Sanjin Pehlivanovic put on a classic display of 10 ball to claim the gold medal in the men’s division for Bosnia & Herzegovina at the Dynamic Billard European Championships in Lasko, Slovenia. The 20-year-old’s break was his main weapon as he delivered an impressive display to defeat Poland’s Wojciech Szewczyk by 8-5. Following a heart-breaking near miss last year in the final of the 9 Ball division, when he lost on the hill to Joshua Filler when victory was in his grasp, it was sweet redemption for Pehlivanovic and his joy in victory was fully manifested at the end.
“It feels incredible and I don’t know how to describe my emotions right now because six months ago I wanted it so badly and I had it but my emotions went too far. Of course, I’m really happy that I managed it this time. This whole tournament I was playing really well, holding my emotions and I only had one goal and I only came for what I left last year,” said an emotional Pehlivanovic after the match.
Pehlivanovic won the lag and delivered the first of what would be a succession of excellent break shots. Nudging the 8 away from the 4-ball, he then played a nice bank on the pink to set up the run out. A dry break from Szewczyk left the table open for his opponent but Pehlivanovic was forced to play safe on the 6-ball as it was too close to the 10 ball to pocket it. They exchanged safeties before Szewczyk pocketed the 6 in the wrong pocket following a bank. With Pehlivanovic back at the table, he cleared for a 2-0 lead.
Three balls on the break and a wide-open table looked promising for Pehlivanovic but he missed a difficult 1 ball and a good safety from Szewczyk saw his opponent scratch trying to bank his way out of trouble. With ball in hand, the Pole cleared the table for his first rack of the final.
Another missed bank from Szewczyk handed the initiative back to Sanjin but he slightly ran out of position and missed the 2 ball which fell into a non-nominated pocket. Szewczyk played a tight safety with three balls left on the table and his opponent’s hit-and-hope left it open for the run out as the score moved to 2-2.
Another crunching break from Pehlivanovic left him to play a safety on the 1 ball. They went back and forth before Szewczyk missed the 1 down table and with ball in hand, Pehlivanovic cleared for 3-2. Szewczyk ran out from the break in the next to level the match at 3-3, before Pehlivanovic did similar to regain the lead.
Szewczyk had a shot on the 1 ball in the next but with the 8-ball blocking its path to the corner pocket, he played a tidy carom. However, the cue ball followed the 8 in to give Pehlivanovic a real opportunity to increase his lead and he made no mistakes to move to 5-3. Then another fine run out from the break saw Pehlivanovic move to 6-3.
A great shot from Szewczyk followed the break as he pocketed the 2-ball and made a difficult position on the 3, opening up the rack. He ran out for 6-4 to keep his hopes alive. The Pole needed a slip up from his opponent in the next but another exemplary break from Sanjin put him into position to run the table and he obliged to reach the hill at 7-4.
Szewczyk wasn’t finished but with the racks running out he couldn’t afford a single mistake and an outstanding jump shot set up a clearance to get him to 7-5. That was his last visit as Pehlivanovic finished how he started with another superb break shot, followed by a run out to earn himself his first senior European Championship gold medal. For Szewczyk, a silver was his best ever effort and bronze medals went to beaten semi-finalists Niels Feijen (NED) and Roberto Bartol of Croatia.
“I’m trying always to think positive but it’s pool and you have many ups and downs so I’m just trying to stay positive, play my best game and hold my emotions which is the most important thing. Now I can breathe really good because these six months I’ve had flashbacks to the EC 9 Ball last year but I think it’s made me stronger,” added Pehlivanovic.
Final
Sanjin Pehlivanovic (BIH) 8 – 5 Wojciech Szewczyk (POL)
The 2022 Dynamic Billards European Championship sees 15 separate events across four disciplines – 8, 9 and 10 ball as well as straight pool – plus the men’s and women’s team competitions. In total there are four divisions; men, women, under 23 men and wheelchair users.
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.
Austria will begin their World Cup of Pool title defence against Slovakia, while hosts Great Britain A will face debutants Belarus in the first round of the doubles tournament, which begins on Sunday, May 9 at Stadium MK, Milton Keynes, live on Sky Sports.
Among the standout first-round ties is Great Britain B (Kelly Fisher & Allison Fisher) against three-time champions Philippines (Roberto Gomez & Jeff De Luna), while 2019 semi-finalists Spain will face Italy.
The 16 seeded teams were automatically placed into the draw brackets, with 16 unseeded teams drawn at random. The draw is set for the whole tournament, with some mouth-watering potential second-round match ups including USA vs. Philippines.
Defending champions Austria (Albin Ouschan & Mario He) also lifted the World Cup in 2017 and could become the first pairing to win the trophy three times.
The tournament will begin on Sunday, May 9 with fan-favourites Japan (Naoyuki Oi & Masato Yoshioka) in action against Croatia (Philipp Stojanovic & Roberto Bartol). All first round matches are race to 7, with three matches per session and two sessions per day. The first round will complete on Tuesday, May 11 with Great Britain A (Jayson Shaw & Chris Melling) facing Belarus’ all-female pairing of Margarita Fefilova & Yana Halliday. Halliday’s husband, Richard, will represent South Africa alongside brother Vincent. They face Canada (Alex Pagulayan & John Morra) in the first round.
The World Cup of Pool will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, DAZN and Matchroom.Live, with further international broadcasters to be confirmed.
