Team Europe have won their fourth consecutive Duelbits Mosconi Cup title after defeating Team USA 11-3 at the Alexandra Palace with one of the most dominant performances in the 30-year history of the transatlantic 9-ball pool extravaganza.
The 2023 Duelbits Mosconi Cup was broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, DAZN in the USA, Spain and Brazil, Viaplay in the Baltics and Scandinavia, and networks worldwide.
Led by rookie captain Ralph Eckert, the hosts enjoyed total control across the four days in London, with the tone being set during the opening session when they completed a clean sweep of victories.
The Europeans remained ruthless in their pursuit of a 16th overall Mosconi Cup glory as they continued to extend their advantage throughout days two and three. Heading into the final day, the title holders were 9-2 up and required just two more points to lift the trophy again.
Before any genuine thoughts of overhauling the huge deficit, Team USA’s initial objective was to make the scoreline respectable, and the visitors embodied fighting spirit through Shane Van Boening in the opening match of the session as he came to the party with an impressive 5-2 win against Joshua Filler.
Van Boening – making a record-equaling 17th successive Mosconi Cup appearance – had lost all five of his previous singles matches against Filler in this competition, but the five-time US Open champion constructed two break clearances as he broke free from 2-2 to stop that unwanted sequence and give his country its third point of the week.
The Americans continued to rally in match 13 in a doubles tie featuring Skyler Woodward & Tyler Styer against Filler & Albin Ouschan.
After the Europeans break cleared in the opening rack and then doubled their profit, Woodward – who delivered several exquisite shots – and Styer strung together the next three racks to go ahead.
However, the home team reasserted their command, punishing a misjudged swerve from Styer in rack six to level before crafting another break and run to go 4-3 in front. And when Woodward went dry with his break in the eighth, the boys in blue made no mistake as they put their team on the hill.
In what would be the 30th anniversary’s final fixture, David Alcaide ousted Shane Wolford 5-4 in a compelling encounter where there was never more than a rack between the competitors.
The Cup’s only rookie player this year, Wolford was experiencing singles action in it for the first time, and he acclimatised well with a break and run in the opening rack, although reigning European Open champion Alcaide returned the compliment in the next.
Following an eventful few racks which saw the players tied at 3-3, Alcaide cleared from Wolford’s foul break in rack seven to move one away from glory, but the 24-year-old left-hander followed suit and pushed the match all the way as he dished from his opponent’s dry break in rack eight.
Wolford potted a ball off his break in the hill-hill rack but later missed the 5-ball when attempting to break and clear.
After Alcaide botched his safety shot, Wolford potted the 5 but landed tricky on the 6. The debutant went full-blooded for the pot – which he missed – and was fortunate to leave Alcaide snookered, although the Spaniard successfully navigated it and fluked a snooker back.
With a deft touch, Wolford produced a brilliant escape and forced a subsequent safety error from his rival.
Facing a long cut on the 6-ball, though, Wolford potted it but watched in anguish as the cueball went in-off in the opposite diagonal corner pocket.
Seventeen years on from losing the deciding match at the 2006 Mosconi Cup in Rotterdam which saw defending champions USA draw the overall contest 12-12 and therefore retain the trophy, this time Alcaide made sure he wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to sink the tournament-winning ball as he mopped up the 7, 8 and 9-ball to cue rapturous celebrations amongst the European team and its supporters.
Courtesy of his two singles wins earlier in the week and his doubles success alongside Ouschan on the final day, Filler won this year’s Cuetec Most Valuable Player Award. It is the second year in-a-row that the German has won the accolade, and his third time overall.
Speaking to Sky Sports about the victory and his MVP success, Filler said: “It’s been an amazing week; we played great all week and I think in the end obviously we deserved to win.”
“I got lucky I got sent out so many times; I got many more opportunities than the others obviously, but I still played good and I’ve got a big team behind me which supported me all the way.”
The jubilant winning captain Eckert – who never experienced the Mosconi Cup as a player – said: “It’s such an incredible feeling and I want to take the opportunity to thank the whole team – it is such an incredible team. Thank you to all the fans here. Thank you so much.”
Team Europe require just two more points for a fourth successive Duelbits Mosconi Cup title after taking the spoils on day three of the 30th anniversary staging.
