Friday the 13th is unlucky for some, none more so than Norway’s Mats Schjetne. For some unknown reason, Mats failed to show up for his 2nd match today and gifted fellow Norwegian Emil-Andre Gangflot the win.
In what could arguably be the best match of the day, Spain’s David Alcaide beat former world champion Russia’s, Fedor Gorst 9-7. The match had everything you could want as a pool fan as David steamed into a 5-0 lead before anyone could catch their breath. Fedor took a time out and lost the next to trail 6-0 and seemed to accept he would lose this match. This helped to relax the Russian and at 7-2 up David also took his foot off the gas and before you knew it, Fedor had clawed back a couple of racks to trail now by 7-4. The next rack went to David, putting him on the brink of victory at 8-4 but Fedor had the crowd dreaming of a hill-hill match as he kept plugging away. With the score now 8-7 and David’s break, the fans held their breath again as David got hooked behind the 4-ball with the 1-ball close to the pocket and nowhere to hide.
Fedor is known for his wicked jumping ability and was ready to pounce from anywhere but a clever shot from David left only a kick possible and forced Fedor to pass it back. David played a brilliant kick shot leaving Fedor in trouble. Out came Fedor’s jump cue for what was a very tough ask and after contact with the 1-ball the cue-ball dropped into the pocket giving David the run-out and a place in the last 32.Fedor himself had one last chance when he played Norway’s Emil-Andre Gangflot to see who would join the elite in the single elimination and he did not let the Norwegian have it as easy as Mats did earlier in the day winning 9-7 to enter the fray once more.
Fedor will not be booking any holidays in Spain though as the last 32 draw paired him with another Spaniard in Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz. This time there was no close encounter as the Spaniard ensured a last 16 place at the expense of the Russian, winning that match 9-2. David Alcaide’s good form was ended by Poland’s Wiktor Zielinski 9-7 as fellow countrymen Konrad Juszczyszyn and Tomasz Kaplan joined Wiktor in the last 16.
Other notable results saw Estonia’s Mark Magi beat Germany’s Ralf Souquet while Greece’s Alex Kazakiz beat Europe’s number 1, Albania’s Eklent Kaci.
The first matches of the Dynamic Billard Euro-Tour have started after an absence of almost 16 months. The players were eager to finally measure their skills against each other again.
Wojciech Szewczyk (POL)
At first glance, the tournament started like many others in previous years. Only if you looked closely, you could notice a few small but subtle changes that became necessary due to the current pandemic situation. For example, after each match, the balls were collected and replaced by freshly disinfected ball sets. The hygiene concept also included that each player could only take one coach or relative with him into the venue. The general number of spectators was limited to 50. At the tables themselves, the players did not have to wear masks, but as soon as they took a time- out or moved inside the hall to or from their table, the mask had to be worn. In this way, the organisers helped to ensure that everyone was as safe as possible.
But let’s get to the matches.
It is always difficult to talk about surprises in the first round. Many of the participants are players who either come from the region or cannot necessarily be counted among the top. Therefore, the focus is directly on the matches of the first winners’ round. One of the first exciting encounters was the match between Wojciech Szewczyk (POL) and Mark Magi (EST). Both players have been active on the Euro Tour for several years and come from the youth work of the EPBF. At the beginning of the match it was also an exciting exchange of blows. However, Szewczyk found his rhythm faster and played better safeties than Magi. Thus he managed to gain a small lead which he did not give away until the end of the match. 9:5 was the final score in favour of the Pole.
Thorsten Hohmann
Former World Champion Thorsten Hohmann (GER) had to face his compatriot Luca Menn. Hohmann was considered the heavy favourite in this match. But as always, the young guns should not be underestimated.This was also the case in this match. Menn gave Hohmann a run for his money and turned the match into an open exchange of blows, which culminated at 8:8. Here, however, Menn found his master when Hohmann played out all his routine and showed no nerves. With a very close 9:8, Hohmann defeated Menn and moved on to the next winners’ round, while Menn will have to seek his fortune in the losers’ round after a hard struggle.
