Archive Page

Josh And Pia Filler To Meet In European Open Winners Qualification Round

Joshua Filler (Taka Wu – Matchroom Multi Sport)

Joshua and Pia Filler will meet in Winners Qualification tomorrow after the Posh and Becks of Pool overcame two matches apiece to make it through day two of the inaugural European Open Pool Championship at Hotel Esperanto, Fulda in Germany live on the Matchroom Pool Facebook/YouTube and Matchroom.Live.

Bracket / Scores

Joshua began his tournament with an emphatic 9-0 win over GJ Oyangoren in one of the opening encounters of the day to make the winners’ side whilst Pia came from behind to defeat Talal Abdullah Shaheen in a hill-hill finish. The stars were beginning to align as the evening got into full swing as Pia got her second W of the day, this time against Ramazan Akdag 9-6.

At the same time as Pia’s win, Joshua was under the cosh, and 5-0 down to fellow compatriot and former sparring partner Raphael Wahl. Wahl reached the hill first at 8-4 and it looked like he would get the better of Joshua like old times but the pair have had different paths since their juniors days. Joshua showed his grit and experience with over 100 fans crowding around their table to see the conclusion as the recent UK Open and World Pool Masters champion closed out an impressive comeback to steal it and meet his wife Pia for the first time at this level of the sport.

“I am super excited. I really wanted to play Josh in this tournament. I was fighting hard to get here and now here we are. I can’t wait.” – Pia Filler

Pia Filler (Taka Wu – Matchroom Multi Sport)

“That match was almost in jepordy. I knew she was winning and I was sown. I was more nervous then. We wanted to play each other. I gave it my best and luckily I won it. I was 6-1 down. I’ve known Raph since we were juniors. He won a few finals against me and I won a few against him. The atmosphere was crazy. I enjoyed it. I really enjoyed it. I got luck on my side in the end. I am delighted to be through.” – Joshua Filler

“We just do business as usual. It’s no secret he’s the love of my life but tomorrow he will be my biggest rival for 90 minutes.” – Pia Filler

Tony Drago returned to the Nineball arena with a win over Ivan Nunez Perez 9-2 before losing out to Sanjin Pehlivanovic to be sent to the Losers side whilst the Bosnian moves into Winners’ Qualification tomorrow. Neils Feijen overcame  Harold Stolka and Flavian Glont to make lightwork of his day to meet José Alberto Delgado tomorrow for a spot in the Last 64.

There was no sign of jet lag for Nineball World No.1 and World Champion Shane Van Boening who beat Martin Breuer and Aref Awadi 9-1 and 9-0 respectively to barely break sweat and set up a Winners’ Qualification match live on the Matchroom Pool Facebook page with Jani Uski tomorrow afternoon. Meanwhile, Francisco Sanchez Ruiz fresh off the back of snapping off another EuroTour title on Monday beat Christian Prager and Ioan Ladanyi to be one away from the Last 64 and compatriot David Alcaide reached the same stage with wins over Fabian Breuer and Great Britain’s Benji Buckley.

Hometown favourite Thorsten Hohmann kept his tournament alive with a 8-2 win over Cyprus’ Antonis Brabin whilst German legend Ralf Souquet stayed alive after defeating Veronika Ivanovskaia 8-5 on the losers bracket.

Day 3 Streamed Matches Below 10 am (CEST)

Table 1 – Matchroom Pool Facebook / Matchroom.Live

10am – 319 – Chris Melling (GBR) vs Uwe Kaiser (GER) – Losers Round 3

NB 11:30am – Francisco Sanchez Ruiz vs Michael Schneider (SUI) – Winners’ Qualification

NB 1:00pm – Joshua Filler (GER) vs Pia Filler (GER) – Winners’ Qualification

NB 2:30pm – Shane Van Boening (USA) vs Jani Uski (FIN) – Winners’ Qualification

NB 4:00pm – TBC

NB 6:30pm – TBC

Table 2 – Matchroom Pool YouTube / Matchroom.Live

10am – Robbie Capito (HKG) vs Mika Van Berkel (NED) – Losers Round 3

NB 11:30 – Thorsten Hohmann (GER) vs Rattapol Sassmann (THA) – Losers Round 3

NB  1:00pm – Aleksa Pecelj (SRB) vs Ronald Regli (SUI) – Winners’ Qualification

NB 2:30pm – Jayson Shaw (GBR) vs Bader Alawadhi (KUW)  – Winners’ Qualification

NB 4:00pm – TBC

NB 6:30pm – TBC

The final two days are available on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, DAZN in the USA, Canada, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, and Switzerland as well as on Viaplay in Scandinavia and the Baltics and various other broadcasters worldwide including Matchroom.Live in relevant countries. See the full where to watch list here.