The 2023 Duelbits Mosconi Cup is broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, DAZN in the USA, Spain and Brazil, Viaplay in the Baltics and Scandinavia, and networks worldwide. For information on how to watch where you are, visit here.
Overall Score after Day Three: Team Europe 9-2 Team USA
Match 9: Jayson Shaw & David Alcaide 5-2 Skyler Woodward & Shane Wolford
Match 10: Shaw 5-1 Woodward
Match 11: Shaw & Francisco Sanchez Ruiz 3-5 Woodward & Fedor Gorst
Heading into Friday night’s action at an electric Alexandra Palace, the hosts and Mosconi Cup title holders boasted a commanding 7-1 lead – an all-time record-equaling advantage after day two.
The visitors surely had to hit the ground running in the opening tie of the night if they harboured any hopes of a colossal comeback; a doubles encounter featuring Jayson Shaw & David Alcaide against Skyler Woodward & Shane Wolford – the four cueists that didn’t play on Thursday.
But it was Team Europe who got away quickly. Shaw made his presence felt early on as he nailed a long bank on the 3-ball as the duo won the opening rack before break clearing in the second to double their lead. And, after two-time MVP winner Woodward miscued in rack three, the boys in blue soon found themselves 3-0 ahead.
The Stars and Stripes showed heart as they claimed the following two racks – punishing a missed 3-9 combo from Alcaide in rack five – but momentum soon shifted again as the Europeans compiled their second break run of the meeting before clearing up in rack seven to stamp the point after Cup rookie Wolford failed with a tricky pot on the 2-ball.
Reverting to the singles format for match ten, Shaw – facing his first solo assignment of the week – and Woodward stayed out in the arena.
Off the back of winning all three of his singles matches in Las Vegas last year, an effervescent Shaw entertained the home support in North London. The recently crowned Hanoi Open champion dealt with a 3-9 combo in rack one and break cleared in rack two to double up.
Woodward found a ball of his break in the third but missed an awkward pot on the 1-ball, inviting ‘Eagle Eye’ to the table to eventually make it 3-0.
Appearing in his eighth consecutive Mosconi Cup campaign, Shaw impressively cross-banked a 3-ball en route to a fourth rack-in-a-row before Woodward avoided the discomfort of back-to-back singles whitewashes with the second golden break of the event in rack five.
However, roared on by the majority of the near 2,200 fans in attendance, Shaw got the job done in style with his second break and run of the encounter to push Europe even further ahead at 9-1.
Pretty much at the point of no return, Team USA would finish the night on a positive note as they enjoyed the undisputed highlight of their week, so far, as Woodward & Fedor Gorst combined to defeat Shaw and Francisco Sanchez Ruz in match 11.
The Americans established 2-0 and 3-1 leads – the first time this week they held an advantage of two racks – prior to the defending champions levelling at 3-3.
Players and fans in red, white and blue were not to be denied their second point of the campaign, though, as Woodward struck his second golden break of the evening in rack seven before the pairing fully capitalised on a overcut 3-ball from World Champion Sanchez Ruiz in the eighth rack for a morale-boosting 5-3 victory.
Team Europe are marching towards a fourth consecutive Duelbits Mosconi Cup glory as the hosts extended their lead in the 30th anniversary of the transatlantic spectacle after winning day two at the Alexandra Palace.
The 2023 Duelbits Mosconi Cup is broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, DAZN in the USA, Spain and Brazil, Viaplay in the Baltics and Scandinavia, and networks worldwide. For information on how to watch where you are, visit here.
Overall Score after Day Two: Team Europe 7-1 Team USA
Match Five: Joshua Filler 5-2 Fedor Gorst
Match Six: Francisco Sanchez Ruiz 5-4 Fedor Gorst
Match Seven: Sanchez Ruiz & Filler 4-5 Shane Van Boening & Gorst
Match Eight: Albin Ouschan 5-0 Tyler Styer
The title holders completed a clean sweep of victories during the opening session on Wednesday, and they continued their relentless pursuit of a 16th overall win in the competition by claiming three of the four points on offer throughout Thursday to move 7-1 up and just four points away from the target of 11.
Jeremy Jones’ USA outfit were desperate for a fast start, but things went from bad to worse for the visitors during the first half of the session.
