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Jasmin Ouschan completes double triumph for Austria in Klagenfurt

Jasmin Ouschan, winner of the EPBF Klagenfurt Open 2018

Jasmin Ouschan (AUT) just won her 16th Euro-Tour tournament title in her hometown, Klagenfurt in Austria. She defeated Ana Gradisnik (SLO) 7:4 in the final match of the EPBF Klagenfurt Open.
 
Once again, Jasmin Ouschan dominated the field at a women’s Euro-Tour tournament. It is always special for her to perform in her hometown in front of her home crowd. But nonetheless, she demonstrated pool in high class quality. She smashed all of her opponents on her way into the final with the exception of Kateryna Polovinchuk (UKR) who took Ouschan to the limit. Polovinchuk demanded everything from Ouschan and got to hill-hill when Ouschan kept her nerves together and took the match against Polovinchuk. Ana Gradisnik on the other hand had some tough struggles to survive on her way into the final match. Like Ouschan, Gradisnik was undefeated but with Sandra Baumgartner (AUT) and Kristina Tkach (RUS) she had to deal with two extreme powerful opponents. However, today she took care of them and made it into the final match against favoured Ouschan.
 
The final match started as expected. Ouschan gained the upper hand in the early stage of the match and Gradisnik did not have too much to oppose to her stable and solid performance. After six racks, Ouschan had a comfortable 5:1 lead over Gradisnik. But then the Slovenian started a little comeback. Ouschan could not finish the match and Gradisnik made use of the opportunities that she was given. After ten racks, the scoreboard displayed 6:4 in favour of Ouschan and the heat was on for the local player. But Ouschan is so experienced that she knows how to handle heat and pressure. She played her style and took rack #11 to win her hometown tournament, the EPBF Klagenfurt Open 2018 with 7:4 over a tough opponent Ana Gradisnik.
 
„I did not have the best start into the match“, stated Ouschan after the match, „but I stayed calm and got back into the match by finding my rhythm and staying cool“. „There was a stage in the match when I kind of lost my focus,“ Ouschan admitted, „since I had a long day and I am very happy that I was able to overcome that stage and get back into gear to be able to take this title and keep it here in Klagenfurt.“
 
Top Eight Finishers
1. Jasmin Ouschan AUT
2. Ana Gradisnik SLO
3. Vania Franco POR
    Kristina Tkach RUS
5. Tina Vogelmann GER
    Kateryna Polovinchuk UKR
    Marharyta Fefilava BLR
    Christine Feldmann SUI
 
Euro-Tour Rankings Women
1. Marharyta Fefilava BLR
2. Kristina Tkach RUS
3. Jasmin Ouschan AUT
4. Oliwia Czuprynska POL
5. Ana Gradisnik SLO
6. Natalia Seroshtan RUS
7. Kateryna Polovinchuk UKR
8. Tina Vogelmann GER
9. Pia Filler GER
10. Ine Helvik NOR
 
That concludes the coverage of the Dynamic Billard Klagenfurt Open 2018. Tomorrow, the EPBF Klagenfurt Open 2018 for Women will continue at 10:00 with matches from the last 16 players single elimination.
 
The event is hosted by the European Governing Body for Pool, the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF) and organised by International Billiard Promotion (IBP).  Play starts Thursday at 09:30 local time, for further information and reference please go to the federation website eurotouronline under the Eurotour tab. You can also visit us on our Facebook page or check out the EPBF YouTube channel for regular news clips or contact our press office press@epbf.com.

Gray Notched a Victory Over Filler

Mark Gray, (inset:Joshua Filler)

Euro-Tour’s ranked #1 player Mark Gray (GBR) just notched a 9:5 victory over up and rising Joshua Filler (GER) in the winner’s qualification round of the Dynamic Billard Albanian Open in the Expo Center in Tirana, Albania.

 

Mark Gray is always a hot favorite for the title in any Euro-Tour event. Currently leading the rankings, the Brit still was favored in this match with Filler who is regarded as „the“ rising star in European Billiards by many. The signs for the match were on the wall: This was going to be a tough battle for both of the two players. Indeed, Filler was a great challenge for Gray over a long period in the match. After ten racks, the score was 5:5. This proved that none of the two really got any momentum until then. Filler was at the table having won the safety scenario in that rack and had a clear layout in front of him. He incomprehensibly missed an easy 3-ball and gave the potential lead away to Gray who thanked him and went ahead with 6:5. The next break was Filler’s. He had balls down but no shot at the 2-ball. So again, a safety exchange opened the rack. Gray played the better shots and took w two-point lead with 7:5. Then Filler took a time-out since he needed to get going now otherwise Gray would be too far ahead of him. Rack 13 saw again Gray as the better safety player and he managed to win that rack too, climbing on the hill 8:5. Now it was Filler’s break and his last chance to somehow turn the tide in the match. Filler had a good break and a nice layout in front of him. However, he again missed an easy shot on the 4-ball and gave the rack away to Gray who took the rack and the match 9:5 over Filler. In this match, Filler committed too many mistakes and Gray was the deserved winner in the end.

