In a dramatic winner’s round 1 match at the Dynamic Billard Austrian Open in Alpina Wellness & Sports Hotel, St. Johann i.Pg., Austria, between the two grandmasters Ralf Souquet (GER) and Stephan Cohen (FRA), Cohen remained the upper hand and bested Souquet by a whisker with 9:8.
The first half of the match belonged to Souquet. The German dominated at the table and Cohen struggled to get going. After 13 racks, Souquet was on the hill leading 8:5 over Cohen. At that point in time, the odds for Cohen were close to zero. But Cohen came back. He took some racks an the pressure was on for Souquet. With Souquet being in the lead 8:6, both players went for a time-out. When they got back to the table, it seemed to have worked better for Cohen. The frenchman took the next two racks and turned the match into a hill-hill thriller at 8:8. Rack 17 was won by Cohen who had managed to turn the tide in the match and performed a marvellous comeback in the tournament. With this victory, Cohen marched on into the next winner’s round where he overpowered Kim Laaksonen (FIN) 9:4. Cohen has booked his seat in the winner’s qualification round while Souquet needs to find his fortune on the loser’s side of the event.
#1 ranked player on the Euro-Tour ranking is currently David Alcaide (ESP). The Spaniard needed to do some serious work today. In his first match, he just made it 9:8 over Miguel Silva (POR). The next round was not easier for the #1 player. He encountered Abdullah Al-Youssef (KUW) and needed another 9:8 victory over the full distance to get his foot in the door of the winner’s qualification round.
Silva’s teammate Joao Grilo (POR) was a bit luckier today. He faced local hero Mario He (AUT) in winner’s round 1 and took the Austrian down unexpectedly clear with 9:4.
Today seemed to be not a good or easy day for the top ranked Euro-Tour players. Alcaide won his two matches with 9:5. #2 ranked player Joshua Filler (GER) lost 8:9 to Sergey Lutsker (RUS). „I did not have a break shot at all“, commented Filler after the match, „my break simply wasn’t there. That was the main reason for my defeat“. Also long time ranking leader and current #3, Mark Gray (GBR) could not make it through the winner’s side today. After defeating Piergiovanni Davy (ITA) 9:1, he fell 8:9 to unheralded Mariusz Skoneczny (POL).
Probably the most surprising comeback of the day was performed by dark horse Thomas Fjaeran (NOR). The Norwegian was trailing 1:8 after 30 minutes to Mieszko Fortunski (POL), the winner of the Dynamic Billard Italian Open in February 2016. Things looked over for Fjaeran. But the Scandinavian hung in there and started his amazing comeback. Never looking back, Fjaeran took it step by step and managed to realise the impossible, winning the match with 9:8 over a devastated Mieszko Fortunski!
Today’s feature match which was broadcasted LIVE on the EPBF Facebook page was the clash in winer’s round 2 between Denis Grabe (EST) and Oliver Ortmann (GER). The match went up and down. In the beginning, Ortmann looked like the clear winner, taking a 4:1 lead after five racks. But grabe came back. Additionally, Ortmann’s break shot left him and no wonder Grabe managed to close the gap and even overtake Ortmann, leading 6:4 after the next five racks. However, Ortmann survived that critical phase and found his game back, taking the next racks and getting on the hill at 8:7. Grabe played a safety in rack 16 which was not good enough for Ortmann. The former World Champion from Germany went ahead and cleared the rack, winning the thrilling match with 9:7 over Denis Grabe.
Tomorrow, the Dynamic Billard Austrian Open in Alpina Wellness & Sports Hotel, St. Johann i.Pg., Austria, will continue at 09:00 CET with matches from loser’s round 2.
Every day, one match from the event will be shown LIVE on the Facebook page of the EPBF. All Facebook users may check out the high standard of quality which is provided for all the events and see what the Kozoom members receive all the time. You can see all the matches on up to 20 tables live via www.kozoom.com who stream the whole event on the internet LIVE. The FB live matches are announced on the EPBF Facebook page around noon every day. Results and schedule can be found at www.eurotouronline.com so why not come and check out all the LIVE action of the Dynamic Billard Austrian Open starting Thursday 18th May at 09:00h
The events will be 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.epbf.com, visit us on Facebook or check out our youtube channel for regular news clips or contact our press office press@epbf.com.
At the Dynamic Billard European Championships for Men, Women and Wheelchair Athletes in the Salgados Palace Hotel in Albufeira, Portugal, the Women’s Team from Russia and the Men’s Team from Austria have won the Gold medals in their respective division.