Fresh from his swashbuckling whitewash singles win the night before, Joshua Filler was on singles duty once again to break off the action in North London. The 26-year-old – winner of his second MVP award last year – carried on from where he left off as he raced into a 4-0 lead against Fedor Gorst.
New USA acquisition Gorst avoided a bagel by taking rack five before threatening an unlikely comeback when making it 4-2. However, following a tactical duel in the seventh rack, he failed to escape from a snooker and Filler deposited a 2-9 combo to swell Europe’s advantage to five.
Gorst stayed out to play back-to-back singles matches – a bold move from captain Jones – where he faced current World Champion and World Nineball Tour No. 1 Francisco Sanchez Ruiz.
The Spaniard chalked up the opening frame, but Gorst managed to find a rhythm as he established leads of 2-1, 3-2 and 4-3; the first time that Team USA had reached the hill first in a fixture this year.
Sanchez Ruiz – despite looking edgy on occasions during the tie – managed to peg his opponent back again to force a deciding rack where it looked like Gorst would construct a break and run for Team USA’s first point. Under the intense pressure and expectation, though, the 23-year-old ran short of ideal position for the 7-ball and missed the subsequent pot to allow his opponent to step up and put the Europeans 6-0 ahead.
Surely a huge setback to their hopes of a recovery, Gorst then paired up with Shane Van Boening in the only doubles encounter of the night where they showed grit and determination to finally get The Stars and Stripes on the scoreboard.
Playing the points-winners from earlier in the night – Filler & Sanchez Ruiz – the first four racks went against the break before the USA crafted a classy and morale boosting break clearance to take the lead.
A tie featuring four world champions, Europe turned the tables and got on the hill first, but SVB and Gorst reverse ran rack eight after Filler got kicked in-off the break, and then punished the German when he played a poor safety shot in rack nine by holding themselves together to stop the rot and secure their opening win
.Any feel-good factor that the USA did have was very short-lived, though, as two-time World Champion Albin Ouschan produced a pool clinic as he inflicted a 5-0 defeat on Tyler Styer to reassert Europe’s six-point cushion heading into Friday’s day three.
The Austrian struck a break and run in rack two on his way to a 4-0 lead, and when Styer found gravity with the cueball on his break in rack five – having potted four object balls – Ouschan ran out the remaining balls to give Ralph Eckert’s side the final say of the session.
Team Europe enjoyed a dream start to the 30th anniversary Duelbits Mosconi Cup as they claimed all four points on the opening night in an electric atmosphere at the Alexandra Palace.
The 2023 Duelbits Mosconi Cup is broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, DAZN in the USA, Spain and Brazil, Viaplay in the Baltics and Scandinavia, and networks worldwide. For information on how to watch where you are, visit here.
Overall Score after Day One: Team Europe 4-0 Team USA
Match One: Team Europe 5-4 Team USA
Match Two: Jayson Shaw & Albin Ouschan 5-2 Shane van Boening & Tyler Styer
Match Three: Joshua Filler 5-0 Skyler Woodward
Match Four: Francisco Sanchez Ruiz & David Alcaide 5-3 Fedor Gorst & Shane Wolford
Captained by Ralph Eckert for the first time, the hosts and title holders – aiming to record a fourth consecutive Mosconi Cup triumph – completed the competition’s first opening session clean sweep since 2013. The first team to 11 points will lift the iconic trophy and pocket the lion’s share of the $360,000 total prize money.
For the first time in five years, Team Europe won the traditional curtain-raising teams fixtures featuring all ten players in this year’s event.
In what would be an action-packed tie, Jayson Shaw pinched rack one after Shane Van Boening missed a straightforward 9-ball for a break and run. The unexpected error would set the tone for the remainder of Van Boening’s evening.
Skyler Woodward and Tyler Styer turned things around as they punished scratches from their respective opponents, although momentum shifted again as Albin Ouschan delivered the maiden golden break of this year’s Cup before David Alcaide and Shaw put the finishing touches to racks five and six after misses on the 7-ball from their opponents.
The visitors responded through Woodward and Styer – both picking up their second rack wins of the match – to force a hill-hill climax, although two-time world champion Ouschan got the better of Fedor Gorst in the decider to notch up the first point.
Eckert’s side continued its ideal start as Shaw & Ouschan raced into a 3-0 lead against Van Boening & Styer in the first doubles clash.