Another all-German match involving a former World Champion took place on table 5 between Ralf Souquet and Valery Kuloyants. Souquet, 9-Ball World Champion 1996, had problems to find his game. His opponent was certainly considered an outsider, even though Kuloyants has been a well- known name in the German pool scene for many years. Souquet was not going to have an easy game at all and Kuloyants dominated the match from the beginning.He gained a 3-point lead, which he maintained until 8:5. He was always one step ahead of Souquet, but the “Kaiser” did not dream of surrendering so easily to his fate. Knowing him, Souquet fought to the last drop of blood.He was always one step ahead of Souquet, but the ” Kaiser ” did not dream of surrendering so easily to his fate. Knowing him as he does, Souquet fought to the last drop of blood.It came as it had to come: with sharp claws Souquet kept himself in the match and forced the decision at 8:8. Kuloyants had the break and pocketed a ball, but afterwards had no position on the 1 ball. It was time for a good safety. He opted for a chance, which Souquet gave back to him.
Valery Kuloyants (GER)
Then the drama occurred for Kuloyants: he tried to play a safety shot and scratched with the cue ball into the side pocket. With ball-in-hand Souquet cleared the rack and finally won the game 9:8 after a fierce fight.
Tomorrow’s matches will begin at 09:00 CET with action from the loser’s round. All matches can be viewed LIVE with a premium pass at www.kozoom.com.
Roberto Gomez defeated Albin Ouschan 9-7 to advance to the last 64 of the World Pool Championship at Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes, but only after a brilliant fightback from the Austrian, who had been 8-0 down.
Ouschan is still alive in the double elimination event and will now face a sudden-death play-off to qualify for the straight-knockout stage. After getting on the board at 8-0 down, Ouschan would have thought his fightback was brief until Gomez missed an 8, and from then the 2016 World Champion set to work on winning six consecutive racks before a missed 6 at just one behind gave his Filipino opponent the chance to win.
Also on the TV table on Sunday evening was US No.1 Shane van Boening, who got his tournament off with a 9-3 win over Petr Urban. He’ll now face fellow American Oscar Dominguez for a place in the last 64.
Germany’s Veronika Ivanovskaia shocked Greece’s Nick Malai with a 9-7 victory, the first win for one of the tournament’s eight female entrants. Ivanovskaia’s compatriot Joshua Filler also got off to a winning start, beating Belarsus’ Margarite Fefilova.
American female April Larson gave Chris Melling a scare before the Brit closed out a 9-7 victory, while Darren Appleton booked his place in the last 64 with a 9-2 success over Germany’s Christof Reintjes, who was on the winning side when the pair were on opposing teams in the World Cup of Pool final last month.
Defending champion Fedor Gorst is safely through to the last 64 after wins over Mark Magi and Mark Gray. Team USA’s Mosconi Cup star Billy Thorpe has also won through the groups stage, as had former World Champion Thorsten Hohmann.
The World Pool Championship continues at 12pm (UK) time on Monday, June 7 and is broadcast live on Sky Sports, DAZN and Matchroom.Live. Live scoring as well as complete tournament results and match schedule can be found at www.matchroompool.com.
Fedor Gorst survived a huge scare in the opening match of his World Pool Championship defence as he fought back from 5-1 and 6-2 down to defeat Estonia’s Mark Magi 9-7 at Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes.
Jayson Shaw found himself 6-0 down against World Under-17 champion Moritz Neuhausen of Germany. But the former US Open champion and current Mosconi Cup MVP, being watched by European captain Alex Lely, wasn’t going to lie down and began a confident fightback, winning eight racks without reply. The German youngster cut the deficit to 8-7 with Shaw on the hill but the Scot wrapped up the match 9-7.
There were also opening session wins for Predator Championship League Pool winner Albin Ouschan, who beat Fabio Petroni 9-5, and Finland’s Mika Immonen who beat Kristina Tkach 9-4 having been 3-1 down early on.
The World Pool Championship opens with a double elimination group stage, so those who have already won one match are one away from reaching the last 64. Those who lost their opening fixtures play again on Monday, against another player who has suffered defeat and the loser will be eliminated.
Former World Champion Thorsten Hohmann came through a hill-hill finish against German compatriot Tobias Bongers, and World Under-19 Champion Jonas Souto Comino of Spain inflicted a 9-3 defeat on Karol Skowerski.
Alex Kazakis, who was recently crowned World Pool Masters champion, was up against his mixed-doubles partner Kelly Fisher, the Women’s World Champion, and the Greek star was a 9-1 winner.
Gorst had twice been four racks down on the TV table at the start of the session, but took five in succession to lead Magi 7-6. The defending champion missed a 9 to reach the hill, but having levelled at 7-7 Magi didn’t take another rack and Gorst won 9-7. He’ll face Mark Gray for a place in the last 64.