In the men’s division, Team Austria met Team Finland in the final match. The Austrians had ousted the strong Polish Team in their semi-final 2:0 while the Finnish have taken down Team Spain 2:1. The first point for Austria was in the books very quickly. Albin Ouschan won his 9-ball match over Kim Laaksonen 9:2 in just under one hour. That brought Austria the 1:0 lead. Then, Petri Makkonen rode the winning wave over Maximilian Lechner in 10-ball with 8:4. The 8-ball match between Mario He and Jani Uski had to decide. Uski, who just won the title in 8-ball earlier this week, was down 6:7 with Mario He being at the table. The Austrian cleared the table but lined the 8-ball which was lying in a cluster of balls up for a one-rail shot in the side pocket. He missed that shot and Uski got back to the table, cleared it and turned the scoreboard to 7:7. One last 8-ball rack was deciding about fame and glory. Uski had the break shot and perfectly executed it, having some ball down and a nice option to continue. He pocketed all balls of his group except the last one. He fell out of position since he tried to open it up with the shot before but failed to touch the ball at all. So he went for a safety attempt which failed completely. Mario He had one more visit to the table and used it. Cheered up by his teammates Ouschan and Lechner, He cleared the table and pocketed the last winning 8-ball, taking the title for Austria.
Also today in the men’s team competition, disciplinary action was taken against one player. Daniel Kandi (DEN) has over the past week repeatedly misconducted at the table by bashing balls and/or his cue on the table among other things. Said EPBF Sports Director Anamaria Matesic: „We definitely allow players to show emotions and we want to display our sport in all its facets, but we also require a certain level of behaviour. This was broken several times by Mr. Kandi so, after having warned him through a referee on different occasions already, I decided to impose a fine of 500,-€ on him. I hope he will learn from that and in future events will conduct accordingly so we can all work for our common goal to display our sports at its best“.
Top 8 Men’s Teams:
1. Austria
2. Finland
3. Poland
Spain
5. Croatia
Netherlands
Denmark
Russia
In the women’s division, the final match was played between Team Spain and Team Russia. After a heartbreaking shootout decision in the semi-final over Team The Netherlands, the Spanish team seemed a bit out of energy. Probably the semi-final took too much out of them. On the other hands, Team Russia sailed into the final match with a nice and clear 2:0 victory over Team Switzerland. In the final, Nataliya Seroshtan finished Mayte Ropero 6:1 in 8-ball while Kristina Tkach left no chance for Amalia Matas and won her 9-ball match 7:5.
Top 8 Women’s Teams:
1. Russia
2. Spain
3. Netherlands
Switzerland
5. France
Poland
7. Germany
Sweden
Medal Table after 4 of 5 events:
The team competition ties the Finnish and the Dutch Team for first place in the medal ranking. They both still have promising players in the 9-ball individuals so it will be interesting to see who will be the overall winning nation tomorrow after the last ball has been pocketed.
Earlier today, a few rounds of 9-ball individuals were played. In the men’s division, the tournament is down to the round of the last 64 players single elimination. Here, Christian Sparrenloev-Fischer (SWE) had a tough fight with defending Champion Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz (ESP). The match went hill-hill at 8:8 with Fischer breaking the final rack. He executed a very powerful break and had the 1-ball and the 5-ball pocketed, having a long thin cut on the 2-ball. He went for it, missed it but got extremely lucks since the cue ball hid behind the 7-ball, making it hard for Sanchez to come up with a decent answer. The Spaniard tried to hit the 2-ball rail first and successfully did so. However, the cue ball scratched and that brought Fischer back to the table with ball in hand. Sparrenloev-Fischer used his chance and luckily took the match with 9:8 over Sanchez, advancing to the round of the last 32 players while Sanchez is eliminated out of the 9-ball individuals at the Dynamic Billard European Championships for Men, Women and Wheelchair Athletes in the Salgados Palace Hotel in Albufeira, Portugal. Also in the round of the last 64 men, Marco Teutscher (NED) ousted the current 9-ball World Champion Albin Ouschan (AUT) quite clearly with 9:4. In an encounter of two very experienced players, Niels „The Terminator“ Feijen (NED) defeated Stephan Cohen (FRA) by a whisker with 9:8. Daniele Corrieri (ITA) ended Mario He’s (AUT) hope for a title in 9-ball this year with a deserved and clear 9:3 result. Joining Mario He in the group of eliminated players is David Alcaide (ESP). His destiny was sealed by Denis Grabe (EST) with 9:7.