Tickets start from €15 for the day or €90 for the week. Secure yours here

Go to discussion...

Day 1 Of Inaugural European Open in Record Books

Thorsten Hohmann (Taka Wu – Matchroom Multi Sport)

The opening day of the inaugural European Open Pool Championship at Hotel Esperanto, Fulda in Germany live on the Matchroom Pool Facebook/YouTube and Matchroom.Live is complete.

Bracket / Scores

256 players headed to Fulda with hopes and dreams in Thorsten Hohmann’s hometown of becoming the first-ever European Open winner as they look for their name to be etched into the record books and a share of the $200,000 prize fund as the Opening Round, Winners and Losers Round 1 got underway with 36 players heading home.

Hohmann got action underway live on the Matchroom Pool Facebook match in front of a raucous home crowd looking to see their man get off to the best of starts but it wasn’t to be as Senharip Azar upset the apple cart to secure an unlikely victory.  The 9-5 defeat for Hohmann meant he faces the gruelling task of four matches to make it through to the last 64 and he ticked one of those off to defeat Muhummed Daydat 8-2 and keep hometown glory alive.

“I can only give my best. I would’ve liked to have won my first match with all my Fulda people behind me. It was amazing to see. My opponent played well, and I made a few mistakes. I wasn’t as relaxed as I should’ve been. I didn’t feel nervous but there’s always a tightness, so you’re not relaxed. We have some history in Fulda for pool, we used to play in the German Bundesliga. We always had 100 spectators there are some pool fans here. We hope to mobilise some of the Fulda crowd who are perhaps not pool fans.” – Hohmann after progressing to Losers Round 2.

Compatriot Ralf Souquet had the home backing against Juri Pisklov in an all-German affair that saw the latter take the victory 9-5 no part down to a huge 4-rail kick on the four ball in one of the shots of the year let alone day or tournament. That defeat for Souquet appeared to spur him on though as he whitewashed Rafał Stępnik 8-0 to keep his tournament going.

Two-time Mosconi Cup MVP Jayson Shaw survived an early scare in the morning against Ingo Lamberti to win 9-7 before making light work of Cristian Surdea of Romania 9-1 to book his spot in Winners Qualification on Thursday. There wasn’t such fortune for US Open runner-up Aloysius Yapp who was pushed onto the losers’ side of the draw by German Valery Kuloyants.

Finland’s Jani Uski announced himself onto the big stage at the recent World Cup of Pool alongside Mika Immonen and his stock is ever-growing after booking his spot in Winners Qualification thanks to wins over Tobias Hirt and Chris Melling 9-1/9-4 respectively.

Melling is not the only big name to be alongside Yapp on the losers’ bracket with Dimitri Jungo, Robbie Capito, and Matt Edwards all facing the prospect of Losers Round 2 tomorrow.

Action continues tomorrow morning from 10 am – see the full list of matches upcoming below

Day 2 Streamed Matches Below 10 am (CEST)

Table 1 – Matchroom Pool Facebook / Matchroom.Live

10am – Tony Drago (MAL) vs Ivan Nunez Perez (ESP)

NB 11:30am – Albin Ouschan (AUT) vs Sander Kont (EST)

NB 1:00pm – Joshua Filler (GER) vs Garry Oyangoren (GBR)

TBC

TBC

TBC

Table 2 – Matchroom Pool YouTube / Matchroom.Live

10am – Veronika Ivanovskaia (GER) vs Tuberiu Iorgulescu (ROM)

NB 11:30am – Eklent Kaçi (ALB) vs Matthew Rigley (GBR)

NB 1:00pm – Shane Van Boening (USA) vs Martin Breuer (GER)

TBC

TBC

TBC

The final two days are available on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, DAZN in the USA, Canada, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, and Switzerland as well as on Viaplay in Scandinavia and the Baltics and various other broadcasters worldwide including Matchroom.Live in relevant countries. See the full where to watch list here.

Tickets start from €15 for the day or €90 for the week. Secure yours here

Go to discussion...