The World Pool Championship continues at 6pm (UK) time on Sunday, June 6 and is broadcast live on Sky Sports, DAZN and Matchroom.Live. Live scoring as well as complete tournament results and match schedule can be found at www.matchroompool.com.
Fedor Gorst will begin his World Pool Championship defence against Estonia’s World Cup semi-finalist Mark Magi after the draw was made for the event, which runs from June 6-10 at Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes.
Among the other standout matches for the Double Elimination Group Stage is recent World Pool Masters champion Alex Kazakis against Women’s World Champion Kelly Fisher. Predator Championship League Pool winner Albin Ouschan faces Italian Mosconi Cup legend Fabio Petroni, while former World Champion Mika Immonen will be up against rising star Kristina Tkach.
Players were seeded with defending champion Fedor Gorst seeded 1, and the remaining 63 seeded determined by the WPA World Ranking. Seeded players were randomly drawn against unseeded players. Since the draw has been made, some players have had to withdraw due to travel issues. Any withdrawals are replaced by players from the waiting list.
The tournament begins with a two-day Double Elimination Group Stage, with the 128 players split into 16 groups of eight players. That will reduce the field down to 64, after which the tournament will adopt a straight knockout format.
Group matches are all race to 9, with knockout stage matches a race to 11 except the final, which is a race to 11.
Players who win their first two matches in the group stage advance to the last 64, while players who lose their first two will be eliminated. Players with one win and one draw will play a third match with the winner advancing to the last 64 and the loser knocked out.
MATCH SCHEDULE
All matches in the Group Stage are race to 9, and group fixtures follow this pattern:
Match 1: As Drawn
Match 2: As Drawn
Match 3: As Drawn
Match 4: As Drawn
Match 5: Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2 winner advances to last 64
Match 6: Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4 winner advances to last 64
Match 7: Loser Match 1 vs. Loser Match 2 loser is eliminated
Match 8: Loser Match 3 vs. Loser Match 4 loser is eliminated
Match 9: Loser Match 5 vs. Winner Match 8 winner advances to last 64
Match 10: Loser Match 6 vs. Winner Match 7 winner advances to last 64
GROUP DRAW
Group A
Fedor Gorst (ROC) vs Mark Magi (EST) Mark Gray (GBR) vs Julio Burgos (PUR)
Jeffrey De Luna (PHI) vs Dimitri Jungo (SUI)
Konrad Juszczyszyn (POL) vs Jasmin Ouschan (AUT)
GroupB
Albin Ouschan (AUT) vs Fabio Petroni (ITA)
Roberto Gomez (PHI) vs TBC
Omar Al-Shaheen (KUW) vs Alain Da Costa (FRA)
Aloysuis Yapp (SGP) vs Kaiden Hunkins (USA)
Group C
Billy Thorpe (USA) vs Francisco Gatsby (CHI)
Marc Vidal (USA) vs Ivica Putnik (CRO)
Petri Makkonen (FIN) vs Benjamin Belhassen (FRA)
Mieszko Fortunski (POL) vs Marcel Price (GBR)
Group D Thorsten Hohmann (GER) vs Tobias Bongers (GER)
Mika Immonen (FIN) vs Kristina Tkach (ROC)
Sanjin Pehlivanovic (BIH) vs Kevin Lannoye (BEL)
Ralf Souquet (GER) vs Ronald Regli (SUI)
Group E Jayson Shaw (GBR) vs Moritz Neuhausen (GER) Jani Siekkinen (FIN) vs Michal Gavenciak (CZE)
Ruslan Chinakhov (ROC) vs Alex Montpellier (FRA)
Marc Bijsterbosch (NED) vs Imran Majid (GBR)
Group F Casper Matikainen (FIN) vs Elliot Sanderson (GBR)
Mark Foster (GBR) vs Jan van Lierop (NED)
Mohammad Ali Berjawi (LEB) vs Vladimir Matvienko (ROC)
Max Lechner (AUT) vs Mickey Krause (DEN)
Group G David Alcaide (ESP) vs Andreja Klasovic (SRB)
Pijus Labutis (LTU) vs Jeremy Sossei (USA)
Robbie Capito (HKG) vs Ruben Bautista (MEX)
Denis Grabe (EST) vs Vitaliy Patsura (UKR)
Group H Skyler Woodward (USA) vs Jaroslav Polach (SVK)