In the women’s division, the Dynamic Billard European Championships for Men, Women and Wheelchair Athletes are down to the last 16 players single elimination. Today, the loser’s qualification round was completed. Kristina Tkach (RUS) remained alive in the competition by smashing Monica Margeta (SWE) 7:2. Kelly Fisher (GBR) who surprisingly lost her opening match, has also made it to the last 16 players. She defeated Vania Franco (POR) 7:3. unfortunately for Fisher, she was drawn against Jasmin Ouschan (AUT) in the first single elimination round which will be played tomorrow at 12:00 GMT.
In the wheelchair division, defending Champion Henrik Larsson (SWE) convincingly made his way into the semi-final, taking down Matt Duffy (GBR) 7:1. The other winner’s qualification match in the wheelchair division was fiercely fought over. In the end, Kurt Deklerck (BEL) managed to get the better of Fred Dinsmore (IRL) by taking the match 7:6. This seems not be be Dinsmore’s Championships.
Every day, one match from the events will be shown LIVE on the Facebook page of the EPBF. All Facebook users may check out the high standard of quality which is provided for all the events and see what the Kozoom members receive all the time. You can see all the matches live via www.kozoom.com who stream the whole event on 24 tables on the internet LIVE. The FB live matches are announced on the EPBF Facebook page around noon every day. Results and schedule can be found at www.europeanpoolchampionships.com so why not come and check out all the LIVE action of the Dynamic Billard European Championships for Men, Women and Wheelchair Athletes.
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.epbf.com, visit us on Facebook or check out our youtube channel for regular news clips or contact our press office press@epbf.com.
The first day of the Dynamic Billard European Championships for Men, Women and Wheelchair athletes brought several surprises in all divisions. 102 men, 40 women and 14 participants in the wheelchair division have entered the discipline in order to see who will take the titles in the end.
In the winner’s qualification round of the men’s division 10-ball, Stephan Cohen (FRA) defeated Nick Van Den Berg (NED) surprisingly clear with 8:3. There is a story behind both of the two opponents. Cohen just today received his luggage after being here already for three days. He had to borrow cue stick and equipment and went through the straight pool with stuff from his fellow players. Probably he was very happy today to play in his own clothes with his own cue stick and equipment. On the other side, Nick van den Berg needs a good finish during these European Championships. Just like Niels Feijen who achieved his A-status yesterday by winning the title in straight pool, Nick van den Berg has the chance to get funding through his national olympic committee if he gets among the top eight players in a discipline. So the mindset of the two contestants were quite opposite before the match. Maybe that was the advantage that Cohen had over van den Berg. The Dutch never got into gear and had to watch Cohen snatching rack after rack from him. After six racks, the score was all square at 3:3. But then Cohen overtook on the left side and left van den Berg no other choice but watching him run away. In the end, 8:3 was the justified result for Cohen. The French advanced to the round of the last 64 players single elimination. Other remarkable results in the men’s division include Saki Kanatlar (TUR) pipping Denis Grabe (EST) to the post 8:7. In his loser’s qualification round match, Grabe wasted no time with Karim Belhaj (FRA), smashing him 8:1 out of the 10-ball and grabbing his seat among the final 64 tomorrow. Ivar Saris (NED) came up with the next upset, defeating Konstantin Stepanov (RUS) 8:6. Finally, Evgenii Buslaev (RUS) overpowered Mario He (AUT) 8:6.
One huge upset occurred in the women’s division today. Defending Champion Jasmin Ouschan (AUT) is already out of the 10-ball competition after having played only two matches. In her first match, she fell to the sharp blade of Ana Gradisnik (SLO) 5:6. She had to go to the loser’s side where she unfortunately met Kristina Tkach (RUS). Tkach, newly crowned straight pool Champion, lost to Tina Vogelmann (GER) earlier today and was also on the loser’s side, as unexpected as Ouschan. In their encounter, Tkach played rock solid and did not leave many chances for Ouschan. She proved to have nerves of steel and ousted Ouschan 6:2 from the 10-ball competition. Another remarkable result in the women’s division includes Claudia Von Rohr (SUI) beating Amalia Matas (ESP) 6:3. Matas missed too many balls in deciding situations and von Rohr was cool enough to benefit from it so the result is perfectly in order with the way the match went.
In the wheelchair division, two long-time rivals met in the first round. Kurt Deklerck (BEL) took on Henrik Larsson (SWE) in winner’s round one and snatched the victory by a whisker with 5:4.
Tomorrow, the tournament will continue at 09:00 GMT with matches from the 10-ball individuals competition.