Great Britain Through as Canada And Greece Advance at World Cup of Pool

The Great Britain A Team of Jayson Shaw and Chris Melling

Canada 7-2 France
Greece 7–3 New Zealand
Great Britain A 7-5 Malta
 
Hosts Great Britain A progressed safely into the second round of the BetVictor World Cup of Pool after seeing off Malta at the Morningside Arena, Leicester on Wednesday evening, when there were also wins for Canada and Greece.
 
Jayson Shaw and Chris Melling were flying the flag for the host nation and were up against Malta – Clayton Castaldi and billiards legend Tony Drago – and avoided the potential banana skin and a Maltese fightback as they moved into round two with a 7-5 win. Earlier in the evening Canada had beaten France 7-2, while Greece were 7-3 victors over New Zealand.
 
The hosts were well supported but it was Malta who took the first rack, before Great Britain levelled. Malta had a chance to go 2-1 ahead but Drago missed a tricky cut to the middle on the frame ball. Shaw had a long pot but secured the rack and instead it was Great Britain A who moved in front.
 
They built a 5-1 advantage before Malta were back on the board, and looked set to reach the hill at 6-2 before Melling missed an elementary 9 ball. Instead it was 5-3 and it wasn’t long until there was only one rack between the teams after Shaw failed to make a 4/9 which he’d usually expect to sink.
 
Great Britain had some thinking to do and in the next rack they found a way and finally got to the hill. Castaldi, though, have been breaking well all match and again gave his team a roadmap as they looked to stay in the match.
 
The Maltese runout piled the pressure on the hosts, who would break next knowing that if they let their opponents take the rack, it would be the visitors to break at hill-hill. But Shaw and Melling, who had looked strong early in the match, eliminated their mistakes when it mattered and booked their place in the second round.
 
“We played perfectly to get 5-1 up but then it was a bad 9 I missed,” said Melling. “We have played enough tournaments around the world to know that when you do make a mistake you can’t take it back, so you can’t dwell on it, you have to forget it straight away.”
 
Shaw added: “Every match is going to be tough, so it’s one match, one ball at a time. There is a lot of play left in this tournament and a lot of good teams.”
 
Earlier in the evening France were defeated by Canada, who had John Morra back in the side after missing last year’s World Cup in Shanghai, alongside Alex Pagulayan. The 30-year-old has switched style and is now playing left-handed due to back issues and looked just as good as ever as a southpaw. Canada took a quick 2-0 lead and despite being pegged back in the third, gave their French opponents Alex Montpellier and Fabio Rizzi a mountain to climb as they move to 5-1 ahead.
 
France got their second rack on the board to narrow the gap to 5-2, but Canada responded to reach the hill and took little extra time in securing the victory and a second-round clash with Estonia.
 
New Zealand took the lead in their match against the Greek team of Alexander Kazakis and Nick Malaj, Matt Edwards playing a smart plant for the 4/9 combo. His playing partner, Simon Singleton, was born in the UK and had plenty of support in attendance in Leicester. But the New Zealand followers would be disappointed, as Greece responded to going behind with five consecutive racks.
 
When Malaj missed the 3 with a jump shot, New Zealand cleared for their second rack. They broke dry but Kazakis scratched on the 1 and the Kiwis worked the table for their third. The comeback was short lived, however, and Greece were soon scoring again and took the next two racks for the match. They will face Chinese Taipei in round two. 
Play continues with the remaining four first-round matches and the first two second-round fixtures played across two sessions on Thursday. The BetVictor World Cup of Pool is broadcast live in over 100 countries around the world, including on Sky Sports and DAZN.
 
The BetVictor World Cup of Pool is sponsored by Rasson Billiards, who supply the Official Table; the cloth is supplied by Iwan Simonis and the Official Balls are Super Aramith by Saluc. Predator are the Official Cue of the event and Kamui the Official Chalk and Tip.

Germany and Japan Dumped Out of Betvictor World Cup of Pool

Team Estonia

Germany 6-7 Estonia
Japan 4-7 Hong Kong, China
Chinese Taipei 7–2 Romania
 
Germany and Japan were dumped out of the BetVictor World Cup of Pool on Wednesday afternoon as Estonia and Hong Kong, China upset the odds at the Morningside Arena, Leicester, live on Sky Sports, DAZN and networks worldwide.
 
There were no such problems for Chinese Taipei, however, as brothers Ko Pin Yi and Ko Ping Chung defeated Romania 7-2.
 
The first match of the day saw one of the pre-tournament favourites, Germany, take on Estonia, made up of Denis Grabe and Mark Magi. The German team comprised former World Cup winner Ralf Souquet and reigning World Champion Joshua Filler and were fancied by many to go all the way this year.
 