Radoslaw Babica (POL) vs Ivo Aarts (NED)
Vincent Halliday (RSA) vs DJ McGinley (CAN)
Daniel Schneider (SUI) vs So Shaw (IRI)
Group I Shane van Boening (USA) vs Petr Urban (CZE) Oscar Dominguez (USA) vs Roberto Bartol (CRO)
Karol Skowerski (POL) vs Jonas Souto Comino (ESP)
Hunter Lombardo (USA) vs Mats Schjetne (NOR)
Group J Wojciech Szewczyk (POL) vs Marco Dorenburg (GER)
Richard Halliday (RSA) vs Aleksa Pecelj (SRB)
Oliver Szolnoki (HUN) vs Daniele Corrieri (ITA)
Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz (ESP) vs TBC
Group K Eklent Kaci (ALB) vs Lukas Fracasso Verner (USA)
Stephen Holem (CAN) vs Badar Alawadhi (KUW)
Yukio Akagariyama (JPN) vs Ricky Evans (USA)
Corey Deuel (USA) vs Benji Buckley (GBR)
Group L Darren Appleton (GBR) vs Shane Wolford (USA)
Marco Teutscher (NED) vs Christoph Reintjes (GER)
Ricardo Sini (ITA) vs Jeff Nieuwenhuyzen (AHO)
Alexander Kazakis (GRE) vs Kelly Fisher (GBR)
Group M Niels Feijen (NED) vs Tim de Ruyter (NED)
Chris Robinson (USA) vs Yip Kin-Ling (HK)
Nick Malai (GRE) vs Veronika Ivanovskaia (GER)
Masato Yoshioka (JPN) vs Muhummed Daydat (RSA)
Group N Mateusz Sniegocki (POL) vs Miguel Silva (POR)
Mario He (AUT) vs Philipp Stojanovic (CRO)
Jakub Koniar (SVK) vs Vania Franco (POR)
Tyler Styer (USA) vs Henrique Correia (POR)
Group O Naoyuki Oi (JPN) vs Jennifer Barretta (USA)
Roman Hybler (CZE) vs Daniel Maciol (POL)
Donny Olson (USA) vs Bahram Lotfy (DEN)
Chris Melling (GBR) vs April Larson (USA)
Group P Tomasz Kaplan (POL) vs Sergey Lutsker (ROC)
Chris Alexander (GBR) vs Nikos Ekonomopoulos (GRE)
Wiktor Zielinski vs Kim Laaksonen (FIN)
Joshua Filler (GER) vs Margaret Fefilova (BLR)
Great Britain will face Germany in the World Cup of Pool final after a faultless display by Darren Appleton and Karl Boyes against Slovakia was followed by a fighting comeback from 7-2 by Germany, who beat Estonia 9-7.
Late entrants Appleton and Boyes kept their remarkable dream alive as they kept Slovakian pair Jakub Koniar and Jaroslav Polach in their seats for almost the entire match, completing only the second semi-final whitewash in World Cup history with a 9-0 win.
Appleton made a tough long 9 the take the first rack and send a warning shot to the rest of the field; the 2014 winners were well and truly back. If that wasn’t warning enough, they shut Slovakia out of the match, taking three more ranks for a 4-0 lead. A safety battle in the fifth gave Slovakia a chance but Boyes slammed in a difficult 2 to end the exchange, and Great Britain cleared for a 5-0 lead.
It was an incredible performance, even more so given their late notice to enter the event. GB were near faultless; Appleton had a 6 ball that rattled before dropping in the sixth, but otherwise it was the centre of the pocket every time for the Brits.
They had to play safe after the break at 7-0 up and remarkably that brought Polach his first shot since winning the lag. He had to try a kicked safety but the 1 landed in the jaws of the bottom corner pocket and Boyes was able to do enough to make the 1 and keep the cue ball on the table.
That was Slovakia’s last visit. The result was the first World Cup semi-final whitewash since Finland’s win over Canada in 2007, and Polach could only admiringly describe Britain’s performance as ‘a destruction’.
“Pool is all about chances,” said Boyes. “I left Appleton a long 9 in the first, he knocked it in and it snowballed. We didn’t make any mistakes. They did that to Austria and have been on the receiving end now and the same could happen to us in the final, you never know.
“The big match was round two against Greece, they played okay but let us off the hook and then to do what we did to Holland, then we knew we could win the event. We have lots of experience in these events, so why not?”
