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
World Nineball Tour No.1 Francisco Sanchez Ruiz has heralded a grand, new era for the sport as he looks forward to defending his world title at this year’s World Pool Championship – which marks the beginning of a major 10-year partnership for the premier tournament in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The crown jewel of the WNT, the World Pool Championship, will be held at the Green Halls, Jeddah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between 3-8 June, in partnership with the Saudi Arabian Billiard & Snooker Federation (SABSF) and the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Sport. 128 of the world’s elite cueists will battle it out in a double-elimination format for the record-breaking prize fund of $1,000,000, and a top prize of $250,000 – both the highest ever on the World Nineball Tour.
Along with reigning and defending world champion Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, five-time US Open champion and 2022 world champion Shane Van Boening and 2018 world champion Joshua Filler will be among the high-profile names competing for the game’s greatest individual prize this summer.
Sanchez Ruiz said: “This is an incredibly exciting time for the World Nineball Tour and a sign of the future direction of our sport. The World Championship in Saudi Arabia marks a historic moment for pool and I am really looking forward to defending my title amongst the world’s best in Jeddah.”
The field will feature the top 100 from the World Nineball Tour Rankings, with the remaining 28 players made up of wildcard entries, 10 of whom will be given to the host nation, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – these include Saad Aldress, Ahmed Al jabar, Khalid Alotaibi, Ahmed Fairaq, Khalid Al Ghamdi, Hussain Mustafa, Ahmed Al Ahmadi, Fahad Alharbi, Nawaf Shamardal and Othman Alzahrani.The cutoff for the top 100 WNT players will be determined at the conclusion of the UK Open 7-12 May.
In this exciting new partnership, the move will help establish the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a new home of the World Pool Championship for the next decade, with the country becoming one of the fastest growing countries in world sport. Since 2015 and the introduction of Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia has hosted over 100 international sports events and welcomed more than 2.6 million sports fans as it looks to inspire its people to live happier and healthier lifestyles through sports participation.
It is an approach that has been working especially within its young population, of which there is over 20 million people under the age of 30 years old. Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has tripled the number of official sports federations from 32 to 97 federations. Everything from Kite surfing, to boxing, from Beach Volleyball to Padel. Whilst during the same time, participation rates in sports have also tripled with more boys and girls, men and women playing more sports than ever before, including an 150% increase in female sport.
The landmark event, which starts on June 3, will feature 223 matches over six days of competition, with 50 televised hours of pool and 100 streaming hours broadcast to every territory around the globe.
Defending world champion Francisco Sanchez Ruiz will head to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia seeking to retain the crown that he won last February in Kielce, Poland against Syria’s Mohammad Soufi.
The decade-long deal will deliver a sharp focus and commitment to growing the game in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which includes encouraging grassroots awareness and playing pathways for local talent over the next 10 years.
Saudi Arabia Billiard & Snooker Federation President, Dr. Nasser Saab Al-Shammari added: “In June this year, new sporting history will be written in Saudi Arabia, and we couldn’t be more excited. We’ve literally never had the opportunity to welcome world class talents like Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, Shane Van Boening and Joshua Filler to play live for fans here. So that will be extremely special for us. But to go beyond hosting the top stars by also having the best ten local Saudi players take part, will open-up an entire new world and will give our players the experience of a lifetime.
“Saudi’s sporting future and ambitions will see us becoming far more than just welcoming hosts. We want to connect, share and compete at the highest possible level in the years ahead. That journey starts this summer.”
Matchroom Multi-Sport CEO, Emily Frazer said: “We are incredibly grateful to the Ministry of Sport for Saudi Arabia for this unique opportunity. We believe this landmark 10-year deal will provide the catalyst to developing the stars for tomorrow from this region, supported in conjunction with a leading junior event alongside the World Pool Championship, as well as training top-level officials who will further enhance the sport here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It underlines the great strides that are being taken by the World Nineball Tour as we continue to provide unrivalled, life-changing opportunities and competition for our professional players.”
For the latest news, schedules and ticket details, please visit matchroom.com
ABOUT WORLD NINEBALL TOUR
Introducing the World Nineball Tour (WNT), a game-changing initiative in professional pool. With a $5 million minimum prize fund and over 40 ranking events worldwide, the WNT heralds a new era for the sport. Committed to fairness, transparency, and commercial viability, the WNT offers players a clear path to success by providing opportunities to accrue World Nineball Ranking points and gain access to prestigious tournaments on the calendar.
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.