The teams exchanged the first eight racks, although at 1-1 Grabe snatched at the 9 to leave Souquet a cut which the former World Cup winner missed, giving Estonia a let off.
 
At 4-3 down and breaking, Magi made the tournament’s first golden break to bring the match level, and from there Estonia opened up a 4-6 lead. Germany pulled one back on their break, but at 6-5 Estonia looked to have a roadmap to the second round. However, Magi scratched to the middle pocket and the German’s took it to hill-hill.
 
At that stage Souquet and Filler took a toilet break, keeping Estonia in their chair to dwell on the mistake. When they returned, Souquet was breaking but they lost position on the 5 and it was Estonia who got the better of the safety, and eventually the rack, for a 7-6 win.
 
“We are delighted with the win,” said Grabe. “We beat one of the top seeds, Germany. We know Joshua Filler is the World Champion so it was a tough match but we played well and we are happy with the win.
 
“We know we are capable of playing really, really well. Last year we only lost 7-6 to the winners, China, so we know we can play against these guys.”
 
The second match saw a second unseeded team advance as the young duo of Lo Ho Sum and Yip Kin Ling took Hong Kong, China into the second round. They dumped Japan – Naoyuki Oi and Toru Kuribayashi – out 7-4.
 
The Japanese favourites stormed to a 3-0 lead but Hong Kong, China fought back to level the all-Asian affair. The 19-year-old Yip then executed a brilliant jump to bank the 3 as his side moved ahead for the first time. Japan hit back but from there it was all Hong Kong and the young pairing saw out the victory to advance to the second round.
 
Among the pre-tournament favourites were Chinese Taipei, and the Ko brothers Pin Yi and Ping Chung showed none of the issues suffered by some of the seeded teams as they dispatched Romania 7-2.
 
Having fallen behind in rack one, the Romanian duo Babken Melkonian and Ioan Ladanyi levelled after breaking in the second. Chinese Taipei, though, were on the hill before Romania could get their second rack and the comeback was over before it started, a mistake on the 8 gifting Chinese Taipei the rack, and the match.
 
The BetVictor World Cup of Pool continues with three more first round matches, including hosts Great Britain A against Tony Drago’s Malta.
 
The BetVictor World Cup of Pool is sponsored by Rasson Billiards, who supply the Official Table; the cloth is supplied by Iwan Simonis and the Official Balls are Super Aramith by Saluc. Predator are the Official Cue of the event and Kamui the Official Chalk and Tip.

Chile Stun Great Britain B as USA and Philippines Advance at World Cup Of Pool

Team Chile (JP Parmentier – Matchroom Multi Sport)

Chile stunned Great Britain B at the BetVictor World Cup of Pool on Tuesday, dumping the hosts out of the tournament with a 7-5 first-round victory at the Morningside Arena, Leicester, live on Sky Sports and DAZN.
 
There were wins for Philippines and USA during the evening session, but the big story was Chile. As hosts, Great Britain have two teams in the event, and it was Enrique Rojas and Alejandro Carvajal who had the unenviable task of facing the ‘B’ team of Mark Gray and Imran Majid in front of their home crowd.
 
But the South American pairing rose to the occasion and matched the host nation throughout. The race-to-seven match reached 4-4 without either side opening up more than a one-frame lead. Chile moved to the hill at 6-4, and though Great Britain B pulled one back, they couldn’t force the decider as the visitors closed out the match for a memorable win and to set up a second-round encounter with defending champions China.
 
That came after Carlo Biado and Jeff De Luna were pushed all the way in the tournament’s first hill-hill thriller as the Philippines survived an almighty scare against the Czech Republic pairing of Roman Hybler and Michael Gavenciak.
 
At no point during the match did either side open up a lead of more than one rack, and it was the Czechs who reached the hill first, but their sixth dry break allowed the Philippines to run out and join them, giving a fitting conclusion to a gripping clash.
 
It was Biado to break in the decider, and with the 1 down the table offered an opportunity to clear. Biado, though, missed a straight 5, which came to rest back along the top rail. Hybler attempted to bank it down table but, as well as missing, he left De Luna a clear shot. This time the Philippines made no mistakes and saw out the match to set up a second-round clash with Albania. 
 
Earlier in the evening USA had defeated Brazil 7-2. Shane Van Boening and Skyler Woodward, finalists at the World Cup in 2017 and Mosconi Cup winners last December, were not at their best but still managed a convincing win over the struggling Brazilians and will meet Holland in round two on Thursday evening.
 
