After a long day’s play, the Dynamic Billards Slovenian Open, held in the mountainous town of Lasko, is well underway. The winners’ side is down to the last 32 qualification round, whilst remaining players on the other side of the bracket have three full rounds to complete before the last 32 single elimination knock-out matches.
Zielinski enjoyed two wins to position himself in the winners’ qualification round heading into Sunday. Firstly, he peat Czech Petr Urban by 9-3 and then followed it up with a hard-fought 9-7 victory over Portuguese veteran Henrique Correia.
Commented Zielinski, “The first match I played near to perfection. I made a lot of break and runs and a lot of nice outs but in the second one I think I lost my confidence because I got the feeling that the cloth was a bit more slidey.
“It was very easy to overspin the ball so I lost position a few times and due to that I lost my confidence. But I’m still happy that I managed to win this match as Henrique missed a 100 per cent 9-ball for 8-7 up.
“Instead of that I was 8-7 up so I took a time out and probably he was thinking about it. He broke illegal and I took advantage of it for the win. It was very tough and a close one. I have two chances to qualify for the single elimination round and if I had lost this one, I think I’d have to win a few matches.
“It’ll be a normal day tomorrow. I’m trying to get my work done so it will be a normal day in the office. It’ll also be a long day tomorrow as you need to win four matches to reach the semi-finals so that will be tough.”
Thorsten Hohmann
From one of the younger stars of the Euro Tour to one still plying his trade, having won a host of international titles in a stellar career, Thorsten Hohmann also navigated the opening day, winning two from two to advance into the winners’ qualification.
Firstly, he beat veteran Andreja Klasovic by 9-3 on the main table and he followed that up with a 9-8 nail-biter against Austria’s Markus Pfistermuller.
Hohmann said, “My game is inconsistent and that showed in my last match. I had at least three or four misses that I’m not supposed to make at this level and it seems to happen too often. But I kept it together, used my opportunities, got a little lucky here and there at the end and I’m just super happy that I have two chances to qualify for the final stage tomorrow.
“I’m still very competitive and there are so many tournaments on the horizon that’s worth looking forward to so I want to play my game again. One factor is that I’m getting older, but I have some ideas of what I want to do. I have to be more structured when it comes to my training.
“I teach a lot in New York and that takes time away from my own practice and my focus on my own game. I’ve got to enjoy it as I get a bit too tight and when I was younger, I was more free and it was all fun, now it’s all serious and it seems like I can’t move. I’ve got to get more loose!
“I’ve played in a lot of Matchroom events in the arena and you guys put me on the TV table. I’ve had some good results – I finished fifth in the World Championship but just looking at all my matches, even the ones I won, there’s just too many unforced errors which you can’t make on that level. I believe that to win tournaments, you don’t have to make the ‘hero’ shots, you just have to reduce the unforced errors.
“I travelled half way round the world to be here but not just to participate. I want to do well and prove that I’ve still got it. I’ve never been the most consistent player in my career but I did have peaks so I just hope I can do it again, and I’m willing to work on my game,” added the German star.
As well as the prize money, there are Tour ranking points on offer as well as world ranking points, so there is everything to play for. All Euro Tour tournaments are 9-ball and players compete in a double-elimination format, playing down to the last 32 competitors, and then single elimination until the finish. All matches are races to 9 racks with alternate break.
All the matches can be viewed live at www.kozoom.com as well as selected
matches on Facebook Live on the EPBF page. In addition, the semi-finals
and final, played out on Monday night, will be live or highlights on the
following television stations across Europe;
SportKlub HD – Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia,
Bosnia Herzegovina, Greece
Eyecons – Netherlands)
SportKlub – Poland
ORF – Austria
B1B Box – Bulgaria
Results, live scoring and draw are available at www.epbf.com
Shane Van Boening and Skyler Woodward (Taka Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport)
The USA thumped Canada 7-1 to reach the Last 16 of the 2022 World Cup of Pool at the Brentwood Centre, Essex live on Sky Sports Arena in the UK, DAZN in the USA, Canada, Spain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Viaplay in Scandinavia, the Baltics, Netherlands, and Poland. Matchroom.Live in territories without a broadcaster.