 

Other remarkable results from today include Ronald Regli (SUI) eliminating Mario He (AUT) from the tournament in loser’s round 3 with 9:8. Mario He, being the winner of the last event in North Cyprus, met Regli who was the runner-up from Austria, the event before. Two high-class players that one would not have expected in the early loser’s rounds. But they both already lost once so they had to joust on the left side of the flowchart. At 8:8, He played a poor safety shot which allowed Regli to run out and stay alive in the tournament. In the next round he will face Mark Mägi (EST) who also managed to win his last match with 9:8 over Michal Turkowski (POL).

 

Earlier today, Karlo Dalmatin (CRO) ended the hopes of Daniel Tangudd (SWE), overrunning him with 9:6. Alen Muratovic (BIH) sneaked past Dimitri Jungo (SUI) with a 9:8 triumph over the Suisse.  Ermal Dylie (ALB) also kept a foot in the door, winning his match with Rui-Edgar Franco (POR) 9:8. Dylie’s teammate Arjan Matrizi (ALB) also stayed alive in the event defeating French legend Stephan Cohen (FRA) 9:7. Jim Chawki (SWE) send Nick Malai (GRE) home by sweeping him 9:7.

 

In the Albanian Women Open, Katarzyna Wesolowska (POL) pipped her teammate Oliwia Czuprynska (POL) 7:6 in the first round. She will play Sandra Baumgartner (AUT) in winner’s round 1 at 15:30 CET today. Baumgartner remained the upper hand over Yini Gaspar (SUI) 7:4 in her first match. Diana Khodjaeva (BEL) shelled Palina Chernik (BLR) 7:1 in round 1 and will now encounter Kateryna Polovinchuk (UKR) in the next round.

 

The Euro-Tour is played on 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 purchased 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, visit us on Facebook or check out our youtube channel for regular news clips or contact our press office press@epbf.com.

Czuprynska Takes Her First Women’s Euro-Tour Title

Oliwia Czuprynska

Oliwia Czuprynska (POL) just won the Dynamic Billard Treviso Open Women’s Euro-Tour event with a convincing 7:2 victory over Kateryna Polovinchuk (UKR) in the final match.

 

Czuprynska had the better roll of the balls in the final. Leading 3:2, she missed an 8-ball but the cue ball went snookered behind the 9-ball, leaving no shot for her opponent. Polovinchuk tried to hit the 8-ball over one rail and succeeded in doing so but the cue ball scratched in the side pocket. That brought Czuprynska to 4:2. Later on in the match, Czuprynska grew stronger while Polovinchuk obviously seemed to struggle to get going. Whatever the Ukrainian tried, she could not come up with something to put into her account. Trailing 2:5, Polovinchuk tried a kiss shot off the 1-ball and pocket the 9-ball. She did not make it; to the contrary, she left the 9-ball having over the pocket for Czuprynska who accepted the gift and went on the hill with a 6:2 lead. The final rack again was determined by the strong play of Czuprynska who finally pocketed the final 9-ball and won the match and the tournament with 7:2.

 

"I am so happy", stated Czuprynska, "this is my first victory in a Women’s Euro-Tour event. I am now looking forward to making it to the World Championships again and maybe finish with a 9th place or better", added Czuprynska.

 

Earlier today, Polovinchuk took care of two major upsets in the event. She ousted former Champion Monica Webb (USA) with 7:5 in the loser’s qualification round. Then she went on and defeated European star player Jasmin Ouschan (AUT) with 7:6 in the round of the last 16 players. In the quarter-finals, Polovinchuk took care of Kristina Tkach.

 

Top Eight Finishers Dynamic Billard Treviso Open 2015 Women’s Euro-Tour

1. Oliwia Czuprynska (POL)

2. Kateryna Polovinchuk (UKR)

3. Ina Kaplan (GER)
Marika Poikkijoki (FIN)

5. Sara Rocha (POR)
Kristina Tkach (RUS)
Sandra Baumgartner (AUT)
Line Kjoersvik (NOR)

 

Top Ten ranked players in the Women’s Euro-Tour rankings:

1. Nataliya Seroshtan 2220 pts

2. Sandra Baumgartner AUT 1900 pts
3. Caroline Roos SWE 1880 pts

4. Jennifer Vietz 1745 pts

5. Louise Furberg SWE 1740 pts

6. Veronika Ivanovskaia GER 1730 pts

7. Ine Helvik NOR 1680 pts

8. Ana Mazhirina RUS 1670 pts

9. Melanie Suessenguth GER 1645 pts

10. Barbara Bolfelli ITA 1630 pts

 

The event was 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 womeneurotouronline.com , or contact our press office.

Mark Gray Wins Dynamic Billard Treviso Open

Mark Gray

With an absolutely justified 9:3 victory over Alexander Kazakis (GRE), Mark Gray (GBR) took the title at the Dynamic Billard Treviso Open 2015.