“We didn’t really play well,” said Van Boening. “We had a problem with our luggage, Skyler’s cues didn’t show up until two hours before the match. We were running around trying to get his bag so he could play, so we didn’t get much practice before the match.”
 
Play continues with six more first round matches across two sessions on Wednesday, including hosts Great Britain A in action against Tony Drago’s Malta. The BetVictor World Cup of Pool is broadcast live in over 100 countries around the world, including on Sky Sports and DAZN.
 
The BetVictor World Cup of Pool is sponsored by Rasson Billiards, who supply the Official Table; the cloth is supplied by Iwan Simonis and the Official Balls are Super Aramith by Saluc. Predator are the Official Cue of the event and Kamui the Official Chalk and Tip.

Global Stars Complete World Cup Of Pool Line-Up

Germany’s formidable pairing of Josh Filler and Ralf Souquet (JP Parmentier)

The final teams have been confirmed for the 2019 World Cup of Pool with powerhouse nations such as Philippines, Germany and Holland all set to compete at the Morningside Arena, Leicester this June 25-30.
 
Tickets are on sale now at www.matchroompool.com for pool’s biggest doubles event with the draw to be announced shortly.
 
A further 15 teams have been added to the line-up with the final nation to be the winner of a European qualifying event, which will take place over the weekend of June 1-2 at IDM Club in Bucharest, Romania.
 
US Open and World Champion Joshua Filler will again compete alongside Ralf Souquet for Germany, with another Mosconi Cup legend in Niels Feijen being joined by Marc Bijsterbosch for Holland. Alex Pagulayan teams up with John Morra to represent Canada, and Ko brothers Pin-Yi and Ping-Chung will be aiming to win Chinese Taipei’s second World Cup title.
 
Other Asian nations will include Japan (Naoyuki Oi and Toru Kuribayashi), Hong Kong (Lo Ho Sum and Yip Kin Ling Leo), Singapore (Aloysuis Yapp and Sharik Aslam Sayed) and three-time World Cup winners Philippines (Carlo Biado and Jeff De Luna).
 
European representation is completed by France (Alex Montpellier and Fabio Rizzi), Russia (Fedor Gorst and Ruslan Chinakhov) and Poland (Konrad Juszczyszyn and Mateusz Sniegocki).
Elsewhere South American Champions Chile will be represented by Enrique Rojas and Alejandro Carvajal, while there will also be teams from Brazil and Saudi Arabia, with players to be confirmed shortly.
 
2019 World Cup of Pool Confirmed Teams:
Albania               Eklent Kaci / Besar Spahiu
Australia            Justin Sajich / Danny Stone
Austria                Albin Ouschan / Mario He
Brazil                   TBC / TBC
Canada               Alex Pagulayan / John Morra
Chile                    Enrique Rojas / Alejandro Carvajal
China                   Wu Jiaqing / Liu Haitao
Chinese Taipei  Ko Pin-Yi / Ko Ping-Chung
Czech Republic Roman Hybler / Michal Gavenčiak
European Qualifier
Estonia               Denis Grabe / Mark Magi
Finland               Petri Makkonen / Mika Immonen
France                 Alex Montpellier / Fabio Rizzi
Germany            Joshua Filler / Ralf Souquet 
Great Britain A Jayson Shaw / Chris Melling
Great Britain B Mark Gray / Imran Majid
Greece                Alexander Kazakis / Nick Malaj
Holland               Niels Feijen / Marc Bijsterbosch
Hong Kong         Lo Ho Sum / Yip Kin Ling Leo
Italy                     Fabio Petroni / Daniele Corrieri
Japan                  Naoyuki Oi / Toru Kuribayashi
Malta                  Tony Drago / Clayton Castaldi
New Zealand     Matt Edwards / Simon Singleton
Philippines         Carlo Biado / Jeff De Luna
Poland                Konrad Juszczyszyn / Mateusz Sniegocki
Russia                 Fedor Gorst / Ruslan Chinakhov 
Saudi Arabia      TBC / TBC
Singapore           Aloysuis Yapp / Sharik Aslam Sayed
South Africa       Richard Halliday / Jason Theron
Spain                   David Alcaide / Francisco Sanchez Ruiz
Sweden              Marcus Chamat / Tomas Larsson
USA                     Shane Van Boening / Skyler Woodward
 
Tickets for the 2019 World Cup of Pool are on sale now priced at £5 for weekday afternoons and £10 for weekday evenings and weekend sessions. A season ticket is available for £75 with premium ticket packages available for weekend days including food and unlimited beer, wine and soft drinks.
 
