Zheng Xiao Huai to become the first Chinese player at a Matchroom event since 2019
The prize fund for the World Pool Masters 2023 will increase to $125,000 with the winner now see to take home $40,000 as China return on the international stage in Nineball for the first time since 2019 from May 10-13 at the Brentwood Centre, Essex in England.
Already, the top 14 on the Nineball World Rankings after the World Pool Championship have qualified underlining the importance of the ranking system first introduced by Matchroom at the start of 2021 with Joshua Filler set to be seeded as number one after beating Lo Ho Sum in last year’s final 9-6:
China’s Zheng Xiao Huai becomes the first wild card with one more to be revealed in the coming weeks.
Tickets for pool’s most historic invitational start from only £10 with fans able to soak in all four days of action for just £60. Tickets will go on priority sale to Matchroom Pool Club members on Monday, 20 February with general sale to follow Tuesday, 21 February. Sign up for priority sale here.
Francisco Sanchez Ruiz is the new champion of the world defeating Mohammad Soufi 13-10 in the World Pool Championship 2023 final in Kielce, Poland live on Sky Sports, Matchroom.Live, Viaplay, DAZN, and TV networks worldwide.
Soufi won the lag and proceeded to canter into a 2-0 lead within minutes with his explosive style of play a delight to behold for the sold-out crowd. Sanchez Ruiz had to come from behind against Mario He to reach the final and only lead for the first time at 9-8 but this time, he turned it quickly to 3-2. Soufi got back in to lead and take the following two racks but scratched on the break in the eighth when back in front. It was an error-strewn rack from there but in the end, Sanchez Ruiz came through to level again.
A break and run in the ninth put Sanchez Ruiz back in front in the Race to 13 at 5-4. The lead was soon stretched to 6-4 but a miss on the four in rack 11 brought Soufi in to cut the deficit back to one. In the 14th at 7-6, Soufi played safe after losing positon from the break, Sanchez Ruiz kicked only to leave the two in prime position for the Syrian to come in and level once again. Just when it seemed Soufi would find momentum, a scratch on the break allowed his Spanish counterpart to enter the fray and sweep in for 8-7.
There was very little to separate the pair as it went 8-8. At this stage, another Soufi mistake let Sanchez Ruiz in who started to take control of proceedings by establishing a two-rack buffer reaching double figures in the process and three away from the title. The earlier errors from Soufi were proving to be at his detriment as Sanchez Ruiz broke and run another rack to edge closer to his hands on the title.
It was proving to be a clinic from Sanchez Ruiz who had sussed the break and he reached the hill after just over two hours of action. With three balls left on the table, Sanchez Ruiz lost position on the seven and Soufi came in to nick a rack and then the next to be two away from reaching the hill also.
In the end, Sanchez Ruiz came good pouncing after Soufi’s break in the 23rd rack left the one and eight locked together. Sanchez Ruiz swept in to seal a memorable victory meaning the Spaniard now holds the US Open Pool Championship, World Cup of Pool, and World Pool Championship titles in the Nineball arena.
Sanchez Ruiz said: “It’s an amazing feeling. I have no voice. I felt the pressure. I had an unbelievable year last year but this is the first of this year and I cannot believe it. I didn’t play my best in the final but I fought for it and I got the end result. I knew I could lose a game with someone like Mohammad. He is very good and strong. I played my game though, I am so tired, I feel unbelievable, this is my biggest title for sure. I lost position at 10-8, it isn’t easy with the shot clock but finally, I got my chance again.”
The World No.1 will now head on to the Premier League Pool and World Pool Masters: “The last year when I won the big titles but when I won the Derby City Classic last year, everything changed in my mindset. I was playing good but I had never won a big title. When you win a big one, your confidence goes through the roof. There’s so much pressure in Matchroom events, you cannot compare it to any other. In the Mosconi Cup, wow, I hadn’t felt something like that. When you play Mosconi, every tournament after, wow it feels like no pressure.”
“To be honest, I have never seen Mohammad play with such character. It’s amazing. You can feel his aggressive play and the crowd love him. This tournament will change Soufi’s career,” added Sanchez Ruiz.
Soufi said: “I am happy to be number two but I am ready for more. I feel very good right now. Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me.”