USA won two of the next three racks – including a break and run in the sixth with a 7-9 combo – but the Scotland-Austria pairing compiled a break and run of their own in the next to complete a 5-2 victory and gain revenge for a narrow defeat to Van Boening & Styer on day one of last year’s event in Las Vegas.
There was more payback in the first singles rubber of 2023 as former US Open and World Champion Joshua Filler routed Woodward 5-0; reversing a loss from the same session twelve months ago.
The 26-year-old German issued a statement of intent with a break and run in the opening rack before doubling and then tripling that lead with another dish in rack three.
A spectator for much of the encounter, Woodward was left with precious little when he did visit the table; failing to contact a cushion when getting out of a snooker in rack four and then watching his rival pot a 2-5-9 combo to move onto the hill.
Filler duly wrapped up the whitewash win in the next and further swelled his impressive overall record in Mosconi Cup singles matches to 11-3.
The team in blue rounded off its perfect night with a 5-3 success for World Cup of Pool winning duo Francisco Sanchez Ruiz & Alcaide over Gorst and Cup rookie Shane Wolford.
The Spaniards went 2-0 ahead, but the Americans showed grit and stopped the rot as they subsequently levelled at 2-2. However, after chalking up a protracted and memorable fifth rack, FSR and Alcaide hit their second and third break and runs of the match en route to victory.
Team Europe won the 2022 Mosconi Cup beating the USA 11-7 at Bally’s Las Vegas as Cuetec MVP Joshua Filler sunk the winning balls in the third match of the day to secure the cup for a third straight year.
Going into the final day of play, Europe had a two-point buffer on the USA at 8-6 but that lead was soon cut to one as the World Cup of Pool winning duo of Francisco Sanchez Ruiz and David Alcaide struggled for mojo as the US’s duo of vice-captain Skyler Woodward and world champion Shane Van Boening rallied to an important 5-3 win.
Alcaide had struggled with the table conditions and cue ball control in the opener but something seemed to click in his singles action with Woodward in red-hot form and gunning for an MVP crown. Woodward made light work of the early racks to lead 3-1. The turning point came in the next rack with Woodward missing a costly five and Alcaide finding a groove to run through to victory 5-3 and put Europe two away from the title.
The Mosconi Cup rivalry for the ages lived up to all expectations as Jayson Shaw clashed with Shane Van Boening to potentially put Europe on the hill, something he has done previously. Shaw and Van Boening looked nervy for large parts in the rowdy atmosphere in Sin City. Van Boening scratched in the third rack but managed to get back to the table from a Shaw error to be ahead at 2-1. It was the case of whoever settled first would come good and that did prove to be Shaw who did so to lead 4-2 after Van Boening slipped on the six. It was mission complete for Shaw who ran out a 5-3 winner. One away for Team Europe.
As it was in 2017 and 2021, it was left up to German superstar Joshua Filler to bring it home and sink the winning balls this time against Tyler Styer for a memorable win in Las Vegas, the first time Team Europe has achieved such a feat since 2017. Styer looked out of it for large parts but could’ve made it hill hill. It looked as if Styer would have a routine run out only to run aground on the eight to leave it in ample range for Filler to step up and seal the Cuetec MVP title and the 2022 Mosconi Cup crown.
Filler said: “I am so overwhelmed right now but let’s go, we did it again! I was so nervous but then I was something in between, relaxed and nervous. It’s amazing to be MVP. It’s incredible. I started always pretty good but this year, yesterday I wasn’t 100% there. Being MVP is great, to win with this team and togetherness is a dream.”
Captain Lely said: “It was some show. I want to thank the American fans. It was amazing There was a lot of heat. From now to the future, the home-court advantage is massive. Two years from now will be bigger crazier, and more intense than ever. I have a lot of appreciation for how the Americans handled themselves. They put them under a lot of heat. The team is special. It’s a team of champions. Finding a way to get it together with all the egos in sync is quite a challenge but we’ve been working together for a few years. Jayson Shaw as the vice-captain was brilliant.”
The 2023 Nineball Schedule will begin with the 2023 World Pool Championship set to take place from February 1-5. More news is to follow ahead of the next season getting underway in January with Diamond Billiards’ Derby City Classic Nineball Division and the Turning Stone Classic. See more here.