The 2019 World Cup of Pool features 32 two-player teams battling for the $60,000 first prize from a total prize fund of $250,000. Matches are race to 7 in the first two rounds, race to 9 in the quarter and semi-finals and, for the first time, race to 11 in the final.
 
The 2019 World Cup of Pool is sponsored by the following partners: Iwan Simonis (Cloth), Saluc (Aramith Balls), Rasson (Table), Predator (cues), Kamui (chalk and tip).

World Cup Of Pool Draw Complete

Team Philippines Will Face the Czech Republic In Round One (JP Parmentier)

The draw for the 2019 World Cup of Pool has been made, with China to start their title defence against Sweden and hosts Great Britain A to face Malta in round one.
 
Tickets are on sale now at www.matchroompool.com for pool’s biggest doubles event, which takes place at Morningside Arena, Leicester from June 25-30, live on Sky Sports.
 
Wu Jiaqing and Liu Haitao will represent China but their quest to become the first team to successfully defend the World Cup title will be given a though examination in round one as they come up against Sweden, comprised of Tomas Larsson and European Mosconi Cup captain Marcus Chamat on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 25.
 
As hosts, Great Britain have two teams in the event. Great Britain A (Jayson Shaw and Chris Melling) being their World Cup on the Wednesday evening against Malta, who include cue legend Tony Drago alongside Clayton Castaldi. Great Britain B (Imran Majid and Mark Gray) face Chile (Enrique Rojas / Alejandro Carvajal) during Tuesday evening’s session.
 
World Cup of Pool Draw:
China v. Sweden
Great Britain B  v. Chile
 
Holland v. South Africa
USA v. Brazil
 
Philippines v. Czech Republic
Russia v. Albania
 
Canada v. France
Germany v. Estonia
 
Chinese Taipei v. Saudi Arabia
Greece  v. New Zealand
 
Japan v. Hong Kong
Austria v. European Qualifier
 
Spain v. Australia
Finland v. Singapore
 
Poland  v. Italy
Great Britain A  v. Malta
 
World Cup of Pool Round 1 Schedule:
Tuesday, June 25 (Afternoon session)
China v. Sweden
Holland v. South Africa
Russia v. Albania
 
Tuesday, June 25 (Evening session)
USA v. Brazil
Philippines v. Czech Republic
Great Britain B  v. Chile
 
Wednesday, June 26 (Afternoon session)
Germany v. Estonia
Chinese Taipei v. Saudi Arabia
Japan v. Hong Kong
 
Wednesday, June 26 (Evening session)
Canada v. France 
Greece  v. New Zealand
Great Britain A  v. Malta
 
Thursday, June 27 (Afternoon session)
Austria v. European Qualifier
Finland v. Singapore
Poland  v. Italy
 
Thursday, June 27 (Evening session)
Spain v. Australia
Round Two:
China/Sweden v. Great Britain B/Chile
Holland/South Africa v. USA/Brazil
 
Tickets for the 2019 World Cup of Pool are on sale now at www.matchroompool.com priced at £5 for weekday afternoons and £10 for weekday evenings and weekend sessions. A season ticket is available for £75 with premium ticket packages available for weekend days including food and unlimited beer, wine and soft drinks.
 
The 2019 World Cup of Pool features 32 two-player teams battling for the $60,000 first prize from a total prize fund of $250,000. Matches are race to 7 in the first two rounds, race to 9 in the quarter and semi-finals and, for the first time, race to 11 in the final.
 
The 2019 World Cup of Pool is sponsored by the following partners: Iwan Simonis (Cloth), Saluc (Aramith Balls), Rasson (Table), Predator (cues), Kamui (chalk and tip).

First Teams Confirmed For World Cup Of Pool

China’s Wu Jiaqing and Liu Haitao (JP Parmentier)

The first 16 teams to participate in the 2019 World Cup of Pool have been confirmed ahead of the event at Morningside Arena, Leicester which takes place from Tuesday, June 25 until Sunday, June 30 with tickets on sale at midday this Friday, May 24 at www.worldcupofpool.com.
 
The line-up includes three pairs who have previously won the event together; defending champions Wu Jiaqing and Liu Haitao of China, 2017 winners Albin Ouschan and Mario He of Austria and Finland’s Petri Makkonen and Mika Immonen.
 