Every day, one match from the events will be shown LIVE on the Facebook page of the EPBF. All Facebook users may check out the high standard of quality which is provided for all the events and see what the Kozoom members receive all the time. You can see all the matches live via www.kozoom.com who stream the whole event on 24 tables on the internet LIVE. The FB live matches are announced on the EPBF Facebook page around noon every day. Results and schedule can be found at www.eurotouronline.com so why not come and check out all the LIVE action of the Dynamic Billard European Championships for Men, Women and Wheelchair Athletes starting Saturday 18th March at 09:00h GMT.
The event will be 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.
Kristina Tkach (RUS) and Niels Feijen (NED) have just won the gold medals in the straight pool discipline of the Dynamic Billard European Championships in Albufeira, Portugal.
In the men’s division, „The Terminator“ Niels Feijen played an outstanding tournament. Having won the coveted title in straight pool already 5-times before, Feijen really had an incentive this time. His A-status with the Dutch Olympic Committee and therefore the funding for another year was in danger if he would not have made in into the last eight of the event. After having ousted Stephan Cohen (FRA) 125:3 in the round of the last 32 players, he met the defending Champion Albin Ouschan (AUT) in the next round. Ouschan was a very high obstacle that Feijen needed to overcome in order to get into the round of the last 8. But „The Terminator“ stood tall today and took down Ouschan with 125:88 after a firefly fought match. In the quarter-final, Feijen eliminated Jakub Koniar (SVK) with 125:46 without further problems. Even clearer was Feijen’s victory in the semi-final with Kim Laaksonen (FIN). He ousted the Finish player 125:19 and one could witness Feijen’s hunger to grab his 6th title in straight pool growing strong. In the final match, Feijen met Tomasz Kaplan (POL) who has also earned his merits in the past in straight pool. Today, Feijen was too strong for Kaplan. The Dutch turned the final match into a one man show and after one hour and ten minutes, „The Terminator“ sank the final ball for a 125:13 victory over Kaplan, having used only four innings to claim the victory.
In the women’s competition, Kristina Tkach was up against the Austrian title defender, Jasmin Ouschan (AUT). Tkach’s way into the final looked quite impressive. In the round of the last 16 players she bested Marharyta Fefilava (BLR) 75:4. Then she marched on and triumphed clearly over Amalia Matas (ESP) 75:15. In the semi-final match, Tkach got the better of her teammate Nataliya Seroshtan (RUS) and remained the upper hand with 75:57. In the final match of course, Jasmin Ouschan was awaiting her. The Austrian title defender started furiously and took a 39:-2 lead over Tkach. But the young Russian remained cool as ice and played her game whenever Ouschan allowed her to do so. And she got more chances than expected. Ouschan committed several serious and avoidable mistakes. Leading 61:45, Tkach missed the break ball and Ouschan got back to an open table. The audience and Ouschan were shocked when the Austrian missed the first clear and easy shot! Tkach thanked her in her own way by running the rack and pocketing the remaining 14 balls in order to win the match and the title 75:45. It’s Tkach’s second title in the women’s division after having won the 8-ball in St. Johann i.Pg, Austria last year.
Top 8 Women
1. Kristina Tkach (RUS)
2. Jasmin Ouschan (AUT)
3. Tina Vogelmann (GER)
Nataliya Seroshtan (RUS)
5. Lousie Furberg (SWE)
Monica Margeta (SWE)
Amalia Matas (ESP) Claudia Von Rohr (SUI)
Medal table after 1 of 5 events:
Tomorrow, the tournament will continue at 09:00 GMT with matches from the 10-ball individuals competition.
Every day, one match from the events will be shown LIVE on the Facebook page of the EPBF. All Facebook users may check out the high standard of quality which is provided for all the events and see what the Kozoom members receive all the time. You can see all the matches live via www.kozoom.com who stream the whole event on 24 tables on the internet LIVE. The FB live matches are announced on the EPBF Facebook page around noon every day. Results and schedule can be found at www.eurotouronline.com so why not come and check out all the LIVE action of the Dynamic Billard European Championships for Men, Women and Wheelchair Athletes starting Saturday 18th March at 09:00h GMT.
The event will be 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.
Alexander Kazakis (GRE) has had a good day „at the office“ today. After having won the 10-ball Kremlin Cup earlier this month, Kazakis came here to Treviso with a lot of wind underneath his wings to play the Dynamic Billard Treviso Open, the final event of the Euro-Tour in 2016. He seems to be on a streak. In his first winner’s round match, Kazakis wasted no time with Guilherme Sousa (POR) and defeated him 9:4. In the next round, the opponent was punished even harder. Ryan Pisany (MLT) fell to the sharp blade of Kazakis and received the maximum penalty. 9:0 was the final result that put Kazakis in the winner’s qualification round where he will be up against Arjan Matrizi (ALB).