 

The final match was decided in the first racks already. While Gray continued his performance and played rock solid, Kazakis committed some unforced errors which completely brought him off track.  He missed several easy shots in the beginning and could not prevent Gray from capitalizing from it.  In rack two, Kazakis missed an easy 6-ball which was a straight shot in the corner pocket. Then in rack four and five, Kazakis missed the 1-ball in both racks. The more mistakes Kazakis played the stronger Gray grew throughout the match. Logically, Kazakis had no chances to win the match and the final result of 9:3 in favor of Gray is absolutely justified. „I am absolutely amazed to win this tournament wit 180 entries“, stated Gray after the match“.

 

Top Eight Finishers Dynamic Billard Treviso Open 2015

1. Mark Gray (GBR)

2. Alexander Kazakis (GRE)

3. Oliver Ortmann (GER)
Mats Schjetne (NOR)

5. Nick Van Den Berg (NED)
Francisco Diaz-Pizarro (ESP)
Ralf Souquet (GER)
Tomasz Kaplan (POL)

 

Top Ten ranked players in the Euro-Tour rankings:

1. Niels Feijen NED 2610 pts

2. Nick van den Berg NED 2250 pts
Mark Gray GBR 2250 pts

4. Albin Ouschan AUT 2220 pts

5. Petri Makkonen FIN 2165 pts

6. Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz ESP 2140 pts

7. Oliver Ortmann GER 2090 pts

8. Alexander Kazakis GRE 2055 pts

9. Francisco Diaz-Pizarro ESP 2050 pts

10. Ralf Souquet GER 2045 pts

 

Today, also the women’s Euro-Tour event has started. So far, no upsets have come across. However, it can be watched that many matches end with a relatively clear result of 7:0 or 7:1. In the winner’s qualification round, Nataliya Seroshtan (RUS) defeated Monica Webb (USA) by a whisker with 7:6. All-time favorite Jasmin Ouschan (AUT) took care of her opponent Ina Kaplan (GER) with a clear 7:4 result. Ouschan teammate Sandra Baumgartner (AUT) just ade it over Kateryna Polovinchuk (UKR) with 7:6. Nathalie Seichter (NED) won her winner’s qualification round match with 7:4 over Marika Poikkijoki (FIN). Tonight, the winner’s qualification round and loser’s round 3 will be completed.

 

Action continues tomorrow morning at 09:00 local time with matches of the loser’s qualification round.

 

The tournament is played on 16 tables of which 12 are in a livestream. In order to be able to follow all the action LIVE, premium membership can be purchased 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 eurotouronline.com , or contact our press office.

 

Grabe Takes Second in a Row

Denis Grabe (EST) has just won the Dynamic Billard Slovenian Open Euro-Tour event in Portoroz, Slovenia. He defeated Marc Bijsterbosch (NED) with a clear 9:4 result.

 

Grabe took his first Euro-Tour title ever at the last Euro-Tour in St. Johann, Austria. Already there he defeated bis names like current 9-ball World Champion Niels Feijen (NED). Here again, Grabe got the better of players like Karl Boyes (GBR) 9:4, Albin Ouschan (AUT) 9:3, Marcus Chamat (SWE) 9:3 and in the final up and coming young Dutch player Marc Bijsterbosch (NED) 9:4. „I think I am really on a roll at the moment“, stated Grabe after the final match. „The victories do not come easy to me at all. They are hard work. But I am very confident at this point in time and I want to make use of it while it lasts“, added Grabe.

 

It could be witnessed in general at this Euro-Tour event that many young players were doing extremely well. Maybe a new generation is knocking on the door of the established players…

 

Earlier today, Karl Boyes’ (GBR) journey was cruelly stopped by said Grabe. Boyes managed to defeat BCA Hall of Famer Ralf Souquet (GER) twice yesterday and was full of confidence and good hopes for today. But Grabe put an abrupt end to that. After the match, Boyes and Carlos Cabello (ESP) were randomly drawn for an anti-doping test, conducted by the Slovenian Anti-Doping Association SLOADO.

 

Also remarkable is the fact that many nations were represented in the final stages of the tournament. In the quarter-finals, eight different nations had a player in the field left. This shows the tight level of competition in Europe as of current.

 

Final standings:

  1. Denis Grabe (EST)
  2. Marc Bijsterbosch (NED)
  3. Marcus Chamat (SWE)
    Mats Schjetne (NOR)
  4. Mark Gray (GBR)
    Petri Makkonen (FIN)
    Radoslaw Babica (POL)
    Albin Ouschan (AUT)

The top ten players of the Euro-Tour rankings are now:

  1. Nick Van Den Berg (NED)
  2. Niels Feijen (NED)
  3. Daniele Corrieri (ITA)
  4. Karol Skowerski (POL)
  5. Mark Gray (GBR)
  6. Konstantin Stepanov (RUS)
  7. Albin Ouschan (AUT)
  8. Phil Burford (GBR)
  9. Radoslaw Babica (POL)
  10. Imran Majid (GBR)
  11.  

