He to book his spot in the semi-finals against former World Cup of Pool winning partner Albin Ouschan.
“I am very happy. I know it would be tough to beat Filler. I played him three or four times and it’s so hard to beat him. I had some lucky shots which helped me get off my feet. I felt like he was coming back, he always does that but then he missed the six ball and he gave me two games and let’s say, it was an easier win than it could’ve been. I was kicking good. The balls went for me. It could’ve gone the other way. I am happy I played good and the luck was on my side.” He said.
“It means a lot to be in the last eight. It is always my goal. Maybe two more matches! I hope I play like today!” – Mario He speaking to Hannah Wilkes after victory
With He and Filler doing battle, another story was unfolding on Table 2 where Spain’s Jose Alberto Delgado was making his intentions clear against Poland’s Mieszko Fortunski. The pair traded blow after blow as the contest got heated and Fortunski took control for the first time at 4-3. Fortunski came into the competition looking to go on better than his best performance in a Matchroom event to date at the World Pool Masters where he reached the semi-finals earlier this year. The Butcher had the full length of the table to deal with to make the eight on the bottom rail at 4-4 and he couldn’t do that as Delgado came back to the table to soon establish a two rack lead at 6-4 for the first time.
Fortunski wasn’t going away that easy though as it went 6-6, 7-7, 8-8, and 9-9 before Delgado seized his change to reach the hill and be one away from his first-ever Matchroom semi-final. Delgado came up dry in the penultimate rack for Fortunski to level and force a hill-hill finish. With Fortunski breaking in the last rack, he had his chance to steal it only to be caught up in a safety battle on the four which Delgado made him pay for to seal victory to shouts of ‘VAMOS!’ in the arena.
World Champion Shane Van Boening came up against a spirited Mateusz Sniegocki who was looking to cause an upset on the main table. Van Boening struggled early on despite leading 4-0 after the opening exchanges. Sniegocki breathed a sigh of relief as he got on the board at 4-1 and soon 4-2 to be closing in on the American. The South Dakota kid though already has one huge title to his name this year and he soon lead 6-2. Sniegocki had chances on a plate to keep on Van Boening’s tail and a major one came when he aimed to kick the seven ball only to scratch and put Van Boening back in to be 7-4 up.
Van Boening’s break is usually the pièce de résistance of his game but it was causing him a heap of problems as he scratched in the resulting rack. It was his second scratch of the match so far with five dry breaks, much to the USA hero’s bemusement. Sniegocki cut the deficit to two at this stage at 7-5.
SVB has been pushed hard already in this tournament and he wasn’t going to let Sniegocki get the better of him as he broke and run for the second time to make it 9-5 and be two away from the magic 11 racks. The work of Van Boening wasn’t done yet though after reaching the hill, Sniegocki pounced on another Van Boening dry break to be four away and with the break in his favour.
At 10-7, Sniegocki was left to rue bad time management that left him to rush the one ball and let the table open for Van Boening to seal his passage to the final day.
Albin Ouschan became the last player into the semi-finals minutes after Van Boening thanks to an 11-5 win over Poland’s Konrad Juszczyszyn. Ouschan took the opening few racks and after five he led 3-2. The Austrian’s pedigree can’t be understated and he was running racks for fun to lead 7-2 and seemingly already put the contest past Juszczyszyn in no part thanks to a 98% pot success rate at that stage.
Juszczyszyn had his moments but Ouschan was too strong and was two away from victory after 12 racks. The contest looked done for the most part as Juszczyszyn come back at 9-5 only for safety on the four to be in ample range for an Ouschan bank which aided him to the hill. A routine break and run gave Ouschan his victory to meet He in the first semi-final tomorrow.
Schedule – Sunday, 14 August @ 12 pm (CEST)
Semi-Final 1 – Albin Ouschan vs Mario He
Semi-Final 2 – Shane Van Boening vs Jose Alberto Delgado
Final – Race to 13 – @ 6:30pm
Sunday, action is available on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, DAZN in the USA, Canada, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, and Switzerland as well as on Viaplay in Scandinavia, Poland, and the Baltics and various other broadcasters worldwide including Matchroom.Live in relevant countries. See the full where to watch list here.