Former World 9-ball Champion Daryl Peach (GBR) did not catch that good of a day as Kazakis. He won his first match 9:4 over Adam Mscisz (POL) but then met Sascha Trautmann (GER). The German prove to be too strong for Peach today and showed no mercy for him. 9:3 was the final result that put Peach on the loser’s side of the draw.
Joining the list of the fallen heroes from today is Albin Ouschan (AUT), current 9-ball World Champion. He started with an easy prey in winner’s round one with a comfortable 9:4 victory over Mariusz Skoneczny (POL). In the next round, Ouschan stood against Andrey Seroshtan (RUS). That match went completely against the World Champion. Seroshtan dominated the table and in the end handed Ouschan a tough and painful 9:4 debacle. Seroshtan, who earlier today overpowered Andreas Madsen (DEN) 9:5 now will go against Jose Alberto Delgado (ESP) in the winner’s qualification round.
Another interesting encounter took place in winner’s round one between Konstantin Stepanov (RUS) and newbie Aleksa Pecelj (SRB). The 16-year-old kid from Serbia came here to Treviso for his first Euro-Tour experience and he came up with some impressive performances. In round one, he defeated Jorge Garcia-Fonseca (ESP) with 9:0. Then he met Stepanov who is constantly ranked in the top 32 in Europe since years. However, Pecelj did not show too much respect and tried to live for the moment. He used his chances whenever he got them and Stepanov committed some unnecessary mistakes. This combination lead to a score of 8:8 with Pecelj having the final break shot. He could not make a ball off the break but left no shot for Stepanov. The cue ball was hiding partly behind the 8-ball and he could not see the whole of the 1-ball. He played a push-out and left a tough position for Pecelj. The young Serbian decided to go for a combination shot that was very hard to make. Playing that shot in that situation would have probably not been the choice of many players. But Pecelj went for it and made it. He then used his chance and ran the rack to win with 9:8 over a disappointed Stepanov. In his next match in winner’s round two, Pecelj lost to Olivier Mortier (BEL) 7:9.
This year’s Mosconi Cup Captain for Team EUROPE, Marcus Chamat (SWE). received a painful whipping today from Hubert Lopotko (POL). In winner’s round one, Lopotko destroyed Chamat on table 1 and handed him a clear 9:5 defeat. Thereafter, Chamat went to the loser’s side and ousted Tom Bjerke (NOR) 9:6. Having received a walk-over in the next round, Chamat will be up next against Thomas Poeschl (GER) on Friday morning at 10:30 local time. On the other hand, Lopotko has made his way through to the winner’s qualification round by taking down Kristjan Kuusik (EST) 9:5 after the destruction of Chamat. At 13:30tomorrow, he will face Stephan Cohen (FRA) for a spot in the single elimination of the event.
The Euro-Tour is played on 20 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.
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.
THE 2015 DAFABET WORLD CUP OF POOL got underway today with three first round matches and there were a couple of upsets as two-time champions China crashed out to qualifiers Romania and then France squeezed past the seeded Canada in a deciding rack.
Taking place at the York Hall in London, the Dafabet World Cup of Pool features 32 two-man teams from around the globe competing for a $250,000 prize fund. Televised live in over 40 countries around the world, the event is now entering its tenth year.
No.8 seeds China had a torrid time of it at the hands of qualifiers Romania who were making their debut in the competition. They put on a tremendous show to take the match 7-4.
In 2011 the Chinese as defending champions crashed out to qualifiers Switzerland in Manila and it was a similar story this time.
The Romanian pair of Babken Melkonyan & Ioan Ladanyi looked in control throughout the match and they moved into a 4-0 lead to leave their opponents – Liu Haitao and two-time World Cup of Pool winner Li Hewen – looking bemused.
The Chinese got it back to 4-2 and then 6-4 but the Romanians never really looked in trouble as they showed no sign of nerves in front of the cameras as they closed out the match.
Having won a tough qualifying event with 20 competing teams, the Romanians were delighted to have made such a positive impact.
“We played we played well and only made one mistake each – the rest of the game was satisfying and I am very happy we won because this was Romania’s first participation in the World Cup of Pool,” said Babken Melkonyan.