Sunday, May 9 (12:00-16:00)
R1: Japan vs. Croatia
R1: Czech Republic vs. Hungary
R1: Austria vs. Slovakia
Sunday, May 9 (17:30-21:30) R1: Russia vs. Switzerland
R1: Greece vs. Serbia
R1: Canada vs. South Africa
Monday, May 10 (12:00-16:00) R1: Netherlands vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina
R1: Finland vs. Iceland
R1: Albania vs. Denmark
Monday, May 10 (17:30-21:30) R1: Spain vs. Italy
R1: Germany vs. Lithuania
R1: USA vs. Australia
Tuesday, May 11 (12:00-16:00) R1: Philippines vs. Great Britain B
R1: Poland vs. Kuwait
R1: Estonia vs. Belgium
Tuesday, May 11 (17:30-21:30)
R2: Austria/Slovakia vs. Czech Republic/Hungary R2: Canada/South Africa vs. Greece/Serbia
R1: Great Britain A vs. Belarus
Wednesday, May 12 (12:00-16:00) R2: Russia/Switzerland vs. Japan/Croatia
R2: Finland/Iceland vs. Netherlands/B&H
R2: Spain/Italy vs. Albania/Denmark
Wednesday, May 12 (17:30-21:30) R2: Germany/Lithuania vs. Poland/Kuwait
R2: USA/Australia vs. Philippines/Great Britain B
R2: Estonia/Belgium vs. Great Britain A/Belarus
Thursday, May 13 (12:00-16:00) Quarter-final 1
Quarter-final 2
Thursday, May 13 (17:30-21:30) Quarter-final 3
Quarter-final 4
Friday, May 14 (12:00-16:00) Semi-final 1
Semi-final 2
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.
At the Dynamic Billard Klagenfurt Open 2019, Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz (ESP) just defeated Ante Sola (CRO) with 9:4.
In winner’s round 2, #9 ranked player Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz encountered Ante Sola, an unheralded 20-year-old player from Croatia. Sanchez, having won the junior’s World 9-ball title in 2010, had a furious start and won the first 3 consecutive racks to get a head start with 3:0 over Sola. The young Croatian always tried to keep a foot in the door but Sanchez used his experience and managed to always stay ahead of Sola. In the end, Sanchez got to a well-deserved and clear 9:4 victory over Sola which was never endangered at any time during the match. Sanchez will now face Roman Hybler (CZE) in the next winner’s round while Sola waits for the winner of the match between Matthias Blim (AUT) and Jani Uski (FIN). Both matches are scheduled for tomorrow.
Other remarkable results include Mats Schjetne (NOR) winning 9:5 over Ralf Souquet (GER) in winner’s round one. In the same round, Roberto Bartol (CRO) pipped „Napoleon“ Marcus Chamat (SWE) to the post with 9:8. Jani Siekkinen (FIN) overpowered „The Maharaja“ Imran Majid (GBR) with 9:6. After a long time of being absent from the Euro-Tour, former World Games Champion Darren Appleton (GBR) attended the Klagenfurt Open. In his first round match, he overcame Jan Kjetil Nordrum (NOR) with 9:4. Then he had to give in to Jakub Koniar (SVK) with 8:9. On the loser’s side, Appleton managed to stay alive in the event by winning 9:3 over Andrea Milioli (ITA).
Probably the biggest upset of the day happened in the match between Ruslan Chinakhov (RUS) and Michael Schneider (SUI). Chinakhov, currently ranked #17 on the Euro-Tour rankings was the favoured player by miles. The Russian has already won a Euro-Tour event in Leende in 2017 and became second in Treviso in the same year and in Leende earlier this year. He is definitely one player to count in when guessing who is taking the victory in a Euro-Tour event. His opponent is not even listed in the current Euro-Tour rankings. But Schneider took down Corrieri in his first match with 9:7 which should have rung all alarm bells with Chinakhov. However, the course of the match between the two was very amazing. Chinakhov could not find any rhythm in his game and Schneider consequently used that to his benefit. Chinakhov underestimated his opponent obviously. It took nine racks for Ruslan Chinakhov to open his account against Schneider who was already on the hill with 8:0. After Chinakhov won rack #9, the Swiss player wasted no more time and won another rack to wipe the floor with Chinakhov, winning 9:1 over the disappointed Russian who now needs to come up with a good performance over the loser’s round in order to make it to the Mosconi Cup team this year.
Tomorrow, the Dynamic Billard Klagenfurt Open 2019 will continue at 09:00 CET with matches from loser’s round 2.
Every day, up to two matches will be streamed LIVE over the EPBF Facebook page and on the EPBF YouTube channel. Check for updates and announcements.
The Dynamic Billard Klagenfurt Open are played in the Sportpark Klagenfurt Arena in Klagenfurt, Austria, on up to 24 tables which are all streamed LIVE throughout the whole event. In order to be able to follow all the action LIVE, premium membership can be obtained at www.kozoom.com. Once a premium membership is held, all events for the respective period of time can be viewed LIVE. Additionally, a huge video gallery is contained in the website.
The event is hosted by the European Governing Body for Pool, the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF) and organized by International Billiard Promotion (IBP). For further information and reference please go to the federation website www.eurotouronline.com or visit us on Facebook for regular news clips or contact our press office press@epbf.com.