Appleton added: “I felt a little bit better today than yesterfay, I am gaining more confidence and Karl is playing really well. Slovakia were probably numb because they weren’t in the game. We broke very well, ran a bunch of racks, and to get off to a great start was massive. It’s unbelievable that we are in the final.”
Great Britain will face Germany after a stunning comeback from Filler and Reintjes over Estonia’s Denis Grabe and Mark Magi.
Germany looked nervy at the table early on and Estonia were able to build a deserved 5-2 lead. Magi and Grabe played some fine stuff in the eighth, giving them both a four-rack lead but also confidence to move forward in the match.
Filler scratched on the 3 in the next rack and Estonia had 7 on the board and a five-rack advantage. However, from there the Germans’ comeback began. They took each of the next five racks to draw the match level at 7-7.
Germany didn’t have a shot in the 15th and Grabe played a great 2 to give his side a chance. They had to go safe on the four and Filler’s safety play was on point and Magi didn’t have luck on his side as the cue scratched to the bottom corner.
That took Germany to the hill, although Filler’s hand was stinging from the aggression of Reintjes’ high-five as the moved ahead.
However, there was still drama to be had. Reintjes under-hit position to the 7 and Filler opted to go safe. Grabe tied it onto the 8 and Reintjes left a tester up rail for Magi, and he missed it. Filler cut it in, and Germany joined Great Britain in the final.
The World Cup of Pool is broadcast live globally including on Sky Sports, DAZN and Matchroom.Live. Full broadcast details can be found at matchroompool.com. For all the latest news and announcements follow Matchroom Pool on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.
QUARTER-FINALS Denmark 5-9 Germany
Philippines 4-9 Estonia
Germany will meet Estonia in the World Cup of Pool semi-finals after beating Denmark and Philippines respectively at Stadium MK, Milton Keynes on Thursday evening.
After Great Britain and Slovakia had won through in the afternoon session, Germany saw off Denmark 9-5 with both Joshua Filler and Christof Reintjes performing strongly, and the story was the same for Estonia as Denis Grabe and Mark Magi eliminated Philippines 9-4.
There was nothing to split Denmark (Mickey Krause & Bahram Lotfy) and Germany (Joshua Filler & Christof Reintjes) after the first eight of a potential 17 racks. Germany took the ninth and then Filler delivered his second golden break of the tournament to put his country two ahead, the first time either of them had a lead of more than one.
Denmark pulled one back but Germany extended their lead again, and then made it 8-5 with a 7/9 combo left for Filler by Lotfy.
Germany didn’t have a shot after breaking on the hill but got the better of the safety exchange and once they had a chance, Filler and Reintjes didn’t allow Denmark back to the table.
“We made twice as many balls on the break as they did, I think that and our safety game was our big advantage in the match,” said Filler. “The focus is playing the best you can. In this format, with winner breaks, your opponent can make five or six runouts but you just have to focus on yourself.
“The golden break was a big 9-ball because it took us two ahead. In a long tournament you need to improve in every match and that’s what we will continue to do hopefully.”
Reintjes added: “To play with the best player in the world is amazing; every shot goes right into the heart of the pocket. We wanted to do better in this match because in the first two matches we had a lot of things to improve, but in this match we had better chemistry.”
Germany will meet Estonia in the semi-finals after Denis Grabe and Mark Magi completed a confident 9-4 win over Filipino duo Roberto Gomez and Jeff De Luna.
Estonia started off strong, leading 2-0 and 3-1. De Luna then pulled off a highlights reel jump to bank the 1 up table. However, Gomez then missed the four and Estonia were back to the table to lead 4-1. Grabe and Magi continued to turn the screw, extending the lead to 5-1.
At 6-1 up Estonia allowed Philippines a route back when Grabe lost control of the cue ball in making the 4. It left Magi with a difficult cut which he didn’t make, and Gomez and De Luna got out of their seats to steal the rack.
It wasn’t the start of a momentum swing, however, as Estonia took the next for a 7-2 lead. Philippines hit back with two racks to close the gap but a brilliant Grabe safety helped Estonia open up the table at 7-4 and he and Magi cleared to reach the hill.
Philippines had a great chance to cut the gap and make Estonia sweat, but De Luna missed the 8. Grabe then made it but Magi hit the 9 hard down table and it rattled out. The cue was tied to the bottom rail and Gomez couldn’t make it up table and Grabe cut the 9-ball home.