In the women’s division, the favorite players are in the winner’s bracket on their way to the single elimination stage of the event. Jasmin Ouschan (AUT) is playing Sandra Baumgartner (AUT), Oliwia Czuprynska (POL) battles it out with Kristina Schagan (GER), Ana Mazhirina (RUS) and Ine Helvik (NOR) are having a match and Martine Christiansen (NOR) plays against Monica Margeta (SWE) for a seat in the quarterfinals tomorrow. The last match is quite open. The first three matches clearly have heavily favored favorites in Ouschan, Czuprynska and Mazhirina.

 

The Women’s Euro-Tour Slovenian Open will continue tomorrow morning at 09:00 CET. The final is scheduled for 15:00 CET.

 

More information about participants, schedules, achievements, rankings, etc can be found on the event website www.eurotouronline.com

 

The event is hosted by the European Pocket Billiard Federation EPBF and organized by International Billiard Promotion Foundation IBPF.

 

Two For The Money Rounds

Photos Courtesy Tai Chengzhe

(Beijing)–Now, the fun begins.

After three days of round robin group play, in which 25 teams from all over the globe dueled  in a veritable cavalcade of 8-ball, 9-ball and 10-ball, the 2014 World Pool Team Championship has been whittled down to the Final 16.

All matches from here throughSaturday will be single elimination, and you can bet your last Chinese Yuan that the tension and drama levels inside the Tongzhou Lhue High School arena in Beijing will be thick and hot. For not only are the teams playing for $300,000 in prize money-with $80,000 going to the winning side— they are also competing for national pride. There’s something about wearing your country’s flag and having the backing and support of your fellow countrymen and teammates that takes this sport to a whole other dimension.

Leading the way in terms of support will be both China sides, both of whom completely waltzed through their group unscathed all week.  But while the Chinese squads are certainly formidable on paper, they both have had absolutely no competition in their groups.

Each China side had what could be considered the easiest draws in the event.  Now, however, that will all change. And while China 1—with Li He Wen, Wu Jiaqing, Chu Bing Chia, Han Yu, and Chen Siming– and China 2—with Liu Haitao, Dang Ching Hu, Wang Can, Fu Xiaofang, and Liu Shasha– will probably advance at least to the quarters and perhaps further, it all comes with a caveat that other teams won’t have to deal with. The pressure from the home fans placed on both China teams will be massive.

The one team that won’t have to deal with that problem are the defending champions, Chinese-Taipei. The Taiwanese, featuring a powerhouse lineup of Chang Jun Lin, Ko Pin Yi, Hsu Kai Lun, Fu Che Wei, and female player Chou Cheih Yu, have been untouchable all week here in Beijing. They are playing in that quiet, smooth style that carried them to the title two years ago in this very same arena.  Today in their last match of the group stage, the Taiwanese went up against Korea, which was fighting for survival. Although Taiwan was already guaranteed a spot in the Final 16, they showed no mercy on the Ga Young Kim-led Koreans, winning the six-match showdown easily, 5-1.

Team Japan plays loose and stress freeAnother team that looks unbeatable right now is the Philippines. Dennis Orcollo, Lee Vann Corteza, Carlo Biado and Rubilen Amit  have all the winning experience in the world to see themselves to the winner’s circle on Saturday. And they have been all business so far this week. Today the Philippines went up against a very formidable Poland side and basically toyed with the Poles, winning in a rout 6-0.

The Philippines could be looking at a potential quarterfinal matchup vs. Chinese-Taipei. Everyone and their brother expects the Philippines to get past Indonesia on Thursday. Chinese-Taipei, though, will have to buckle down as they will be banging heads with a very strong Austrian team.

Great Britain, featuring Daryl Peach, Chris Melling, Karl Boyes and Allison Fisher, have the fully loaded talent and moxie to make a serious run. Against Germany today, the Brits looked their usual top class and won the match 4-2, although both sides were guaranteed a spot in the Final 16 no matter who won. The Brits will play Vietnam in the Final 16 and are heavily favored to advance to the quarter-finals. There they will probably meet up with China II which plays heavy underdog Sweden. Great Britain vs. China II promises some serious fireworks should it come to pass, as it most probably will.

One team that has flown under the radar but can definitely win this event is Japan. The Japanese are easily the loosest squad in this event, laughing and enjoying themselves on every shot. It has served them well in the past as they went all the way to the finals here two years ago before losing to Chinese-Taipei. Japan goes into their Final 16 match with  the USA a big favorite. The Americans squeaked into the Final 16 and haven’t played up to standard yet this week.

The winner of Japan-USA will play the winner of Germany-Russia, which will be a very close matchup.

All matches in the Final 16 will take place on Thursday, July 31 beginning at 1PM(GMT +8). The quarterfinals will be played at 6:30PM.

*The WPA is on hand in Beijing to bring fans around the world full updated coverage of the 2014 World Pool Team Championship. 

You can follow the World Pool Team Championship on our Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/worldpoolteamchampionship.

The WPA is also on Twitter @poolwpa.

Or visit our website at www.wpapool.com

*The World Pool and Billiard Association(WPA) is the governing body of the sport of pocket billiards.