A grandstand final day of the 2022 Mosconi Cup has been set with the score 8-6 to Europe after three days of action at Bally’s Las Vegas live Sky Sports in the UK, DAZN in the USA, Canada, Italy, and Spain, Viaplay in the Baltics, Scandinavia and Poland and networks worldwide.
The action began in a frantic manner as Shane Van Boening ticked over for a historic match 100 in the Mosconi Cup alongside veteran and hero Earl Strickland. It was a tight battle against Europe’s duo of Jayson Shaw and David Alcaide at 3-2 to the USA. A scratch from Alcaide on the break in rack six brought Strickland and Van Boening to the hill. The pair wouldn’t have liked how tight it got through as Shaw fluked the nine in rack seven before levelling up for a hill-hill finish. Strickland and Van Boening inspired each other to put the USA ahead overall 5-4.
Alcaide was straight back out into singles action against Tyler Styer with the crowd hoping for the momentum to stay in the USA’s favour. Alcaide was cueing purely with very little room for error up until 4-0 up. Styer was sat frozen for large parts and struggled to make balls off the break for the first time this week. The Wisconsin man pulled the jump cue out as he ran out the fifth to make it a contest, one further rack followed before Alcaide put his stamp on the match to level again at 5-5 overall.
Strickland was in the heat of the action and back out with Skyler Woodward in the 11th match of the cup against World Pool Masters winner Joshua Filler and US Open winner Francisco Sanchez Ruiz. The early exchanges were close until Sanchez Ruiz showed his prowess that sees him as the current Nineball World No.1 with an epic bank shot to go 3-1 up. Strickland was digging in to save Woodward’s blushes at times but it proved to be too little as Sanchez Ruiz made a winning golden break 5-2 to establish a European lead overall.
There was no time for Strickland to mull over the last match as he would be up against European Open champion Albin Ouschan in what proved to be a hellish time for the veteran. After establishing a quick two rack lead, Strickland barely saw the table thereafter with a few moments costing him dearly as Ouschan came out strong to seal a 5-2 win with five on the spin.
A huge match-up between America’s Van Boening and vice-captain Woodward and Europe’s Shaw and Filler always promised fireworks and it delivered in a way not many would have predicted before a ball was potted. Van Boening and Woodward delivered a quite spectacular whitewash, the first one of the week to keep USA well in the tie going into the final action of the day. It was scintillating stuff.
Shaw has been a thorn in the USA side for many years but has struggled for a rhythm at times this week. The tables turned though as he seized on Oscar Dominguez to put Europe two up ahead of the final day. Shaw had raced into a two-rack buffer but Dominguez levelled up at two apiece. From there, Shaw hit a new gear to bring home another European point.
Tomorrow sees the final day of the 2022 Mosconi Cup at Bally’s Las Vegas with 11 the target for victory with the score currently set at 8-6 to Europe overall.
Watch
Can’t make it to the 2022 Mosconi Cup? Watch the action wherever you are in the world. Broadcasters below. If you do not see a broadcaster in your country, you can watch on Matchroom.Live
Sky Sports UK & Ireland
AMC Network Hungary
Dazn Brazil, Canada, Italy, Spain, USA
Fox Sports Australia
Mena SSC
Nova Czech Republic and Slovakia
Saran Sport Turkey
Singtel Singapore
Sportklub Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia
Team Europe took day two of the 2022 Mosconi Cup against the USA to level up at 4-4 at Bally’s Las Vegas live Sky Sports in the UK, DAZN in the USA, Canada, Italy, and Spain, Viaplay in the Baltics, Scandinavia and Poland and networks worldwide.
Day two began with the Fans’ Choice Singles Match with Earl Strickland and Jayson Shaw, respectively picked. Strickland was looking to roll back the years and he was doing more than that as he rallied into an initial 3-0 lead to leave Shaw quiet in his chair. Shaw found his rhythm again in the fourth and a costly scratch from Strickland in rack five put him within one. Another scratch from Strickland in the sixth when trying to cut the eight in gave Shaw the most accessible opportunity to level things back. The comeback was soon complete for two-time MVP Shaw who riled the crowd up to pull Team Europe within one overall at 3-2.