Both semi-finals will be played on Friday afternoon before the race-to-11 final in the evening session from 5:30pm. The World Cup of Pool is broadcast live globally including on Sky Sports, DAZN and Matchroom.Live. Full broadcast details can be found at matchroompool.com.
ROUND TWO
Great Britain C 7-4 Greece
USA 5–7 Philippines
Estonia 7–6 Great Britain A
Great Britain A crashed out of the World Cup of Pool in the most agonising of circumstances as Jayson Shaw scratched with two balls remaining at hill-hill against Estonia.
Earlier in the evening Philippines had won seven consecutive racks to come from 5-0 down to beat USA in a match that had it all and will live long in the memory, while Great Britain C’s comeback continued with a 7-4 success over Greece to reach the quarter-finals.
Shaw and Chris Melling had beaten Belarus in the first round to face Estonia (Denis Grabe and Mark Magi) in the final second round fixture. Neither team were at their best in the first half of the match and after eight racks it was 4-4. The hosts looked set to move ahead until Melling scratched on the 6. Estonia did the rest and reached the hill in rack ten after some good safety play. Magi’s break wasn’t firm enough and to add insult to injury, not only did he fail to make a ball but he left a shot at the 1 for Shaw.
Great Britain A took that rack and the next to join Estonia on the hill, and though Grabe and Magi had a chance in the last, it was Shaw and Melling who were at the table when only the 5 and 9 remained. The two balls were tied close to each other and Shaw didn’t have great position. He cut the five in with pace, but the cue came off the side rail to scratch in the top pocket and Magi had a simple 9 to dramatically take a place in the quarter-finals.
Estonia will face Philippines in the last eight after Jeff De Luna and Roberto Gomez staged a dramatic comeback against America’s Skyler Woodward and Billy Thorpe.
At 2-0 down De Luna executed a great up-table bank on the 7, only to see the cue ball scratch and award USA hall-in-hand with only the 9 remaining on the table. The Americans ran the next rack for a 4-0 lead and the Filipino mountain was growing.
They had a chance in the fifth but the 7 rattled out of the jaws for Gomez, who was lucky not to scratch. That made it too tough for Thorpe to pot, but Woodward would then get a chance after De Luna’s hit-and-hope wasn’t executed. The drama wasn’t over yet though; this time the two-time Mosconi Cup MVP failed to remove the 7 from the table. It finally went to a Gomez cut, but position was tough for De Luna who couldn’t cut it to the corner; Thorpe knocked in the gimmie and USA had a 5-0 advantage.
But Philippines weren’t done, and began to climb the mountain. The ninth was the most dramatic as again both teams struggled with the stubborn 7, but Philippines came out on top after Thorpe left it in the jaws and in the tenth the Filipinos levelled up against the odds.
They didn’t have a shot after the next break but still managed to reach the hill, and USA didn’t return to the table. The match was one of the World Cup’s best; drama, top play, and in part a story of USA failing to close out from 5-0 up, while Philippines capitalised to run a seven pack to win the match from the jaws of defeat.
Earlier in the session, comeback kids Darren Appleton and Karl Boyes took advantage of a despondent Greece (Alex Kazakis and Nick Malai). Appleton and Boyes lifted the World Cup in 2014 and were returning as a late replacement for Canada, who had been blighted with travel issues. Having beaten South Africa in the first round, their task in round two looked harder against the 2019 quarter-finalists.
However, Greece struggled at the table and though Great Britain C weren’t faultless, they did enough, with Boyes in particular not looking like a player who officially retired in 2017. With Great Britain B having gone out to Philippines in round one, and the ‘A’ team succumbing to Estonia, GB C are now flying the flag alone for the hosts after completing a 7-4 win over Greece.
All four quarter finals will be played out on Thursday, with two in the afternoon session and two in the evening. The action begins at 12noon with Slovakia vs. Japan before Great Britain C face Netherlands. The World Cup of Pool is broadcast live globally including on Sky Sports, DAZN and Matchroom.Live. Full broadcast details can be found at matchroompool.com.
ROUND 1 Russia 7-4 Switzerland Greece 7-2 Serbia Estonia 7-5 Belgium
Seeded teams Russia, Greece and Estonia all advanced to the second round of the World Cup of Pool on Monday evening, the latter fighting back from 5-1 down to defeat Belgium 7-5 at Stadium MK, Milton Keynes.