Mohammad Soufi and Francisco Sanchez Ruiz will contest the World Pool Championship 2023 final from 6:30 pm (CET) live on Sky Sports, Matchroom.Live, Viaplay, DAZN, and TV networks worldwide after an afternoon of drama in Kielce, Poland.
Soufi was relatively unknown on the world stage until this week with his best Matchroom finish to date being at last year’s European Open where he reached the Last 32. The Syrian left Wu Kun Lin frozen in his chair at times as he raced into a 6-0 within inside 45 minutes. Wu had chances but otherwise it was flawless pool by Soufi. There was further opportunities for Wu to cut the lead and he did so at 6-3 aided by a golden break, it seemed the pendulum was swinging.
In the 11th, Wu played an outstanding kick on the two before clearing up to make it 7-4 but it was short-lived, whenever he tried to cut the deficit, mistakes happened and Soufi punished him. At 9-6 up, Soufi was presented a gilt-edged opportunity to reach the hill after Wu miscued on the four ball. The miscue was the last say on the match by Wu has Soufi swept in to complete a memorable win and secure a place in the final.
Francisco Sanchez Ruiz stood in the way of He and the final with the US Open champion winning their last seven encounters but He was in no mood for that to be eight as he rattled in the opening four racks to lead comfortably with no reply. Sanchez Ruiz cut the deficit at 4-1 but soon He had another rack on the board.
The eighth rack was one of the most dramatic witnessed on the world stage as both sparred for an opportunity that could take the tie one way or another. Both Sanchez Ruiz and He had chances at the table with the former involved in a freakish incident that saw his cue ball hit the back of the pocket and somehow not fall off the table with the two ball trickling in after a failed jump shot. Sanchez Ruiz then missed the three with composure lost to allow He back to the table. The drama continued after He tried to play a carom on the nine only to leave it open for Sanchez Ruiz. Sanchez Ruiz missed the following eight ball when cutting to allow his Austrian opponent to clean up for 7-2.
A costly error in the 10th from He brought Sanchez Ruiz his moment to find a comeback to make it 7-3 and soon a break and run in the 11th put him back within touching distance at 7-4.
It was an up-and-down contest that was on a knife edge. Sanchez Ruiz led for the first time at 8-7 to come from behind and look the better player to dig deep and stay in the contest where it seemed He would come good. He drew level at 8-8 but the drama wasn’t quite done yet, with Sanchez Ruiz’s three cushion experience coming in clutch to put He in a world of bother to reach the hill at 10-8 before seeing it out for a huge 11-8 win and meet Soufi in the final.
The final action begins at 6:30pm (CET) where only one can take home the $60,000 first-place prize and become champion of the world. See the action live 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. See where to watch here.
Sunday, 5 February – 6:30 pm (CET)
The Final – Race to 13
Francisco Sanchez Ruiz (ESP) vs Mohammad Soufi (SYR)
Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz (Taka G Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport)
The tournament of upsets and drama continued at pace on day four as two-time champion Albin Ouschan fell at the hands of Soufi who continues to play the tournament of his life to reach a world semi-final for the first time. Soufi’s fast-paced nature has caught the imagination of many as the Syrian once again showcased his quick thinking to leave Ouschan waiting for a third world title in a 11-8 win.
Soufi geed on by an earlier hill-hill Last 16 win over Sebastian Batkowski was halted early on by Ouschan who led 6-2 but that was the turning point he needed. Ouschan left opportunities for Soufi and with a slice of fortune was back on Ouschan’s tail at 8-7. The pinnacle moment came in the 16th with a massive fluke on the six that left him hooked on the eight before another extraordinary fluke to put it to 8-8. From there, Soufi didn’t look back as he rattled in the next three racks to book his spot in the semi-finals, his best finish in a Matchroom event before this week coming at the European Open last year where he reached the Last 32.
Niels Feijen‘s hunt for a second world title was abruptly halted by He. He came from the losers bracket earlier on in the week due to a defeat to Batkowski and since then made comeback after comeback and that was at the heart of this showing once again. At 8-6 down, He missed some gilt-edged chances to cut the deficit to one, with two missed moments Feijen was 9-6 up and cruising. At that point, He came back into the contest with a fluke to kickstart momentum that saw him edge over the line in another tight contest this time 11-9.