An all-star match-up for the first singles contest between Shane Van Boening and Joshua Filler was never going to disappoint and it didn’t. Van Boening broke dry in the third rack and left an easy 1-9 combo on for Filler to lead 2-1. There was plenty of life in the contest and it was soon 3-3 after an untimely scratch from Filler much to the USA fan’s delight. Filler lost position in the seventh but went airborne in an incredible runout to reach the hill first. A brilliant break and run later and Europe was level overall at 3-3.
The USA needed to stem the European tide from somewhere and it was left up to Tyler Styer and Oscar Dominguez to do that against Filler and Albin Ouschan in match seven of the cup. Nothing could separate them up until 3-3 when an uncharacteristic miss from Styer on the six into the middle pocket brought Filler and Ouschan back to the fold to reach the hill first when it did look like an easy USA runout. Dominguez went airborne on the five in the following rack and it proved to be costly as the Europeans did the rest to get their third point of the day.
In what proved to be the final action of the day, Francisco Sanchez Ruiz got his first taste of singles action against USA vice-captain Skyler Woodward. The crowd was rocking but soon silenced as Sanchez Ruiz moved into a 2-0 lead to put the cat amongst the pigeons. Woodward found a moment of fortune when banking the six ball the full length of the table before finding a plum position on the seven to cut the deficit. Expectations were high from the home faithful as Woodward soon turned it around to a 3-2 and 4-2 advantage.
Play was halted as Woodward reached the hill due to a global broadcast outage meaning players were taken off whilst a fix was actioned to continue live coverage for those at home. Upon return, Sanchez Ruiz broke dry and Woodward ensured the USA would head into day three level overall at 4-4 sealing a vital point with an expert runout that included an exquisite jump on the one as Europe took day two 3-1.
Can’t make it to the 2022 Mosconi Cup? Watch the action wherever you are in the world. Broadcasters below. If you do not see a broadcaster in your country, you can watch on Matchroom.Live
Sky Sports UK & Ireland
AMC Network Hungary
Dazn Brazil, Canada, Italy, Spain, USA
Fox Sports Australia
Mena SSC
Nova Czech Republic and Slovakia
Saran Sport Turkey
Singtel Singapore
Sportklub Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia
Team USA took Day 1 of the 2022 Mosconi Cup 3-1 against Team Europe to a raucous 2,500 strong crowd at Bally’s Las Vegas live on Sky Sports in the UK, DAZN in the USA, Canada, Italy, and Spain, Viaplay in the Baltics, Scandinavia and Poland and networks worldwide.
Team Europe went into the team match looking to taste victory in the cup’s curtain-raiser for the first time since 2018 whilst the USA was hoping for the home crowd to bring the noise and they certainly did with an inspired opening point 5-3.
Match two was the first sight of Earl Strickland and Oscar Dominguez who were making their returns to Jeremy Jones‘ USA side and it was going to be a tall order with World Cup of Pool winners Francisco Sanchez Ruiz and David Alcaide getting their first taste of the action. Strickland and Dominguez had opportunities against the Spanish duo, but they proved too strong as Sanchez Ruiz found his groove in his first-ever Mosconi Cup with Alcaide guiding him through to an impressive 5-1 victory.
The crowd was baying for more from their USA side, and it came as playing vice-captain Skyler Woodward stepped up to face Joshua Filler. Woodward got out the blocks quickly before Filler reached the hill first at 4-3 but with alternate break Woodward had a chance to level up with a consistent eighth rack. The Blue Grass Bad Ass got more than he would’ve wanted with a golden break to make it the first hill-hill of the week. Some acute safety play started the ninth rack before it looked like Filler would have his moment only for the one to brush the three when pocket bound. That allowed Woodward up to take the roof off and deliver a second USA point of the day.
Momentum had swung in the USA’s favour, and they ensured they’d head into day two with a two-point cushion thanks to world champion Shane Van Boening and Tyler Styer who defeated Albin Ouschan and Jayson Shaw in another hill-hill thriller to conclude day one.
Man of the moment Woodward spoke on Off the Rail after the conclusion of the day: “It’s never easy playing Joshua. You must try and take advantage of every mistake even though I did miss the nine one day. I told myself to keep fighting and pushing and take chances where I can. I told the team; I wanted all the pressure on me. I like the pressure. Me winning that match takes the pressure off them ahead of the last match. There was a little pressure off them. They came out loose and I am glad I could get out there and get that point for the USA. The table is tight. The side pockets are unbelievable. They’re crazy. I like it. The side pockets are genius. They’re so tough. It’s how top-level pool should be.”