“In a race to seven it is important to win the first rack. We got a 4-0 lead and we had a chance to make it 5-0 but I scratched but we recovered to win the match.
“I will watch Germany play Indonesia tonight – I think I will watch all the matches because there are some nice matches with great players. Germany has Thorsten and Ralf who are great players. I have watched Ralf since I was young and began playing pool. He is one of my idols”
In the final match of the session the French pair of Stephan Cohen and Alex Montpellier enjoyed a great win over the Canadian pairing of Jason Klatt and John Morra. The match was tense and nervous with plenty of errors but exciting nonetheless.
France led at 4-3 but that soon became 5-4 to Canada and then 6-5 to France as both teams felt the pressure. Canada levelled it and then broke for the match but Klatt scratched to give France the table. There was plenty more drama in the rack but in the end it was Cohen who potted the winning 9 ball for the victory.
Montpellier was relived to get over the line in such a topsy turvey match: “The last rack was crazy, I couldn’t think and it was very nervy. Whoever we play next isn’t important because it is about how we play together.”
Cohen added, “There was a lot of pressure at the end and we had a bit of luck with some shots, and they made a few errors. But that is 9-ball, it is always the same story.
“Now it is different because everybody we have played has won in the tournament and is more relaxed. We will be more relaxed too and we have two days to practice. We feel a lot better now we have the first win.”
The Korean pair of Jeong Young Hwa & Ryu Seung Wu won a ding-dong opening match of the tournament against Malaysia as they lead 5-0, looking in command before a series of misses and errors turned it into a 6-6 thriller. Neither side looked comfortable and there were missed pots and poor positional play from all four players as the match became nervier and nervier.
The Malaysian pair of wily veteran Ibrahim Bin Amir & novice teenager Kok Jken Yung somehow found their way back to 5-5 before a missed 4 ball with ball in hand gave Korea a 6-5 lead. They couldn’t take advantage from the break but Malaysia, breaking for the match returned the favour as they too couldn’t convert as Korea ran out winners.
The following broadcasters are screening live coverage of the Dafabet World Cup of Pool:
Sky Sports – GB and Ireland; Sky – New Zealand; CCTV – China; Nova TV – Czech Republic & Slovakia; OSN – Middle East & North Africa; ESPN 3 – USA; ESPN Latin America –Central & South America; Viasat – Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Bulgaria & the Baltic states.
For fans outside those territories, Perform Group will be streaming the event via their www.livesport.tv service. In addition the Dafabet World Cup of Pool is syndicated around the world as 31 x 1 hour programmes by Matchroom Television.
Featuring 32 two-man teams from around the world, the Dafabet World Cup of pool is celebrating its tenth year as defending champion England attempt to become the first team ever to successfully defend the title. The event runs from 22nd to 27th September.
Tickets are now on sale at www.SEETickets.com and are priced at 10.00 per evening session (Tuesday to Friday), 12.50 per evening session on the Saturday and Sunday. Weekend afternoon sessions are 7.50 while Tuesday to Friday afternoons are free!
A season ticket covering all sessions is priced at 65.00.
The World Cup of Pool will carry a $250,000 prize fund including $60,000 for the champions. The event will be produced by Matchroom Sport Television and televised live on Sky Sports and then syndicated internationally as 31 x 1 hour programmes.
Diamond Billiards are the Official Table of the 2015 World Cup of Pool; the Official Cloth is supplied by Iwan Simonis and the Official Balls are Super Aramith. The Official Cue, Chalk and Rest are supplied by Predator.
With the annual World Cup of Pool coming back to London this September, Matchroom Sport can announce the 32 teams and players set to contest the annual $250,000 pairs tournament. Taking place at pool’s fiercest venue, the York Hall in Bethnal Green, the World Cup runs from Tuesday 22nd to 27th September.
Defending champions are England A with Karl Boyes and Darren Appleton looking to become the first pair to successfully defend their crown. Competition will be tough though, with a host of previous winners and finalists taking part.
Germany will be represented by 2011 champions Thorsten Hohmann and Ralf Souquet and 2012 winners Mika Immonen and Petri Makkonen (Finland) will be once again taking part. America’s Shane Van Boening, a winner with Rodney Morris in 2008, is paired with Mike Dechaine this time, while Li Hewen, a two-time winner in 2007 and 2010 will be partnered by Liu Haitao as they make a run for title number three for China.
Holland, desperately unlucky to be runners up in 2013 and 2014, will be looking to go one better as Niels Feijen and Nick Van Den Berg team up once again. Daryl Peach and Mark Gray, who came so close for England in 2008, will also be trying to repeat those performances.