Wu ended the dreams of Vietnam’s Duong Quoc Hoang in emphatic fashion racing into a 5-0 lead in quick time. The Chinese Taipei star continued on his ascendancy towards the semi-finals with a clinical edge that kept Hoang cold as he wrapped up a 11-4 victory in QuickTime.
The final action of the day came from Nineball World No.1 Sanchez Ruiz against Chang Jung-Lin. Chang left Sanchez Ruiz breathless winning the opening three racks but the tides turned quickly as El Ferrari found his gears to accelerate away like an Italian stallion. Nine racks later and it was 9-3 and Sanchez Ruiz was two away from a World Pool Championship semi-final. The hard work was nearly done for Sanchez Ruiz with Chang facing a mountain to climb. He did pull one back but it was too little too late as Sanchez Ruiz underlined why he’s the best in the world.
The afternoon action begins at 12pm (CET) where the finalists will be decided.. See the action live 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. See where to watch here.
Mohammad Soufi of Syria after beating Sebastian Batkowski – Image – Taka G.Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport
Defending champion Shane Van Boening has been knocked out of the World Pool Championship 2023 by Vietnam’s Duong Quoc Hoang in Kielce, Poland at the Last 16 stage live on Sky Sports, Viaplay, DAZN, Matchroom.Live and TV networks worldwide.
Van Boening started the day looking to replicate what only Earl Strickland has done before by successfully defending his title but Hoang had other ideas as his dream week continued. Hoang put Van Boening under the gun early doors to lead 4-1 and leave the five-time US Open champion reeling. A timely break and run for Van Boening in the 12th brought him level at 6-6 but it was short-lived as the pair traded blows to the very end at hill-hill. Van Boening struggled to take control with six balls left on the table blowing it open for Hoang to step in and complete a memorable win.
Only eight remain going into the evening session of which six have never lifted the world title before. Two who will be looking for a slice of history are Albin Ouschan, who beat Mateusz Sniegocki convincingly 11-3 as he looks to claim a historic third world title whilst Niels Feijen beat rising star Aleksa Pecelj 11-4 in the Terminators hunt for a second world title.
Nineball World No.1 got the better of Denis Grabe 11-8 whilst Chang Jung-Lin downed another home favourite in Wiktor Zielinski meaning no Polish players made the last eight. That being after Sebastian Batkowski lost heartbreakingly hill-hill to Mohammad Soufi of Syria. US Open runner-up Max Lechner’s run was ended at the hands of Chinese Taipei’s Wu Kun Lin meanwhile.
The evening action begins from 6:30pm (CET) where only four can progress to the final day of action tomorrow. See the action live 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.
Saturday 4, February 6:30 pm (CET) – Quarter-Finals
Table 1
6:30pm – Albin Ouschan (AUT) vs Mohammad Soufi (SYR)
Francisco Sanchez Ruiz (ESP) vs Chang Jung-Lin (TPE)
Wiktor Zielinski (Taka G Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport)
Only 16 remain at the World Pool Championship 2023 in Kielce, Poland with the likes of Shane Van Boening, Albin Ouschan, and Francisco Sanchez Ruiz all looking to make a run to the finish line live on Sky Sports, Viaplay, DAZN, Matchroom.Live and TV networks worldwide.
Van Boening came up against his stiffest test yet in his mission to keep ahold of the title he won 12 months ago with a victory of Singapore’s Aloysius Yapp in a 11-9 win that saw the South Dakota Kid struggle to shake off the 2022 US Open runner-up. 2021 champion Ouschan was taken to the dying ember by Daniel Maciol of Poland to secure his passage whilst Sanchez Ruiz got the better of former world champion Thorsten Hohmann to book his place in the Last 16.
Mohammad Soufi, Denis Grabe, Max Lechner, and Wu Kun Lin all progressed to the penultimate days with wins over Mika Immonen, Nguyễn Anh Tuấn, Johann Chua, and Japan’s Naoyuki Oi. Neils Feijen meanwhile came from behind to beat Petri Makkonen of Finland as he hunts for a second world title.
The final moments of the day were John Morra‘s to be had with a remarkable 11-10 thriller win over Jayson Shaw from 6-4 and 10-8 down. Shaw had his opportunities to seal the win but a poor safety let Morra in to complete a huge victory in a World Pool Championship classic. It sees Morra meet Mario He next after the Austrian beat Ko Ping Chung 11-9.