The Liado U Valley World Pool Team Championship is sanctioned by the WPA, The Multi-Ball Games Administrative Center of General Administration of  Sport, Chinese Billiard and Snooker Federation, Beijing Municipal  Bureau of Sport, Beijing Sports Federation.

FINAL 16
July 31, 1PM(GMT +8)

China 1 vs. Singapore
Poland vs. Croatia

Philippines vs. Indonesia
Chinese-Taipei vs. Austria

China II vs. Sweden
Great Britain vs. Vietnam

Germany vs. Russia
Japan vs. USA

Quarterfinals Begin at 6:30PM July 30(GMT +8)
Semi-finals will be played on Friday, 1PM and 6:30PM
Finals will be played on Saturday at 2PM 

FORMAT:  In each match between two countries, the two teams play each other in a set of six matches, all alternate break;  two races in 8 ball, two in 9-ball and two in 10-ball.  One 8-ball match is men’s scotch doubles, race to 6. The other 8-ball match is   a men’s singles, race to 6. In 9-ball, the teams   compete in a women’s singles, race to 8, and a men’s singles race to 8.  In 10-ball, the teams  play one mixed doubles match(scotch doubles),  race to 7, and one men’s singles match race to 7. The female player must play in the 10-ball mixed doubles match, and a 9-ball match.  No player is permitted to play more than two matches per session.

SHOOTOUTIf a match ends up 3-3 in the knockout stage, the winner will be decided by a shootout.   In a shootout the 8 ball is placed in the middle of the table down near the short rail,  level with the first diamond, while the cue ball is placed way down at the head string. The three men and one woman on each team take turns trying to pot the 8-ball in either far corner. All players  play in sequence and the team to score six hits first with a margin of two or more(6-4, 7-5, etc.) wins the match  and advances to the next round.

TEAMS

China 1—Li He Wen, Wu Jiaqing, Chu Bign Chia, Han Yu, Chen Siming
Singapore—Chan Keng Kwang, Aloyisus Yapp, Koh Seng Ann Aaron, Charlene Chai Zeet Huey, Toh Lian Han, Hoe Shu Wah

Poland–Karol Skowerski, Tomasz Kaplan, Mateusz Sniegocki, Katazyna Weslowska
Croatia—Josip Susnjara, Ivica Putnik, Marko Lisnic, Antonijevic Zrinka

Philippines–Dennis Orcollo, Lee Vann Corteza, Carlo Biado, Rubilen Amit
Indonesia—Bewi Simanjuntak M. Bewi, Rudy Susanto, Muhammad Fadly, Silvana

Chinese-Tapei—Chang Jun Lin, Ko Pin Yi, Hsu Kai Lun, Fu Che Wei, Chou Cheih Yu
Austria—Albin Ouschan, Tong He Yi, Jurgen Jenisy, Thomas Knittel, Jasmin Ouschan, Sandra Baumgartner

China 2—Liu Haitao, Dang Ching Hu, Wang Can, Fu Xiaofang, Liu Shasha
Sweden—Anreas Gerven, Marcus Chamat, Tomas Larsson, Caroline Roos

Great Britain—Daryl Peach, Karl Boyes, Chris Melling, Allison Fisher
Vietnam—Trung Le Quang, Tuan Nguyen Anh, Quan Do Hoang, Le Doan Thi Ngoc
 

Germany—Thorsten Hohmann, Ralf Souquet, Sebastian Staab, Ina Kaplan
Russia—Konstantin Stepanov, Ruslan Chinakhov, Andrey Seroshtan, Ann Mazhirina

Japan—Naoyuki Oi, Sasaaki Tanaka, Hayato Hijikata, Chichiro Kawahara
USA—Oscar Dominguez, Hunter Lombardo, Corey Deuel, Jennifer Barretta

RESULTS FROM DAY 3, GROUP STAGE

SESSION 1, 

Korea 4 – 2 New Zealand 
Indonesia 5 – 1 Malaysia 
China 1, 6 – 0 Hong Kong
Croatia 4 – 2 Sweden 
USA 5 – 1 Bulgaria
Austria 6 – 0 South Africa
Vietnam 4 – 2 Singapore
Philippines 6 – 0 Poland

Session 2  
Russia 5 – 1 New Zealand
Malaysia  4 – 2 India   
Great Britain 4 – 2 Germany
China 2, 6 – 0 Australia
Chinese-Taipei 5 – 1 Korea
Japan 6 – 0  Indonesia
China 1, 5 -1 Sweden
Croatia 3 – 3 Mongolia

Monica Webb takes the title in the Women’s Euro-Tour

Monica Webb

Monica Webb (USA) just won the Dynamic Billard Austrian Open Women Euro-Tour event in beautiful St. Johann/Pg., Austria, with a convincing 7:3 victory over favored hometown hero Jasmin Ouschan (AUT).
 