As host nation Great Britain can enter two teams, with Scotland’s Jayson Shaw and Yorkshire’s Chris Melling making up Great Britain A and Mark Gray and Imran Majid on Great Britain B. Team USA will be among the favourites after defeating Europe at December’s Mosconi Cup in London; Shane Van Boening, a World Cup winner in 2008, returns and is partnered by Mosconi MVP Skyler Woodward for a third time. They reached the World Cup final two years ago before losing out to Austria.
 
Also familiar to Mosconi Cup fans will be team Sweden, led by European captain Marcus Chamat with Tomas Larsson as his partner. Eklent Kaci is joined by Besar Spahiu for Albania, with Francisco Sanchez Ruiz and World Pool Masters winner David Alcaide playing for Spain.
 
Former Mosconi MVP Tony Drago pairs with Clayton Castaldi for Malta while Italy’s Fabio Petroni, who memorably played for Europe in the 1998 Mosconi Cup, joins Daniele Corrieri on the Italian team.
Justin Sajich and Danny Stone won their national qualifier to earn the right to represent Australia, and Matt Edwards will this year be paired with Simon Singleton for New Zealand. Richard Halliday returns for South Africa and is this year partnered by Jason Theron while Czech Republic (Roman Hybler and Michal Gavenčiak) and Estonia (Denis Grabe and Mark Magi) have also been confirmed.
 
More teams will be announced in the coming days with draw and schedule information to follow in due course.
 
The 2019 World Cup of Pool features 32 two-player teams battling for the $60,000 first prize from a total prize fund of $250,000. Matches are race to 7 in the first two rounds, race to 9 in the quarter and semi-finals and for the first time race to 11 in the final.
 
Tickets for the 2019 World Cup of Pool go on pre-sale to Matchroom Pool Club members from midday on Thursday, May 23. Membership of the Matchroom Pool Club is free of charge and new members can register now at http://www.matchroompool.com/pool-club/.
 
General sale begins at midday on Friday, May 24 with tickets priced at £5 for weekday afternoons and £10 for weekday evenings and weekend sessions. Season tickets and premium ticket options are also available.
 
2019 World Cup of Pool Confirmed Teams:
Albania               Eklent Kaci / Besar Spahiu
Australia             Justin Sajich / Danny Stone
Austria                Albin Ouschan / Mario He
China                  Wu Jiaqing / Liu Haitao
Czech Republic  Roman Hybler / Michal Gavenčiak
Estonia               Denis Grabe / Mark Magi
Finland               Petri Makkonen / Mika Immonen
Great Britain A  Jayson Shaw / Chris Melling
Great Britain B  Mark Gray / Imran Majid
Italy                     Fabio Petroni / Daniele Corrieri
Malta                  Tony Drago / Clayton Castaldi
New Zealand     Matt Edwards / Simon Singleton
South Africa       Richard Halliday / Jason Theron
Spain                   David Alcaide / Francisco Sanchez Ruiz
Sweden              Marcus Chamat / Tomas Larsson
USA                     Shane van Boening / Skyler Woodward
 
The 2019 World Cup of Pool is sponsored by the following partners: Iwan Simonis (Cloth), Saluc (Aramith Balls), Rasson (Table), Predator (cues), Kamui (chalk and tip).

MansionBet World Pool Masters – Wins For Souquet, Boyes And Feijen As Defending Champ Goes Out

Karl Boys

The 25th Annual Mansion Bet World Pool Masters got underway at the Victoria Stadium in Gibraltar as the first three first round matches took place. And there were wins for veteran Ralf Souquet, Niels Feijen and Karl Boyes and all take their places in the quarter-finals over the weekend.
 
Souquet, a record-breaking six-time winner of this event, took out 2012 champion Karol Skowerski, Poland by 8-4. It was close until half-way through until Souquet turned the screw to run out a winner.
 
Commented Souquet, “I broke the table in so it should be a little easier for the guys but it will be the same for every player. The first match is always really tough, especially if it is the first match of the whole event. The TV table plays a lot different from the practice table, so it is tough.
 
“It would be awesome to win. That is my goal and to have won the Masters six times already is amazing but to put a seventh one under my belt would be the icing on the cake.”
 
The second match saw Niels Feijen, come-backing after a lengthy spell out the game through injury, brush aside a ring-rusty Raj Hundal, coming home an 8-2 winner. Hundal was never at the races as Feijen eased his way through the racks.
 