Other highly fancied teams include the Philippines which pairs former World No.1 Carlo Biado with under-rated Warren Kiamco and Taiwan – World 10 Ball champion Ko Pin Yi and Chang Yu Lung. Team Austria will also fancy their chances as World No.1 Albin Ouschan and Mario He pair up one again.
Commencing on Tuesday 22nd and culminating in the final on the evening of Sunday 27th, the event will be played to a single elimination format over six days with two sessions a day.
There are 31 matches in total.
Tickets are now on sale at www.SEETickets.com and are priced at £10.00 per evening session (Tuesday to Friday), £12.50 per evening session on the Saturday and Sunday. Weekend afternoon sessions are £7.50 while Tuesday to Friday afternoons are free!
A season ticket covering all sessions is priced at £65.00.
The World Cup of Pool will carry a $250,000 prize fund including $60,000 for the champions. The event will be produced by Matchroom Sport Television and televised live on Sky Sports and then syndicated internationally as 31 x 1 hour programmes.
New York City, NY – Germany has now taken the World Tournament of 14.1 Cup for a record 6 times when it's favorite straight pool son defeated reigning champion Darren Appleton of England. In a re-match of 2013, the two best players with the best records in the event faced off for a second finals within 3 years. The Andy Cloth World Tournament of 14.1 featured a who's who of world class players in attendance to etch their name into history's elite of the father of all pool games. Darren Appleton, Thorsten Hohmann, Dennis Orcullo, Warren Kiamco, Stephan Cohen, Shane Van Boening, Johnny Archer, Corey Deuel, Earl Strickland, Mika Immonen, Tony Robles and many, many more have participated all week. The main event took place once more in New York City. As usual, a star studded field attended this year at Steinway Billiards Cafe, who once more hosted the world class event. The World Tournament Official Equipment included Viking Cue with all matches played on Andy Cloth. Event partners included Mr.Tom Gleich, Dr. Gregory Diehl, Mr. Greg Hunt of Amsterdam Billiards, & Mr. Jim Gottier of Greenleaf's Pool Room. Patron sponsors include Mr. Harold Siegel of Excelsior Graphics, Dr. James Heller, Mr. Charles Eames of Charles Eames Photography, Frank Scharbach of Frank's Billard Cafe, Focused Apparel and the National Amateur Pool League.
Appleton had now made it to three consecutive finals of the World Tournament of 14.1. Hohmann had made this an unprecedented 4th trip to the finals. Appleton had the chance to be the first ever non-American repeat champion. And he had not lost a match in the event since the 2013 finals lost to Hohmann. On the other hand, Hohmann had never been beaten in the finals of the World 14.1. One way or another, history was destined to be broken.
The match started with Hohmann winning the lag and Appleton making the opening break. Facing a long, difficult shot to start, Hohmann fired it in with authority and started his run. Looking confident and playing with vigor, there was a murmur in the air that a new world record may be set. But at 50 balls, Hohmann abruptly missed an easy shot. But the opportunity to still break Appleton's 200 ball record still existed.
Appleton was unable to capitalize and ran only a 30 ball run giving Hohmann another chance. This time, Hohmann went on a 126 ball run but again missed an easy shot. This would force a mandatory intermission of 30 minutes.
When Appleton returned, again he was unable to sustain a long run, but this was when the comedy of errors begin. Both players went into limbo unable to get through multiple racks. But at one point Hohmann sustained a seemingly insurmountable lead according to the current level of play. But Appleton seemed to have the momentum as Hohmann's game fell dramatically once he reached 200 points.
After 4 hours and 30 minutes of play, Appleton finally managed to level the match at 216 to 216. Appleton surpassed that with taking the lead for the first time and reached 232 to 216 before he missed.
Hohmann now took over and went on a run and eventually overtook the lead again, and then needing less than a rack, he shockingly missed once more leaving the door open for Appleton. Hohmann looked visibly dejected as he walked back to his seat, realizing he missed a golden opportunity to close out the finals. Now, he had to hope the reigning champion and 200 ball world record holder would not run a standard 68 balls.
Appleton looked ready for his chance. Then surprisingly, a miss. After gaining less than a rack of balls, Hohmann was back at the table needing only 13 balls to make history.
Running a few balls, and then successfully making a good breakshot, Hohmann faced the last 5 open balls on the table for the victory. And then another error, he missed position. Now facing a long, difficult pot, Thorsten gave a slight sigh and took a hard look at deciding to go for the shot or play safe. The shot was a hard but makeable cut. But if he missed, the cueball would break the rack wide open. But if he left an opportunity, Appleton could easily run the match out. Hohmann opted to end the championship right then and there and called the 5-ball.