Tomorrow kicks off with the Fans’ Choice Singles Match before four more matches on day two of the 2022 Mosconi Cup. Voting is open until 10 pm local time for the Fans’ Choice match. Vote here.
Watch
Can’t make it to the 2022 Mosconi Cup? Watch the action wherever you are in the world. Broadcasters below. If you do not see a broadcaster in your country, you can watch on Matchroom.Live
Sky Sports UK & Ireland
AMC Network Hungary
Dazn Brazil, Canada, Italy, Spain, USA
Fox Sports Australia
Mena SSC
Nova Czech Republic and Slovakia
Saran Sport Turkey
Singtel Singapore
Sportklub Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia
The 2022 International Open will be in Norfolk, Virginia, USA at the Sheraton Waterside Hotel for nine days, October 28 – November 5, featuring players from all over the world competing in a variety of disciplines.
In addition to the traditional 9-Ball, this year’s contests will include One-Pocket, 10-Ball, and Juniors. The 9-Ball Open will field 128 players, the One-Pocket Open will field 48, the 10-Ball Invitational will field 16, and the Juniors will field 16 males and 8 females.
Albin Ouschan will be there to defend his International 9-Ball title, with Roberto Gomez defending his One-Pocket title, and Joshua Filler defending all others in the Diamond Big Foot Challenge.
In addition to those serious disciplines, we’ve added some special competitions to entertain the crowd and have a few more players earn some more money. Introducing for the first time at the Open, is a Banks Ring Game with 6 players and a Race to One 9-Ball contest with 16 players. There will be no entry fees, and $1,000 will go to each winner. All told, the International Open will have $70,000 in added money and a total purse of $166,000.
The very best equipment is being provided by Diamond Billiard Products, Simonis Cloth, and Aramith Balls. There will be no excuses here.
The venue is exquisite. The Sheraton Waterside Hotel and the city of Norfolk, Virginia are ready for the seventh time to host a world class pool tournament. Raised Reserved Seating, as in previous years, will allow great viewing. Large TV monitors will be above every pool table displaying the players’ names and their scores.
The competition gets better every year, and this year won’t be any different. The 9-Ball Open is WPA sanctioned with points being awarded by Matchroom’s Nine Ball program, so the best will be here.
The BCA Hall of Fame Banquet will once again be hosted at the Sheraton Waterside Hotel on Friday, November 4.
NINE BALL
The $50,000 added 2022 International 9-Ball Open will feature 128 players in a double elimination format with the final 16 advancing into a single elimination round. $30,000 will be going to the winner. The $114,000 purse will be shared by the top 32 finishers.
ONE-POCKET
The International has become more than just a 9-Ball tournament. In 2021, we added One-Pocket to our program with $5,000 added. This year, we expanded the field to 48 players and we increased the added money to $10,000. $10,000 will go to the winner. The $34,000 purse will be shared by the top 12 finishers.
TEN-BALL
The Diamond Big Foot Challenge, 10-Ball on a 10-foot table, is a special three-day event featured in the Simonis Arena and has always been a favorite discipline at the Derby City Classic. We invited 16 of the best players to participate. The winner of this single elimination 10-Ball event will take home $8,000 in which the top 4 finishers will share the $16,000 purse.
JUNIORS
In addition to three major pro events at the International, Ra Hanna, of On The Wire Creative Media, is bringing us the best 16 men and 8 women to complete for their Junior International Championship. Diamond Billiard Products and Accu-Stats is very proud supporting the next generation of professional pool players.
SIMONIS ARENA
Once again, the Simonis Arena will be the center stage for this week’s action. The enclosed arena will feature raised reserved seating for great viewing. General admission will be available on a daily basis. Daily and multi-day packages will be available to accommodate anyone’s schedule. Tickets will go on sale May 15, 2022. Visit https://www.intlopen.com/seating to view the seating chart and reserve your seat.
VENDORS
This year’s show will include two full weekends and a large crowd is expected. Interested vendors can sign up and reserve vendor space here: https://www.intlopen.com/vendors.
SHERATON HOTEL LODGING
The Sheraton is honoring discounted pricing for not only the contestants, but for anyone attending our event, including vendors, volunteers, and spectators. The discounted rate is $119 per night plus tax. Fortunately, this discounted price was locked in last year with our contract. Considering hotel room rentals have gone sky high all over the country, we’re in a good place.