Nineball World No. 1 Shane Van Boening and two-time Mosconi Cup MVP Skyler Woodward faced off at the top of the evening session against old foes Canada who had John Morra and Pagulayan flying the maple leaf.
Van Boening and Woodward won the lag and didn’t look back from there as they gather momentum early doors to leave their counterparts trailing 3-0 going into the break. Canada never got going with both Morra and Pagulayan struggling to get to grips with the speed of the table and conditions. It was relatively plain sailing for the USA as they went 6-0 up and one away. In the seventh, Van Boening scratched off the break and Canada had their first rack on the board at 6-1. The USA completed their job in the following rack though to make the Last 16 without breaking a sweat.
Woodward: “I know I felt comfortable and Shane looked the same. We played well. Pretty consistent. We are happy. Overall I feel like we played good. I feel every match we can get better and break better. We got there a few days early and got some rest. Today I feel good having feeling tired. We will feel better every day.”
World Champion Van Boening added: “The only mistake was the scratch. I am not feeling too good on my break but I will be practicing. We have been playing together for many years. He knows my game well and I know him well. I think we’re a good match and we just go out there and play pool.”
Hungary were next out onto the table against the Czech Republic with Oliver Szolnoki partnered up with veteran Vilmos Foldes whilst Czech hopes fell on the shoulders of Petr Urban and Roman Hybler in what proved to be the closest match of the opening day as it was the Hungarians who ran out eventual winners 7-4.
At 1-0 up, Hungary seemed to be finding a rhythm quicker than the Czech Republic but that turned in a bizarre incident that saw them lose the second rack on the three consecutive foul rule, something lesser seen in the game. That moment could’ve proven to push Hungary off-kilter but they were allowed back to the table in the following rack after the Czechs found themselves hooked on the six ball to allow Szolnoki the moment to make it 2-1.
It was error-strewn at times as it soon went 2-2. The control of the cue ball was proving to be troublesome for Urban and Hybler and it was just that as they missed the 9 to establish a lead for the first time. Pick your moment was the story of the match though with neither getting away from each other. Hungary timed theirs to perfection though as they went 6-4 up to be one away from victory. Foldes and Szolnoki is a new pairing for Hungary and they will have been relieved to see the back of the opening match as they sealed their win as they look to do better than reaching the quarter-finals in 2013.
Spain head into this week as one of the early tournament favourites and came up against Australia’s Ivan Meng Li and James Georgiadis. David Alcaide and Francisco Sanchez Ruiz took the moment with relative ease in a 7-1 win amassing six racks before Australia’s opening rack. The force of El Matador and FSR proved too much for Australia as they wrapped up an opening win to meet Albania next.
Alcaide: “We enjoy playing together every time. This tournament is special for us. We train to win from round to round but then we see the beautiful tournament. we work so hard together. PRactice together, play together, go to tournaments together. Every team is tough but in a Race to 7 anything can happen. We believe in our game.
One of the games’ greatest, Efren “Bata” Reyes will represent the Philippines alongside US Open champion Carlo Biado at the 2022 World Cup of Pool this June 14-19 at the Brentwood Centre, Essex, England with tickets available from £10.
The 2022 World Cup of Pool line-up is now complete with all 32 countries confirmed as they do battle for the lucrative prize pot of $250,000 plus the pride of representing their country in one of the sports most unique format with Germany looking to defend their title led by newly crowned World Pool Masters champion Joshua Filler and BCA Hall of Famer Thorsten Hohmann.
Great Britain’s charge for a first World Cup of Pool crown on home soil will see Great Britain A form a new pairing of two-time Mosconi Cup MVP Jayson Shaw and debutant Elliott Sanderson who was selected based on performances so far this year on the Live Nineball World Rankings. Mosconi Cup winner Imran Majid and 2012 Mosconi Cup MVP Chris Melling will represent the red, white, and blue for Great Britain B.