It has been Webb’s tournament from the very beginning. She played great throughout the whole event. Results like 7:4 over #2 ranked player Ana Mazhirina (RUS), 7:3 over #5 ranked Ina Kaplan (GER), 7:2 over multiple European and World Champion Oliwia Czuprynska (POL) and 7:3 against another multiple European and World Champion Jasmin Ouschan in the final demonstrated her domination in this event. Although being handicapped with a foot in plaster she performed better than ever in Europe. „I felt great in this event“, stated Webb after the match. „I have practiced a lot during the last months and I think it is paying off now“. When asked about her plans for the future, she answered with a smile: „I will definitely continue playing the Euro-Tour“.
 
Jasmin Ouschan’s way into the final was also quite impressive. Two victories over Kamila Khodjaeva (BEL) with 7:3 and 7:5 and a 7:2 victory over Line Kjoersvik (NOR) are among the impressive results from Ouschan.
 
The final match however was not Ouschan’s. She committed too many mistakes which was very unusual for Ouschan. For example, she left the 9-ball hanging over the pocket and missed several easy shots. Maybe the pressure to win on home soil is too big on her. However, her opponent benefitted from these mistakes. „I think I also had some luck in the right moments“, commented Webb modestly. But luck belongs to any sports and her performance here did not have too much to do with luck. She was simply better than the rest of the field. She is a very modest person and her victory is absolutely deserved.
 
 
 
Top 8 finishers Men’s Dynamic Billard Austrian Open 2014
 
Monica Webb (USA)
Jasmin Ouschan (AUT)
Line Kjörsvik (NOR)
Veronika Ivanovskaia (GER)
Ana Mazhirina (RUS)
Claudia Kunz (SUI)
Kamila Khodjaeva (BEL)
Oliwia Czuprynska (POL)
 
Top Ten players Euro-Tour ranking
 
Jasmin Ouschan (AUT)
Ana Mazhirina (RUS)
Caroline Roos (SWE)
Martine Christiansen (NOR)
Ina Kaplan (GER)
Jennifer Vietz (GER)
Nataliya Seroshtan (RUS)
Louise Furberg (SWE)
Sandra Baumgartner (AUT)
Ine Helvik (NOR)
This concludes the coverage from Alpina Wellness and Sports Hotel in Alpendorf, St. Johann/Pg., Austria. All results and more info can be found online at www.eurotourwomenonline.eu .
 
The event was 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 websitewww.epbf.com or contact the press office press@epbf.com.

Souquet and Ouschan win the Dynamic Billard North Cyprus Open

Ralf Souquet and Jasmin Ouschan

Ralf Souquet (GER) and Jasmin Ouschan (AUT) have won the titles at the Dynamic Billard North Cyprus Open Euro-Tour.
 
In the men’s division, Ralf Souquet played at his best. He took down great names like Ivo Aarts (NED) 9:0, Imran Majid (GBR) 9:3, Mieszko Fortunski (POL) 9:3 and in the final match Karl Boyes (GBR) with 9:4. The final match was dominated by Souquet from start to finish. A bit scrappy in the beginning, Souquet turned out to have the far better break shot than Boyes. He pocketed almost every time a ball on his break and ran out 4 racks without even allowing Boyes into the table. The Brit however had to struggle with his break shot. Most of the time, he came up dry with no ball down or not enough balls crossing the kitchen line. This situation was taken advantage of by Souquet without any mercy. The BCA Hall of Famer played up to his standard and rightfully took the final match with 9:4. "I did not have the best two weeks before at the European Championships", stated Souquet after the match. "I won a bronze Medal in 9-Ball and one in the team competition. Normally, I am aiming for more", he added. "I am happy that I found my game in the Euro-Tour and that I was able to perform on that level", mentioned the likable German.
 
The first 8 players in the men’s division were:
 
1. Ralf Souquet (GER)
 
2. Karl Boyes (GBR)
 
3. Chris Melling (GBR)
Mieszko Fortunski (POL)
 
5. Phil Burford (GBR)
Imran Majid (GBR)
Francisco Diaz-Pizarro (ESP)
Serge Das (BEL)
 
The Top Ten men in the Euro-Tour rankings are:
 
1. Nick Van Den Berg (NED)
 
2 .Niels Feijen (NED)
 