Saturday 4, February – Last 16 from 12:00 pm (CET)
Table 1
Wiktor Zielinski (POL) vs Chang Jung-Lin (TPE)
Shane Van Boening (USA) vs Duong Quoc Hoang (VIE)
Table 2
Albin Ouschan (AUT) vs Mateusz Sniegocki (POL)
NB 2:00pm – John Morra (CAN) vs Mario He (AUT)
NB 3:30pm – Francisco Sanchez Ruiz (ESP) vs Denis Grabe (EST)
Table 3
Max Lechner (AUT) vs Wu Kun Lin (TPE)
NB 2:00pm – Sebastian Batkowski (POL) vs Mohammad Soufi (SYR)
NB 3:30pm – Aleksa Pecelj (SRB) vs Niels Feijen (NED)
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.
Finland’s Casper Matikainen takes down the defending champion in wild day in Doha as 32 players set for a sprint to the World 9-ball crown.
Casper Matikainen
Finland’s Casper Matikainen came into his round of 64 match at the World 9-ball Championship today versus the defending champion and world number 1 Joshua Filler feeling relaxed and ready for battle. He figured the German great would bring his usual fire, but he also knew that Filler might also take his eye off the proverbial ball. After all, the 23 year old Finn wasn’t exactly the most feared name in a field of absolute monsters.
So even when the self-described “King” of pool jumped out to a 4-1 lead, Matikainen never lost hope, as Filler had gotten a few lucky rolls and wasn’t playing all that great, while the Finn had a few rolls go against him.
The mental strategy soon started to bear fruit for the cool-headed blonde. Slowly, and increasingly surely, Matikainen crawled even, and then took the lead while at the same time Filler started to get sloppy, lose focus and even showed some signs of panic. From 4-1 down Matikainen calmly won 9 out of the next ten frames. After a brief hiccup on the hill that allowed Filler to claim two quick racks, the steady Finn held his nerve and closed out the biggest shock of the tournament so far, an 11-7 upset of the defending champion.
“He’s the world champion and he’s playing and I’m not there in the big tournaments and maybe he’s thinking it’s an easy win,” the 22 year old Matikainen said afterward. “I felt that Joshua had the pressure because he’s the world champion and I was really relaxed at the table and that helped me and I just got it done.”
Matikainen’s massive win was but one huge result on a dramatic day in Doha that saw some of pool’s biggest names dumped out, while others were taken to the absolute limits. With the field now down to the final 32, the next two days promises to be one of the most exciting and fascinating Battle Royale’s of 9-ball we’ve seen in years.
America’s Shane Van Boening had come to Doha a heavy favorite this year and for good reason. His last three starts here ended with two runner ups and a spot in the semis last year. But several early mistakes against Taiwan’s Liu Ri Teng was all it took for the Taiwanese to grab a commanding lead at 10-4. The American mounted a valiant fight back, but the alternate break format meant the hole was too deep. Liu sent Van Boening packing in the round of 64 with a humbling 11-8 defeat.
After his runner up finish at the US Open in Las Vegas last April, former champion Wu Jiaqing figured to go far here in Doha. But Wu came up against fellow compatriot Xu Xiaocong, who is one of a slew of quality young talents coming out of China. Xu has impressed all week here and against Wu he turned his game up several notches, crushing the former Boy Wonder 11-5.
The Taiwanese are almost sure to have one, possibly two players in the semis after tomorrow as Team Taipei looked absolutely marvelous today. It isn’t easy picking a favorite out of these world beaters but World 10-ball Champion Ko Ping Chung would probably be at the top of most punters betting sheets. The slightly built and painfully shy 22 year old is clearly at the top of his game but he even he barely escaped in a harrowing match against Hungary’s talented Oliver Szolnoki.
Szolnoki, another bright European prospect, played the match of his young career and had “Little” Ko on the ropes, shooting out to a 7-3, then 8-5 lead. The fresh-faced Hungarian reached the hill first, but Ko then displayed the courage and guts that only champions can pull off. In a nervy and tense sudden death rack, the Taiwanese made a series of surreal pressure shots to eek out the victory.
Little Ko’s older brother and two-time former world champion Pin Yi also won today, easily defeating Japan’s Yukio Akagariyama, 11-5. Fellow Taiwanese Chang Jung Lin, Chang Yu Lung, Lin Wu Kun and Kevin Chang all won their round of 64 matches today. In all seven Taiwanese made it through to the round of 32.