The USA’s assault on the title will come in the form of Nineball World No.1 and World Champion Shane Van Boening with two-time Mosconi Cup MVP Skyler Woodward whilst Austria, two-time winners of the World Cup of Pool, will see Albin Ouschan partner with Nineball World No. 5 and close friend Max Lechner.
Reyes will compete at the World Cup of Pool for the first time since 2012 when the tournament was hosted in the Philippines. The Magician is a two-time winner of the cup claiming the inaugural title in 2006 with Francisco Bustamante before repeating that result three years later on home turf.
Along with the launch of the Nineball World Rankings, the WPA received x16 allocations for various federations seeing countries make their debut this year including Peru with Christopher Tevez and Gerson Martinez as well as Argentina with Ariel Casto and Sebastian Rodriguez for a strong South American contingent. Chinese Taipei return to the fold after missing out last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will look to replicate its success of 2015 with the Ko Brothers of Pin Yi and Ping Chung pairing up.
The first 16 countries were decided by WPA federations from around the world before eight countries were selected based on the 2022 Nineball World Rankings. The final eight came as wild cards from Matchroom. Players have been selected based on both the 2022 and live 2023 Nineball World Rankings. The final team will be revealed during the final day of the UK Open Pool Championship this May 22 at the Copper Box Arena, London.
Tickets start from only £10 per session and £15 for an all-day ticket to both the afternoon and evening sessions. Fans can also enjoy the whole week of action for only £85.
Tickets
Individual Sessions – From £10
Day tickets for both sessions – From £15
Season Ticket – £85
The World Cup of Pool brings 32 nations together as two-player teams compete for national pride, the title, and their share of a $250,000 prize fund from June 14 to 19. The tournament is a straight-knockout format leaving no room for error. Germany are the reigning champions with one of the world’s best in Joshua Filler spearheading their defence. The likes of World Number One Albin Ouschan of Austria, the USA’s finest Shane Van Boening, and Great Britain’s two-time Mosconi Cup MVP Jayson Shaw will all look to lead their sides to the title over six action-packed days.
Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz (Taka G Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport)
Francisco Sanchez Ruiz avoided an early exit coming from 6-0 down on the opening day of the inaugural UK Open Pool Championship at the Copper Box Arena, London live on the Matchroom Pool Facebook and YouTube pages as well as Matchroom.Live worldwide.
256 players descended on one of London’s most iconic sporting venues for a piece of history as they gun to become the first player to claim the UK Open title and a share of the $200,000 prize fund as the opening round and Losers Round 1 saw the first 16 players leave the tournament and leave many in a perilous position with the remaining losers round matches set to get underway tomorrow morning ahead of Winners Round 1.
Fans were treated to two live streams for free wherever they are in the world thanks to the Matchroom Pool Facebook and YouTube pages as well as on Matchroom.Live and on betting websites around the world and they were not disappointed.
Sanchez Ruiz lost his opening match of the tournament against South Africa’s Jason Theron from 6-3 up to face Ashik Nathawani in one of the opening Losers Round encounters to keep his spot in the tournament. The Spaniard has had a good year of it so far and is one of the Mosconi Cup Team Europe hopefuls, but it was nearly curtains as Nathwani took hold with a 6-0 lead and only three from victory, but Sanchez Ruiz rallied from that point onwards to put on the performance of the opening day in a dramatic hill-hill victory.
Fresh off the back of claiming the title at Nineball Ranking Event, the Bucharest Open on Sunday, Ko Pin Yi made light work of Chun Hao Man 9-2 to kick off Table 1 action before one of the home favourites in Chris Melling put on a fine display to hand a donut to Petr Urban in a cruising 9-0 victory inside 40 minutes. The speediness of Melling’s showing wasn’t the last performance of such nature as both recent World Pool Masters winner Joshua Filler and two-time World Champion Albin Ouschan rattled off emphatic wins of the same scoreline against Robert Hart and Sergio Lagunas, respectively.