LIVE PAY-PER-VIEW
We will be providing Live Streaming on all thirteen pool tables. For those in attendance, we are providing large monitors above each pool table for displaying the players’ names and current score.
For more information on the 2022 International Open, visit our website at https://www.intlopen.com.
Quick International Open Details
Play Dates: October 28-November 5, 2022
Site: Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel, Norfolk, Virginia, USA
Discounted Hotel Rate: $119 plus tax for a single or double
Diamond Pool Tables, Simonis Cloth, and Aramith Balls
Semi-finals Alex Kazakis 7-6 Eklent Kaci
Joshua Filler 6-7 Shane van Boening
Alex Kazakis banished painful memories of losing the last Dafabet World Pool Masters final as he whitewashed Shane van Boening 9-0 to lift the 2021 title at Europa Sports Park in Gibraltar, the biggest margin of defeat in a Masters final and the first final whitewash.
Kazakis lost position on the 9-ball against David Alcaide in the 2019 final and at hill-hill was rooted to his seat as the Spaniard banked a dramatic 9 for the title. This time, though, there was no such drama in the final – that had come in a 7-6 semi-final win over Eklent Kaci – as the Greek controlled the table and did to Van Boening what the American himself had done to so many others when he won back-to-back Masters titles in 2014 and ’15.
“I can’t really believe it,” said an emotional Kazakis. “It is amazing. Everything went my way from the start to the end of the final. The big moment was in the semi-finals; I didn’t play well, I was nervous, and I was lucky that Kaci didn’t really play that well. It was the luckiest match I ever won. To go into the final with that momentum, I had nothing to lose.
“When I finished my semi-final I went to the hotel, called my coach, and I told him, ‘I’m dogging it again’. I believe so much in myself but something inside me, I had these bad lucks and bad rolls in the Mosconi Cup last match in 2018, I have the 9 ball with Alcaide here, then also the semi-final of the World 9-Ball Championship with Joshua [Filler] where I had a chance to go to a final and I screwed up. All these things happened in about five months.
“Sometimes when I was under pressure I was thinking I was maybe going to do it again, and it has been hard. Finally the door opened. When you are always knocking the door, the most difficult part is to win the first tournament. I think now it will be much easier for me if I have the chance to win a major tournament.
“I feel lucky, I feel blessed, it is the biggest title of my career. A lot of people here told me they were routing for me, I think because I didn’t win it in 2019.”
Kazakis had struggled in his semi-final against Kaci, finally getting over the line in a gripping hill-hill thriller that made up for in drama what it lacked at times in quality. The Greek, however, had used his break well and looked much more calm and assured at the table in the early exchanges of the final and took the first two racks.
Van Boening had also come through a hill-hill semi-final, beating Mosconi Cup foe Joshua Filler. He had an opportunity in the third rack of the final after Kazakis missed the three, but the cut was tough and the American couldn’t make it. Kazakis completed the rest of the rack with the help of a nice 7/8 combo and the beaten 2019 finalist was 3-0 up.
Two years ago Kazakis got to 5-0 up before eventually succumbing 9-8 to David Alcaide, and he reached the same advantage again with a break and run. After pushing out and being put back in by Van Boening, Kazakis played a good safety which earned him the chance to move 6-0 up, and now his advantage was bigger than in the last Masters final.
The American finally got another chance in the seventh but missed the 6 ball to the top left and Kazakis cleared for a 7-0 lead, and that was soon 8.
Van Boening had one last opportunity in the last, but having jumped the 1 he missed the 2, and the night belonged to Kazakis. He let out a jubilant, relieved, celebration, high-fived with a crowd who were clearly pleased to see his redemption tale, and then jumped on the Rasson table to show his delight at winning the $25,000 title.
The next Matchroom Pool Series event is the World Pool Championship, which runs from June 6-10 at Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes. Spectators are permitted for the final day. Tickets are priced at £25 and are available at www.matchroompool.com
Team Europe have won their fourth consecutive Duelbits Mosconi Cup title after defeating Team USA 11-3 at the Alexandra Palace with one of the most dominant performances in the 30-year history of the transatlantic 9-ball pool extravaganza.