With the score at 299 and the title in the balance, the shot had more pressure than anyone could imagine.
The 5-ball missed the target pocket by a diamond. The stack was split open like the red sea. Appleton would have his chance. If Darren would succeed in a 68 ball run, a mere morsel compared to what he has done so many times, then he would remain champion with an amazing 300-299 score. But it was not meant to be. The first shot he played resulted in the ball made, but also the cueball. Stunned, Appleton slowly went back to his chair and conceded the final shot to Hohmann. The match ended nearly 7 hours later.
"I got unlucky a few times but so did Thorsten. Of course I'm disappointed of the result because I have been playing well all week. But Thorsten deserves it. He is the best straight pool player in the world", said Appleton in the aftermath speech.
"Darren has proven he is one of the best in the world in just a few short years. His patterns are perfect now", said Hohmann. When asked if he was chasing the World 14.1 record of 10 wins by Ralph Greenleaf, Hohmann simply answered," I just love straight pool. I keep playing for that reason."
The World Tournament was live streamed on AZBTV with complete results on www.worldstraightpool.com . Official media partners were www.NYCGrind.com , Pool & Billiard Magazine, & tech support by Gotham City Technologies.
Complete group schedule at www.worldstraightpool.com for all matches.
Corey Deuel eliminated last year’s semi-finalist Eberle in three innings. (Photo – Eli Ceballos)
New York City, NY – Only the best of the best are left. Day 4 & 5 saw many champions laid to the wayside as the cream is quickly rising to the top at the Andy Cloth World Tournament of 14.1 . Van Boening crushed Danny Harriman while Appleton proved to Immonen his 14.1 prowess. A who's who of world class players are in attendance to etch their name into history's elite of the father of all pool games. Darren Appleton, Thorsten Hohmann, Stephan Cohen, Shane Van Boening, Johnny Archer, Earl Strickland, Mika Immonen, Tony Robles and many, many more. The main event will take place once more in New York City. As usual, a star studded field is expected this year at Steinway Billiards Cafe, who is once more hosting this world class event. The World Tournament Official Equipment include Viking Cue with all matches played on Andy Cloth. Event partners include Mr.Tom Gleich, Dr. Gregory Diehl, Mr. Greg Hunt of Amsterdam Billiards, & Mr. Jim Gottier of Greenleaf's Pool Room. Patron sponsors include Mr. Harold Siegel of Excelsior Graphics, Dr. James Heller, Mr. Charles Eames of Charles Eames Photography, Frank Scharbach of Frank's Billard Cafe, Focused Apparel and the National Amateur Pool League.
The World Tournament will be live streamed on AZBTV , order by going to www.worldstraightpool.com . Official media partners are www.NYCGrind.com , Pool & Billiard Magazine, & tech support by Gotham City Technologies.
Complete group schedule at www.worldstraightpool.com for all matches. Tickets to watch live in person sold on site.
Dennis Orcullo looked like the Asian to beat after his 152 & out high run record against Roberto Gomez in the final 32. And though Hohmann had struggled in the event with already one loss and a couple close calls, he looked more like himself in this match as he manhandled Orcullo 200-105. Harriman had done well in the event especially with a strong win over Cohen of France, but he was helpless against Van Boening after SVB took over with another 100+ ball run.
Shaun Wilkie was trying to shake off his series of 9th place finishes but a poor match from him and Wirsbitzki ended with Reiner on top 200-133 and Shaun having to wait another year. Strickland demolished Archer in the legends battle 200-43 after Earl ran a 126. Deuel gave Eberle no chances in a 200-31 rout which saw Deuel run 100 balls and 90 to win the match in 3 innings.
Kiamco played his weakest match thus far giving Lombardo chances that he couldn't take over. Kiamco wins 200-104 but a first time top 16 finish for Lombardo is encouraging. Filler of Germany destroyed Shaw of Scotland 200-80 in the battle of the young guns. Shaw had defeated Filler early in the event round robin.
In the final marquee match, two world champions faced each other for the upteenth time. Mika took a lead early in the match with a 80 ball run, but it was not enough as Appleton came back with a 96 ball &out win.
Kiamco makes his second quarters appearance while Hohmann makes his 5th.
Appleton will make his 4th consecutive quarter-finals appearance looking to be the first player to defend the World 14.1 crown since Steve Mizerak in the 1980's.