With over 38% of the field British, there was plenty of support for the home nations as World Snooker Ranking Event winner Martin Gould got off to a winning start in his first appearance in a Nineball tournament since the early 2000s to beat Tashunka Schultz to set up an all Brit affair with Elliott Sanderson in the Winners Round 1 tomorrow whilst fellow World Snooker Tour player Gary Wilson, a former Crucible semi-finalist showed off his first forway into another cue sport discipline in a 9-6 win over America’s Blaine Barcus. Another notable name from the world of snooker in Fraser Patrick overcome fellow Scot David Black.
Wilson said: “It was getting a bit twitchy. It was too close for my liking. I was 4-1 up. It was a scrappy game. I am trying to get used to the conditions and work out what’s going on. I tried my best to keep potting balls and getting onto the next one. The tables are so different, it is skiddier and more reactive. It took us a few racks to work it out. I am learning as a go and hopefully, I can improve”
Two-time Mosconi Cup MVP Jayson Shaw comfortably pulled through against Ali Hirji Kheraj whilst newly crowned World Champion Shane Van Boening didn’t seem to break swear in another 9-0 win on Table 1 over James Channon.
Action continues tomorrow morning from 9am in the arena before streaming coverage begins from 10am on Table 1 and 2. See below the schedule of matches.
The final two days are available on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, DAZN in the USA, Canada, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, and Switzerland as well as on Viaplay in Scandinavia and the Baltics and various other broadcasters worldwide including Matchroom.Live in relevant countries. See the full where to watch list here.
Tickets start from £15 for the day and £85 for the week using the code UKOPEN at checkout. Secure yours here
The draw has been made for the inaugural UK Open Pool Championship taking place at the Copper Box Arena, London from May 17-22 with tickets available from only £15 to enjoy the action as 256 players battle it out for a share of $200,000.
Nineball World No.1 Shane Van Boening heads into the tournament as the newly crowned World Champion and starts his bid to become the first-ever UK Open winner against James Channon of Great Britain. 2022 World Pool Masters champion Joshua Filler meets Robert Hart whilst British favourites Jayson Shaw and Chris Melling face Ali Hirji Kheraj and Petr Urban, respectively. Albin Ouschan will take on Sergio Lagunas whilst the World Snooker Tour’s duo of Martin Gould and Gary Wilson take on Tashunka Schultz and Blaine Barcus.
Players were seeded based on the combination of the 2022 Nineball World Ranking and 2023 Nineball World Ranking alongside the WPA Rankings.
Live rack-by-rack scoring will be available throughout the event at www.matchroompool.com
From Tuesday, 17 May to Friday, 20 May fans will be able to enjoy the action globally on the Matchroom Pool Facebook and YouTube pages as well as Matchroom.Live with two tables streamed. The tournament will also be live on betting websites around the world.
The final two days are available on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, DAZN in the USA, Canada, Spain, Italy, as well as on Viaplay in Scandinavia and the Baltics and various other broadcasters worldwide including Matchroom.Live in relevant countries. See the full where to watch list here.
The team at Mezz Cues HQ isn’t resting as more sponsored players are added to the Mezz Cues family.
At the top of the list of latest additions is Bulgarian Champion Kristina Zlateva. Zlateva is a multiple time Nationals Champion with many third place finishes on the Ladies Eurotour. She secured a second place finish in the European Team Championship and a bronze medal in the European 8-Ball Championship.
Zlateva plays with a Mezz EC9-K4 with a WX Sigma shaft. “I’m so excited to upgrade my game with Mezz cues! I love the feeling of comfort and security they give me.” said Zlateva about her new sponsorship.
Another great new member to Team Mezz is current #1 on the Czech Pool Tour, Petr Urban. Urban is a multiple Czech National Champion, has won the Czech Scotch Doubles National Championship, and Team Championship in 2019. Then, he returned in 2020 to defend his Team Championship title while also adding the Czech National Singles 8-Ball title to his resume.