2016 World 9-ball champion Albin Ouschan of Austria looks to be in very fine form this year, as he easily defeated Taiwan’s Lin Ta Li 11-5. Fellow Austrian Max Lechner continued his rise this year with an 11-4 win over Lithuania’s Pijus Labutis.
The Russian contingent also put in solid performances today. Veteran Ruslan Chinakhov took down American Corey Duel 11-3, while youngster Fedor Gorst stayed alive with an 11-8 win over Slovakia’s Jakub Koniar.
2012 World 9-ball Champion Darren Appleton has been quietly playing himself back into game shape over the last few months and his solid victory today over Albanian star and European Mosconi team member Eklent Kaci could be a portent for the rest of the field. The Englishman battled back from a 4-0 deficit, and then turned the screws on the Albanian for a quality 11-6 win. In his remarkable heyday from 2008 to 2015, Appleton famously grinded out championships by the truckload and that bulldog mentality definitely was on display this afternoon.
The Philippines had only three players in the final 64 but all three made it through today. 2017 World 9-ball champion Carlo Biado got taken to the limit by Qatari veteran Bashar Hussein, before breaking and running the last rack for an 11-10 win. Also winning today for the Team Pinoy were Johann Chua and Jeffrey Ignacio.
The Polish contingent has been getting stronger by the year and they showed their quality today with three of their stars pushing through to the final 32. Mieszko Fortunski, Wojciech Szewczyk, and Mateusz Sniegocki all won handily.
Also advancing today were the USA’s Billy Thorpe, Singapore’s Aloysius Yapp, China’s Liu Haitao, Greece’s Alexander Kazakis, Spain’s Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, Estonia’s Dennis Grabe, England’s Chris Melling, Canada’s Alex Pagulayan, Qatar’s Waleed Majid, Vietnam’s Do The Kien, and Hong Kong’s young upstart Yip Kin Ling.
The penultimate day of the World 9-ball championship will be extremely busy as the field will be whittled down to the final four at the end of the days’ action.
Play on day 3, Monday, Dec. 16th will begin at 10am Doha time(GMT +3). All matches will be single elimination knockout race to 11, alternate break.
The winner of the 2019 World 9-ball Championship will receive $30,000. The total prize fund is $150,00.
*The 2019 WPA World 9-ball Championship takes place at the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation in Doha, Qatar from December 10-17, 2019. The event is hosted by The Qatar Billiard and Snooker Federation(QBSF), and is sanctioned by the World Pool Billiard Association, the governing body of the sport of pool.
Fans around the world will be able to view live scoring, results, brackets and live streaming of many of the matches via the QBSF’s free live streaming platform at esnooker.pl. Multiple tables will be available to view online at no charge to the public.
Results Final 64
Casper Matikainen(FIN) 11 – 7 Joshua Filler(GER)
Yip Kin Ling(HKG) 11 – 5 John Morra(CAN)
If the first day’s play of the 2019 World 9-ball Championship is any indication–and by all measures it certainly is just that–then fans around the world better be prepared for a wild roller coaster ride over the next three days. Drama, upsets, nerves, revelations, suprises, excitement and downright brilliant 9-ball at the highest levels were all on display as play commenced in the 28th running of pool’s premier crown. And with a loaded field just getting warmed up, it’s only going to get better leading to the final on Tuesday.
With 64 matches played on 16 tables at the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation in Doha, Day 1 saw 32 players book their spots in the final 64 knockout stage which begins Sunday. None of the 96 players have yet to see the exits, but there were plenty of upsets, near upsets, and upstarts making their mark on pool’s biggest stage.
The top 32 seeds were given a bye in the first round of their groups, so these players only had to win one match to reach the single elimination knockout rounds. Defending champion Joshua Filler of Germany did just that, but not before a shaky start which saw him tied at 4-4 in the race to 9 alternate break match against Qatari veteran Bashar Hussain. The World number one was never in trouble, though, and cruised to a 9-5 win.
