Shane Van Boening and Emily Frazer
Shane Van Boening lifted the Premier League Pool title on Monday evening, live from US 1 Billiards, West Haven, Connecticut on Matchroom.live and DAZN in the United States, defeating World Pool Master Ko Pin Yi 7-4 in the in the final.
For Van Boening, this marks his first Matchroom title on the World Nineball Tour since lifting the 2022 World Pool Championship, and adds to a collection of invitational titles alongside the Mosconi Cup, World Pool Masters and World Cup of Pool.
Stage 3
Defending champion Francisco Sanchez Ruiz and US Open runner-up Fedor Gorst had the most work to do heading into the final day, trailing the leading pack after 24 matches played. Sanchez Ruiz knew that he would have to be at his very best to overturn a two-point deficit across five matches, but a crucial error in his first match against Van Boening scuppered hopes of another semi-final showing.
Having trailed 4-0 to the five-time US Open champion, a resurgent charge to 4-3 switched match momentum, with the Spaniard at the table to take the match to hill-hill. However, a missed 7-ball into the bottom pocket allowed SVB to clean up and take a crucial result.
After not playing his best across the weekend, the point would prove invaluable for Van Boening, who limped into the final four via a Rack Difference advantage to Mosconi Cup teammate Fedor Gorst.
Gorst had admittedly not played at his best across the week, adapting to the fast-paced format of the Premier League for the first time. With a one-point disadvantage going into Monday, three wins – including against Sanchez Ruiz and Van Boening – would see the Ghost overtake World no.1 Ruiz and finish in 5th place.
Van Boening and Ko Ping Chung would play out the final group match of the week on Table 1. Chinese Taipei superstar Ko defeated the South Dakota Kid to finish top of the table, with Filler, Pin Yi and SVB following in suit.
Semi-Finals
The semi-final play-offs were seeded by finishing positions within the league table, with 1st placed Ko Ping Chung taking on Shane Van Boening in 4th. Derby City Classic ‘Master of the Table’ Joshua Filler, finishing 2nd in the table, would face World Pool Master Ko Pin Yi.
Van Boening, who had been so dominant in the earlier stages, had his form questioned after a string of defeats over the weekend. In the semi-final, any doubts hanging over the 40-year-old would soon disappear. Running up a five-rack lead in the Race to 7, Ko Pin Chung was only able to get onto the board through a rare banked miss from SVB. Two more racks would soon follow, but Van Boening would get chance on the hill after the US Open champion scratched off the break.
With ball in hand and the table laid out perfectly, Van Boening would cannon in a 2-9 combination to reach his first Matchroom final since winning the World Pool Championship in 2022.
His opponent would be Ko Pin Yi, contesting a first final since capturing gold at the World Pool Masters last year in Brentwood, United Kingdom. Pin Yi would defeat Joshua Filler, one of the main form players of the week, 7-3 in a tense affair on Table Two. A high level contest was to be expected, with both men clearing over 120 racks won across the week. However nerves would show, with both missing customary pots throughout before the Chinese Taipei man would grab the advantage and see out victory.
Final
In a first World Nineball Tour finals meeting between the pair, match momentum would shift throughout – a feat we have commonly seen in Major finals on the tour.
Ko Pin Yi would take the opening two racks, before Van Boening responded brilliantly to tie at two each. After receiving the ball from a push, the 40-year-old elected to jump two balls and pocket the two ball into the bottom corner. In clearing up, including a fantastic cut on the seven, the match was tied.
The match ebbed and flowed from there until it was 4-4, where Van Boening really kicked into gear. The former World champion would create one of the highlights of the tournament to get onto the hill. Caught in the top pocket, he produced a beautiful 2-9 carom into the far opposite corner to spark jubilation from the onlooking crowd.
This was his moment, and exchanging humorous retorts with the crowd, a break-and-run would see him over the line.
His exhaustion was clear, laying down on the table as the final nine was pocketed. Van Boening didn’t spend a second way from the table in eight days and it paid off at the most crucial time – a worthy champion after an incredible week of action of Connecticut.
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