“I am honored to be a part of this amazing brand. I have been playing with Mezz products for over 10 years. Being a part of the Mezz lineage has always been my dream and I’m really looking forward to this cooperation.” beamed Urban.
Petr Urban
National Championships are nothing new for another new Team Mezz Member; Alen Muratovic hails from Bosnia and Herzegovina where he is an eight time National Champion. Muratovic was the winner of the country’s first European Championship Bronze Medal at the European Championships and has won multiple open events in Sarajevo.
Muratovic commented that he was expecting to have even more success on the national scene with his new association with Mezz sponsorship. “This sponsorship means a lot to me because Mezz equipment is top quality. I would like to thank Mezz as it means a lot to me to improve the quality of my game, which I have no doubt about with the top equipment of Mezz.”
The latest player to join Team Mezz is Johanna Vartainen who hails from Lappeenranta, Finland. Vartainen is a four-time Finnish National Champion who also owns a bronze medal from the Nordic Championship.
Vartainen plays with the Mezz EC9-K4 with an Ignite shaft. Like Muratovic, she sees great things in her future with her new Mezz sponsorship. “It is an honour to represent Mezz amongst the best players around the world. Now my game will reach the next level.” she commented.
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.
ROUND 2 Finland 1-7 Netherlands Slovakia 7-6 Czech Republic
Netherlands fired a warning shot to the rest of the field as they stormed into the quarter-finals of the World Cup of Pool with a near-perfect 7-1 victory over an out-of-sorts Finland.
Slovakia are also through to the last eight having beaten Czech Republic in the tournament’s first hill-hill match, while Great Britain B’s Allison and Kelly Fisher crashed out 7-3 in round one to the Filipino pairing of Jeff De Luna and Roberto Gomez.
Niels Feijen has twice been a World Cup runner up, in 2013 and 2014, both playing alongside Nick van den Berg. Marc Bijsterbosch stepped up in 2017 after Van den Berg retired, and their 7-1 drilling of Petri Makkonen and Casper Matikainen was probably the best performance the new Dutch duo have put in together.
Finland, and particularly their rookie Matikainen, struggled at the table but in contrast the Netherlands were near faultless in booking their place in the quarter-finals.
“We played well, with confidence and we did a good job,” said Bijsterbosch. “We can’t complain today, but we aren’t there, we have to prepare for the next match and we have to keep going.
“We know Finland are a really good team but we looked at our own game and we really, really hit it off today, it was a great match,” said Feijen. “We are really enjoy this, we played a great match and we get some time to enjoy that.
“I felt really good, Marc, if you leave him tough he is still central so that gives me a lot of confidence too. If we keep playing like this, we are dangerous.”
Czech Republic lead their match against Slovakia 4-2 but with the chance to go 5-3 ahead failed to capitalise when Polach missed the 9; Gavenciak also failing to conclude the rack with a long pot. Koniar took the easy 9 left for him, and Slovakia led for the first time in the match when they went 5-4 up.
The tenth went the way of the Czechs, but Slovakia regained their lead after a dry break to reach the hill at 6-5 up. The next rack was a reversal of its predecessor; this time Slovakia breaking dry and Czech Republic taking advantage to join their opponents on the hill.
Gavenciak was breaking but again came up dry. Polach played safe and though Urban’s reply seemed to have done enough, Koniar played off the side rail to make the 1. It didn’t present his side with the opportunity to clear, though, and at his next visit he scratched on the 2.
The table didn’t look easy and even when Urban missed a straight 4, Czech Republic fell safe. Koniar then benefited from a bit of fortune in making the 4 trying to escape a snooker and this time the roadmap was there, and Slovakia cleared the table for a place in the quarter-finals where either Russia or Japan will await.
The session had opened with a highly-anticipated round one match between Great Britain B and Philippines. The all-female British pairing looked to have settled quickly and took the second rack to keep the scores level early on. However, De Luna and Gomez were breaking well and managed to open up a 5-1 lead before Great Britain B next won a rack. Despite falling further behind, Fisher and Fisher cut the gap to 6-3 but that was to be their last rack as Philippines took the next to close out a 7-3 win.