3. Phil Burford (GBR)
 
4. Karol Skowerski (POL)
 
5. Tomasz Kaplan (POL)
 
6. Mateusz Sniegocki (POL)
 
7. Albin Ouschan (AUT)
 
8. Konstantin Stepanov (RUS)
 
9. Mark Gray (GBR)
 
10. Chris Melling (GBR)
 
These new rankings after the Dynamic Billard North Cyprus Open determine the European participants for the Men’s World 9-Ball Championships in Qatar later this year. Nominated through the WPA rankings will be: Thorsten Hohmann (GER), Karl Boyes (GBR), Mika Immonen (FIN), Nick Ekonomopoulos (GRE), Darren Appleton (GBR), Chris Melling (GBR), Niels Feijen (GER), Ralf Souquet (GER) and Huidji See. Nominated through the European Championships will be: Jürgen Jenisy (AUT), Albin Ouschan (AUT), Mateusz Sniegocki (POL), Konstantin Stepanov (RUS) and Michel Barthol (CRO). Nominated through the Euro-Tour rankings will be: Nick Van Den Berg (NED), Phil Burford (GBR), Karol Skowerski (POL), Tomasz Kaplan (POL), Mark Gray (GBR), Daryl Peach (GBR), Radoslaw Babica (POL), Stephan Cohen (FRA), Mieszko Fortunski (POL), Alex Kazakis (GRE), Imran Majid (GBR), Andreas Gerwen (SWE), Ivo Aarts (NED), Mario He (AUT), Petri Makkonen (FIN), Manuel Gama (POR), Artem Koshovyi (UKR) and Bruno Muratore (ITA). Nominated through the European Senior Championships will be: Tom Strom (SWE).
 
These names are subject to confirmation by the EPBF.
 
In the women’s final, Jasmin Ouschan demonstrated her superiority over all other players. In a total of six matches, she only lost seven (7!) individual racks! She defeated Katrine Feijen (DEN) 7:1, Monika Margeta (SWE) 7:1, Katarzyna Wesolowska (POL) 7:1, Oliwia Czuprynska (POL) 7:3, Monica Webb (USA) 7:1 and Kristina Tkach (RUS) in the final match even with 7:0. "I always try and play my best game", said Ouschan after the match. "This time, I was really feeling good and I think that was the reason why I could perform with my best game".
 
The first 8 players in the women’s division were:
 
1. Jasmin Ouschan (AUT)
 
2. Kristina Tkach (RUS)
 
3. Monica Webb (USA)
Ana Gradisnik (SLO)
 
5. Caroline Roos (SWE)
Kristina Zlateva (BUL)
Claudia Kunz (SUI)
Oliwia Czuprynska (POL)
 
The Top Ten women in the Euro-Tour rankings are:
 
1. Jasmin Ouschan (AUT)
 
2. Anna Mazhirina (RUS)
 
3. Caroline Roos (SWE)
 
4. Martine Christiansen (NOR)
 
5. Ina Kaplan (GER)
 
6. Jennifer Vietz (GER)
 
7. Nataliya Seroshtan (RUS)
 
8. Louise Furberg (SWE)
 
9. Sandra Baumgartner (AUT)
 
10. Ine Helvik (NOR)
 
That concludes the coverage of the Dynamic Billard North Cyprus Open Euro-Tour for Men and Women.
 
All results and more info can be found on www.eurotouronline.eu . Videos of the event can be viewed by premium members at www.kozoom.com.
 
The event was 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.eu or contact our press office press@epbf.com.

Major upsets and “business as usual” go hand in hand

112 Men, 48 Women and 17 Wheelchair players have entered the 8-ball individuals at the 2014 Dynamic Billard European Championships in order to grab the title in their respective division.
Defending Champion David Alcaide (ESP) seems to be hard to stop at this year's Dynamic Billard European Championships. After taking the 10-ball title earlier this week, he is right on track in the 8-ball as well. With victories over Vincent Facquet (FRA) 8:4, Marcus Chamat (SWE) 8:3 and Alex Montpellier (FRA) 8:4, he made his way to the stage of the final 32 players where he will meet his fellow countryman Francisco Sanchez Ruiz (ESP) tomorrow morning at 09:00 local time. A big upset happened in the match between Konstantin Stepanov (RUS) and Georg Hoeberl (AUT). The Austrian eliminated the Russian superstar with 8:6 from the event. Somehow, these Austrians seem to be in a perfect shape these days. Jürgen Jenisy (AUT) ousted Tomasz Kaplan (POL) 8:5 from the 8-ball event. Probably the biggest surprise was the victory of Ioan Ladanyi (ROM) over 10-Ball World Champion Hudji See (NED) with 8:0 ! A whitewash for the World Champion from a complete underdog! Albin Ouschan (AUT) could not follow his teammates in to the next round. He lost clearly with 2:8 to Jakub Koniar (SVK). Daryl Peach (GBR) was another famous victim of today's play. He had to bow to Christian Surdea (ROM) with 7:8. Two Romanians taking care of two major upsets. Niels Feijen (NED) just crossed the finish line with an 8:7 victory over Kasper Kristoffersen (DEN).
 