“I felt really good and the first couple of games are about logic. I had to get going a little bit and missed an easy shot as I was getting used to the light and the atmosphere but probably 15 minutes into the match I cracked a couple of good breaks and ran some racks.
 
“My kicking game was pretty good, and my tactics, so overall it was a decent match. Raj had some ring rust as he called it but I played well enough, I was happy.
 
“My game is pretty decent. I was hitting the ball really well in practice – I picked up my cue after ten weeks and I didn’t know how I would hit the ball but my touch was pretty good and it was a matter of a couple of days and the game was pretty much back. So, it is a matter of match play and mental toughness and everything will click back together.”
 
Earlier, there were some concerns behind the scenes as Matchroom referees Brendan Moore and Nigel Rees both struggled to get to the southern-most tip of Western Europe in time for the event. In the end, local referee Jason Walker stepped in at the last moment and did a stellar job officiating the opening match of the competition.
 
Third referee, Desi Bozhilova, finally made it to the venue after her flight was diverted to Jerez and she was in charge of the remaining two matches.
 
The final game saw defending champion David Alcaide go crashing out of the competition as he fell to late sub, Blackpool’s Karl Boyes by 8-3. Boyes, who came into the event after Tony Drago withdrew through illness, took his opportunity as Alcaide struggled to get to grips with the match.
 
“I was disbelieving as I only got the call up to play on Tuesday, but not a bad effort for a full-time father,” said a delighted Boyes who can look forward to a quarter-final match against Ralf Souquet.

Filler And Boyes Join Mansionbet Masters

Joshua Filler and Karl Boyes

Joshua Filler and Karl Boyes have joined the line-up for this weekend’s MansionBet World Pool Masters in Gibraltar after Francisco Bustamante and Tony Drago were forced to withdraw.
 
Filler propelled himself onto the global scene last summer when he won the WPA China Open, which helped him qualify for December’s Mosconi Cup. He then thrived on pool’s biggest stage in Las Vegas, claiming the MVP award while European fans found a new fan favourite as their side defeated USA 11-4.
 
One of England’s most successful players, Boyes has always excelled at the top level. WPA World 8-Ball champion in 2010, he lifted the World Cup of Pool alongside Darren Appleton in 2014, was runner-up at the US Open in 2015 and has won the Mosconi Cup four times.
 
Boyes will face defending Masters champion David Alcaide in the first round on Friday evening after Drago was forced to pull out through illness. Filler will come up against Jayson Shaw on Saturday evening with visa issues denying Bustamante the chance to participate.
 
“It’s great to be back at the World Pool Masters,” said ‘Box Office’ Boyes. “I didn’t play a lot last year but I’m back now and feeling good after winning on the GB 9-Ball Tour last week.
 
“The Masters is a great event with only the best players in the world. The Matchroom tournaments are always the ones you want to play in so I’m pleased to get the invite and can’t wait to get into that arena on Friday night. There are some great players in the field but I’d love to come up against Earl Strickland again – we always have great battles and I’ve got a good record against him.
 
“I’ve won the Mosconi Cup, and I’ve won the World Cup. Not many players achieve the Matchroom Triple Crown and I’d love to complete that set by lifting the Masters trophy in Gibraltar.”
 
Filler added: “I‘m so excited to play my very first World Pool Masters. I‘m honoured to be one of 16 players and all legends. I had a lot of practice the last weeks and I just feel great and confident. I am really looking forward to this great event.
 
“The Mosconi Cup last December gave me some good experience in tournaments like this and I will try to play my best. It’s an unbelievable feeling to play at the Mosconi Cup and I‘m looking forward to playing the MansionBet World Pool Masters.”
Tickets for the 25th World Pool Masters are on sale now priced £7-12 per session with season tickets available for just £34.99 at www.buytickets.gi.
 
The tournament will be broadcast live throughout on Sky Sports in the UK and on networks worldwide, with a Facebook Live stream available in countries where there is no TV broadcaster showing the event. For more details please see here: http://www.matchroompool.com/world-pool-masters/#watchlive
 
The World Pool Masters will be broadcast live for 20 hours in total on Sky Sports in the UK and on networks around the world. The MansionBet World Pool Masters is also sponsored by the following suppliers: RASSON (tables), IWAN SIMONIS (Simonis cloth), SALUC (Aramith balls), PREDATOR (cues) and ULTIMATE TEAM GEAR (clothing).