“We had a great time out there,” said Allison. “it has been a while for me and I really enjoyed it. There were some good shots in there but we never got going. We had a nice start to the match and we were never really frozen out but some of the games were a bit awkward. At this stage for me the most important thing is to have fun out there and I really enjoyed it.”
“We are competitors so we are disappointed, of course,” said Kelly. “In the match we never really got the chance to get going, everything fell a bit awkward. Me and Allison are great friends off the table, we gel well together, and we have loved every moment and had fun.”
Round one concludes on Tuesday evening with USA taking on Australia, Great Britain C in action against South Africa and Great Britain A up against Belarus.
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 RESULTS Japan 7-1 Croatia Czech Republic 7-4 Hungary
Austria 1-7 Slovakia
World Cup of Pool debutants Slovakia stunned defending champions Austria, knocking out the No.1 seeds with a brilliant 7-1 victory on the opening afternoon at Stadium MK, Milton Keynes.
Albin Ouschan and Mario He have reached the last three World Cup finals, lifting the trophy in 2017 and 2019. However, Jakub Koniar and Jaroslav Polach barely gave their opponents a chance as Slovakia proved exactly why they had been invited for the first time. A little luck along the way helped but Koniar and Polach looked calm at the table as they ran four of the seven racks won to advance to the second round.
“It is amazing,” said Koniar. “We had a little bit of luck in the beginning but with the 1-ball on the spot and winner breaks, you can even beat the best team in the world.
“We knew we could win. I have beaten Albin a few times, Jaro has won against both players in the Austrian Bundesliga, so we knew if we played our best game we could win.
“We practiced the break all last weekend together,” added Polach. “We played a hard break, the cue ball control was good, and we had a little bit of luck, but from 2-1 to 6-1 they weren’t at the table. In this game you can beat anybody in the world.”
Slovakia will face Czech Republic in the second round after a 7-4 success over Hungary for the Czechs.
“It will be a federal derby,” said Jaroslav. “We play every year something like the Mosconi Cup between Czech Republic and Slovakia. It hasn’t played last year because of Covid so now we will play one scotch doubles to see who is best!”
The event opened with Japanese favourite Naoyuki Oi, alongside debutant Masato Yoshioka, up against Croatian duo Philipp Stojanovic and Roberto Bartol.
Yoshioka earned his first appearance in the World Cup on the back of a fine run of form prior to the Covid-19 lockdown. A win in the Kansai Open in his homeland and a bronze medal at the World 10-Ball Championship helped him rise to Japanese No.1 and World No. 36.
In their opening match, he actually looked the more comfortable of the pair, his experienced partner struggling at times with cue-ball control. Croatia, though, were really struggling. Japan only ran out one rack, so even with the winner breaks format the Europeans had chances, but they were only able to take one of them and Japan eventually won 7-1, a result which meant TV viewers were treated to another colourful Oi interview.
“It was a very fast match today, the table was playing very quick with the new ball and the new cloth. It was difficult but my teammate was confident,” he said, before treating those watching to a victory dance. “In the next round it will be Russia, they have the World Champion, or Switzerland who are very good, they have strong players. But Japan will play to win.”
After Japan’s cruising first-round victory, the clash between Czech Republic (Petr Urban and Michal Gavenciak) and Hungary (Oliver Szolnoki and Vilmos Foldes) was a more attritional affair. The Czech team’s preparations were hit when Roman Hybler had to withdraw less than a week before the event, but Urban proved a worth deputy.
The first six racks were shared before the Czech team pulled ahead and moved to the hill at 6-3 up. Hungary fought back briefly but their campaign was ended when Urban and Gavenciak won the 11th for a 7-4 victory.
The World Cup of Pool continues from 5:30pm (UK time) this evening with three more first round matches; Russia will face Switzerland, Greece take on Serbia and Estonia are up against Belgium.
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.