2017 champion and runner up last year Carlo Biado of the Philippines didn’t fair as well as he got dumped over to the one loss side of his group with a shocking 9-3 loss to Chile’s Enrique Rojas. It was Rojas’ second straight victory of the day, the first coming over Kuwait’s Abdullah Alyusef. Rojas now books his well deserved spot in the Final 64 tomorrow.
The USA’s Shane Van Boening is one of the favorites here this week, but he looked a bit cold early on in his match with young talented Chinese player Xu Xiaocong. Xu is part of a large crop coming from China’s youth movement and he had the American down three quarters of the way through their match. But SVB pulled it together at the last minute and squeaked by the Chinese, 9-8. Xu will get one more chance on Sunday.
Fellow American and Mosconi teammate Billy Thorpe also booked his spot in the final 64 with a 9-5 win over Canada’s Stephen Holem.
It was a solid day for team Taiwan. World 10-ball Champion Ko Ping Chung went up against Myamar’s rising star Phone Myint Kyaw, who also goes by the moniker, Muang Muang. Kyaw is a player that pool fans will want to pay attention to. He’s a former snooker player who has been winning regularly on the brutally tough Chinese 8-ball circuit, and he just grabbed two gold medals in the Southeast Asian games in Manila. His stroke is one of the most solid in the game and anyone who watches him play instantly can see the potential in this young man.
But of course, Ko is a young prodigy who has already proven his metal in American pool with his recent win at the World 10-ball in July in Vegas. Little Ko didn’t have much trouble with Muang Muang, winning handily, 9-4.
Little Ko will join his older brother Pin Yi in the final 64, who defeated the always stingy Jalal Al Sarisi of Venezuela, 9-4. Other Taiwanese cruising into the final 64 include Chang Jung Lin, Chang Yu Lung, and Kevin Cheng.
The Philippines is surprisingly unrepresented in Doha this year with only four players in the field. With Biado losing early it was up to Johann Chua and Jeffrey Ingacio to save the day for the Pinoys. Both looked the goods and nabbed spots in the final 64.
It was a mixed bag for the European Mosconio Cup team. Greece’s Alexander Kazakis is one of Europe’s top bets here this week and he qualified for the knockout round with an easy 9-5 win over Qatar’s Waleed Majid. But Albania’s Eklent Kaci and former World 9-ball Champion Niels Feijen of the Netherlands weren’t so fortunate. Kaci lost big to the Netherlands’ Ivar Saris, who had earlier looked solid in a 9-6 win over Poland’s Karol Skowerski. Feijen went down to upstart Hong Konger Yip Kin Ling, 9-7, who took his spot in the Final 64 with his second win of the day.
The surprises kept coming throughout the day. Lithuania’s Pijus Labutis first squeaked by Peru’s Gerson Martinez, 9-8. Then he took on former World 9-ball Champion Wu Jiaqing, and shocked the Chinese great with a 9-7 upset, and a spot in the knockout rounds.
Also booking a spot in the final 64 was Canada’s John Morra, who continued his return to fine form with a 9-8 win over Poland’s Mateusz Sniegocki. Singapore’s Aloysius Yapp showed that he’s clearly a dark horse to watch here in Doha with a 9-4 drubbing of China’s talented Dang Jinhu. England’s Chris Melling came back from 6-2 down to defeat Vietnam’s Do The Kien, 9-7. Also advancing today were Japan’s Naoyuki Oi, Austria’s Max Lechner, China’s Lui Haitao, Estonia’s Dennis Grabe, Finland’s Petri Makkonen, Germany’s Ralf Souquet, and Spaniards David Alcaide and Francisco Sanchez Ruiz.
Play on day 2 on Sunday, Dec. 14th will begin at 10am Doha time(GMT +3). The field will be whittled down to 64 players playing single elimination knockout race to 11. The round of 64 will be completed in the first two session, and by the end of the day, the field will be down to the final 32.
The winner of the 2019 World 9-ball Championship will receive $30,000. The total prize fund is $150,00.
*The 2019 WPA World 9-ball Championship takes place at the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation in Doha, Qatar from December 10-17, 2019. The event is hosted by The Qatar Billiard and Snooker Federation(QBSF), and is sanctioned by the World Pool Billiard Association, the governing body of the sport of pool.
Fans around the world will be able to view live scoring, results, brackets and live streaming of many of the matches via the QBSF’s free live streaming platform at esnooker.pl. Multiple tables will be available to view online at no charge to the public.