In the women's division, defending Champion Line Kjoersvik (NOR) is straight on track. She won her first two matches over Alice Marcotte (FRA) 6:0 and Eylul Kibaroglu (TUR) 6:3. She has booked her seat in the single elimination round of the last 16 players. Among others, she is joined by Tamara Peeters-Rademakers (NED) who surprisingly sent Oliwia Czuprynska (POL) to the loser's side with 6:4. All time favorite Jasmin Ouschan (AUT) has also secured her spot in the round of the last 16 players. She won over Claudia Kunz (SUI) 6:3 and Nathalie Seichter (NED) 6:0. Last year's runner-up Marika Poikkijoki (FIN) did not have smooth sailing today. She won her first match with Kynthia Orfanidis (NED) 6:3 but then fell to Martine Christiansen (NOR) 5:6. On the loser's side, Poikkijoki had to deal with Russian Anna Mazhirina (RUS). Mazhirina made too many potting errors and opened the way for Poikkijoki to win the match with 6:3. Kamila Khodjaeva (BEL) came up with some impressive 8-ball action today. She defeated Sandra Baumgartner (AUT) 6:4 and Kristina Schagan (GER) 6:1. The strong Polish women Katarzyna Wesolowska (POL) and Oliwia Czuprynska (POL) did not have too much luck in their game today. While Czuprynska managed to get back into the round of the last 16 players through the loser's round with a 6:4 victory over Veronika Hubrtova (CZE), Weslowska's 8-ball journey has ended for 2014. She lost to unheralded Severine Titaux (FRA) 5:6.
The wheelchair division saw all favorites making their way through to the quarter-finals today. Defending Champion Fred Dinsmore (IRE) started his journey today with a 5:2 victory over Aslam Abubaker (GBR). Then he just managed to defeat Leszek Blumczynski (POL) with 5:4 to book his seat among the final eight players. Multi-time European and World Champion Jouni Tähti (FIN) took down Joachim Schuler (GER) 5:1 and then Craig Welsh (GBR) 5:0. He was definitely in a good stroke all day long. Belgium's Kurt Deklerck (BEL) won over Tony Southern (GBR) 5:3 and then got the better of Tankred Volkmer (GER) with 5:4. Finally, Henrik Larsson (SWE) won his matches over Daniel Luton (GBR) 5:2 and David Himpe (BEL) 5:1. These four players can be considered the serious favorites in the wheelchair division. However, they will get an opponent from the loser's side and have to continue in single-elimination mode from tomorrow on to find out who will be the Champion in 8-ball.

Play will commence tomorrow morning 09:00 local time with the 8-ball competition. All results and more info can be found on www.epconline.eu. LIVEStream can be viewed at www.kozoom.com.

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.epconline.eu or contact our press office press@epbf.com.

Austria makes it to the top

Team Austria has won both team Gold Medals in the men’s and women’s division.
 
In the final match of the women’s division, Jasmin Ouschan and Sandra Baumgartner won her match over team Russia with 2:1 in the shootout. Jasmin Ouschan had won her 8-Ball match over Natalya Seroshtan with 6:0 while Anna Mazhirina defeated Sandra Baumgartner in 9-Ball 7:1. The Russian women got to the finals with victories over France 2:0, won the shootout over Austria with 2:1, then lost 1:2 to Norway, went to the loser’s side to defeat The Netherlands with 2:0. Then, in the semifinals, Russia defeated Switzerland with 2:0 to get a spot in the final match.
 
Team Austria defeated team Portugal 2:0 and then lost to team Russia 1:2 . They won over team Poland 2:1 in the loser’s round and eliminated team Norway 2:1 in the semifinal.
 
The final match was close as a team match though the individuals were quite clear. In the shootout, team Austria proved that they are true Champions and pocketed more balls than their opponents from Russia.
 
In the men’s division final, Albin Ouschan, Mario He and Jürgen Jenisy defeated team Spain with 2:1. That match was a thriller and so were the individuals. Mario played David Alcaide in 8-Ball and the match was completely even. In the end, Alcaide had the better roll of the balls and won his match 8:6. The score was 1:0 for Spain. At that point in time, Francesco Diaz was on 7:7 against Albin Ouschan in a 10-ball match race to eight when he had only three more balls on the table. He could have snatched the title for team Spain. But he dogged the 7-ball and allowed Ouschan back to the table. Albin Ouschan cleared the rack, won the 10-ball 8:7 and tied the team match at 1:1. Jürgen Jenisy was always o top of Francisco Sanchez Ruiz and kept his nerves together. He won his 9-ball match with 9:3 and claimed the title for the Austrian men’s team.
 
Team Austria reached the final with victories over Norway 2:1, Croatia 2:0, Russia 2:1, Great Britain 2:1 and Germany in the semifinal 2:1. Team Spain got there by defeating Switzerland 3:0, Poland 2:0, Portugal 3:0, Russia 2:0 and again Portugal in the semifinal with 2:1.
 
The double victory will take Austria to rank Nr.1 in the current medal table of the Dynamic Billard European Championships for men, women and wheelchair athletes.

Earlier today, a few rounds of 8-ball matches were played. Bahram Lotfy (DEN) won 8:6 over Mariusz Skoneczny (POL). Jürgen Jenisy (AUT) overcame Imran Majid (GBR) 8:6. Tomislav Susic (CRO) crushed Daniele Corrieri (ITA) with 8:1. Chris Melling (GBR) won a really tight thriller over unheralded Vitaliy Patsura (UKR) with 8:7.
 
Play will commence tomorrow morning 09:00 local time with the 8-ball competition. All results and more info can be found on www.epconline.eu. LIVEStream can be viewed at www.kozoom.com.
 
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.epconline.eu or contact our press office press@epbf.com.