Earlier in the session Russia had beaten Switzerland 7-4 to set up a second-round match against Japan, while Greece defeated Serbia 7-2.
Russia, featuring World Champion Fedor Gorst and new playing partner Sergey Lutsker, raced to a 5-0 lead with a combination of confident play and some poor Swiss errors. Russia, despite their strength in the sport, have suffered first round defeats in the last two World Cups. Gorst had yet to advance beyond round one in this event and was made to sweat by Switzerland (Ronald Regli and Dimitri Djungo), who won four consecutive racks to cut the deficit to 5-4.
However, Russia got another chance in the tenth and moved to the hill, before winning the next rack to book their place in round two, where Japan, who defeated Croatia earlier in the day, await.
In the evening’s second match Serbia (Aleksa Pecelj and Andreja Klasović) made a promising start against the Greek pair of Alexander Kazakis and Nick Malai, a pairing who reached the semi-finals last time out. However, the wheels soon came off for the Serbian pair and Greece pulled well clear, winning 7-2. They’ll meet the winners of Canada’s clash with South Africa in round two on Wednesday evening.
Estonia (Denis Grabe and Mark Magi) became the sixth team to advance on the first day of play, but only after surviving an almighty scare against Belgium (Serge Das and Kavin Lannoye).
Das and Lannoye fired themselves to a 5-1 lead, but after a fluid start lost their way with the finish line in sight. A string of errors allowed Estonia to fight back, though they themselves were far from faultless. At 5-4 up, Belgium looked set to reach the hill before a time foul was called against Das, giving Estonia ball in hand to level the match.
A dry break brought Belgium back to the table, but a Lannoye scratch on the 1 gave initiate back to Estonia, who from 5-1 down were now first to the hill and complete their turnaround by running the next to win 7-5. They’ll face either Great Britain or Belarus in the second round on Wednesday.
Round one continues on Monday with sessions at 12 noon and 5:30pm UK time. Matches include Finland vs. Iceland in the afternoon and Spain vs. Italy in the evening.
The World Cup of Pool is broadcast live globally including on Sky Sports, DAZN and Matchroom.Live. Full broadcast details can be found at matchroompool.com.
Eklent Kaci’s Albanian team are among a number of nations now confirmed for the World Cup of Pool, which will take place this May 9-14 at Stadium MK, Milton Keynes, live on Sky Sports.
Mosconi Cup winner Kaci will again be joined by Besar Spahiu after the pair defeated Russia at the 2019 World Cup before falling agonisingly short against Philippines, suffering a 7-5 defeat.
A host of European teams are now confirmed, as well as Kuwait (Omar Al-Shaheen and Bader Abdullah Alawadhi), and Australia, who will again be represented by Justin Sajich, this time partnered by Ivan Li.
Serge Das will return for Belgium alongside Kevin Lannoye, while Bosnia & Herzegovina will make their World Cup of Pool debut with Sanjin Pehlivanovic and Ajdin Piknjac. Philipp Stojanovic and Roberto Bartol will represent Croatia, while the Czech Republic pairing will be Roman Hybler and Michal Gavenciak.
Young Danish star Mickey Krause will make his debut in the Matchroom arena with Bahram Lotfy as the 20-year-old’s partner.
Estonia’s Denis Grabe and Mark Magi, who famously fell out after losing a hill-hill second round match at the last World Cup of Pool, will be hoping nothing comes between them this time around. Oliver Szolnoki and Vilmos Foldes are teaming up for Hungary and there’s a World Cup debut for Lithuania, represented by Pijus Labutis and Kęstutis Žadeikis.
The World Cup of Pool features 32 two-player teams and is played to a straight-knockout format, with a total prize fund of $250,000.
Team Austria (Albin Ouschan and Mario He) will defend their title in Milton Keynes, but competition will be tough with some of the biggest names in pool already confirmed. They include, three-times winners Philippines (Jeff De Luna and Roberto Gomez), USA (Skyler Woodward and Billy Thorpe), and Great Britain A (Jayson Shaw and Chris Melling).
The final teams will be announced shortly and the draw for the World Cup of Pool will be made soon after all teams have been confirmed. The World Cup of Pool will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, DAZN and Matchroom.Live, with further international broadcasters to be confirmed.
Fedor Gorst will begin his World Pool Championship defence against Estonia’s World Cup semi-finalist Mark Magi after the draw was made for the event, which runs from June 6-10 at Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes.