Pro9 - Europe's No.1 Pool Player Resource

Dynamic Billard Bosnia & Hercegovina Open Euro-Tour 2013
Radon Plaza Hotel
D�emala Bijedića 185
Sarajevo
Boznia
www.radonplazahotel.ba
www.epbf.com
www.eurotouronline.eu
www.kozoom.com - live video streaming from up to 19 cameras

4 - 11 August 2013

Mateusz Sniegocki (POL)
An all Polish clash in the final

In an exciting thriller, Mateusz Sniegocki (POL) overpowered Tomasz Kaplan (POL) with 8:6.

Both Polish players managed to win their semi-finals and made the final of the Dynamic Billard Bosnia & Hercegovina Open an all Polish affair. Kaplan defeated Stephan Cohen (nothing) by the skin of his teeth with 8:7. Cohen could have won the semi-final but he missed a 6-ball at 7:7. Sniegocki got the better of Daryl Peach (GBR) with 8:5 in the other semi-final. All spotlights were now on the two Polish players who would fight it out on the final table. Sniegocki got the far better start. He seemed to be much fitter than Kaplan who seemed to be a bit tired. After five racks the scoreboard showed a 4:1 lead for Sniegocki. Though Kaplan had a longer break between his semi-final and the final match, Sniegocki seemed to be more "in the zone". One of Kaplan's problems was his break shot. He somehow could not make a ball on the break anymore. Whenever he left a possible situation for Sniegocki, he got punished by Sniegocki either running out or allowing him with a pretty good safety position to the table. But Kaplan found his way back into the match. He took a time-out and refocussed. Suddenly, the distance between the two was shrunk to one rack only. Sniegocki was still leading 6:5 but he could feel Kaplan fighting his way back into the match. And when the pressure increased, Sniegocki also made mistakes. In the 12th rack, he tried to play a safety with the 1-ball but accidentally pocketed the 6-ball when doing so. The position of the balls was bad and according to the rules, Kaplan had the choice to either accepting the table or giving the shot back to Sniegocki. Kaplan put Sniegocki back to the table and forced another error onto him. Sniegocki committed the error and Kaplan had the chance to tie the match at 6:6. But instead of leveling the match, Kaplan missed an easy 5-ball and left it hanging over the pocket for Sniegocki. What a drama after that terrific comeback! That serious lapse brought Sniegocki on the hill with 7:5 and his own break shot coming up. As if there has not yet been enough drama between the two friends, Sniegocki scratched on his break shot and Kaplan came back to the table with ball in hand. He cleared the table to turn the score to 6:7. The tension could not have been higher at that point in time. The audience was captured by the high class performance of these two players. In the next rack, Kaplan broke and ended up dry with no ball being pocketed. All balls were nicely spread and Sniegocki had an easy shot at the 1-ball. That was the end for Kaplan. Sniegocki ran all balls and claimed his first Euro-Tour title, winning the final match with 8:6.

Share this article on FaceBook

"Read More..." for the details.

Cohen storms into semi-final

Stephane Cohen (FRANCE)
Former World 9-Ball Champion Peach also among the final four

Stephane Cohen (FRANCE) powered past Lars Kuckherm (GER) with 8:5.

The older the better - that is definitely true for wine. But it might also be true for Cohen. The French plays an amazing tournament in Sarajevo this week. He plays accurate and precise with an absolute killer instinct. His opponent Kuckherm also played great so far but in the quarter-final, he had nothing to set against Cohen's performance. Cohen will meet Tomasz Kaplan (POL) in the semi-final.

Kaplan crushed Ivica Putnik (CRO) in his quarter-final match clearly with 8:1. The match was a one-man show. Kaplan played as solid as always while Putnik struggled. He could not find his match and was no opposition for tough Kaplan.

Daryl Peach (GBR) is playing in the second semi-final this afternoon. In an old-boys-clash, he terminated Vegar Kristiansen (NOR) with 8:4. It took a while before Peach got going. He was already trailing 0:3 before his engine warmed up. But then Peach ran away on the fast lane, leaving Kristiansen behind with 8:4 and the 5th rank.

Peach will face another Polish player in the semi-final match at 16:00 CET. He will play Mateusz Sniegocki who overcame Albin Ouschan (AUT) with 8:5.

The semi-finals will be played one after the other. The first semi-final will begin at 14:00 CET, the other one at 16:00 CET.

Ouschan on his way to the Top

Albin Ouschan (AUT)
Highly contested encounters in the round of the last 16 players

Albin Ouschan (AUT) booked his seat in the quarter-final of the Dynamic Billard Bosnia & Hercegovina Open 2013, eliminating Petri Makkonen (FIN) 8:6 after a tough match.

Ouschan took the initiative from the very beginning. He advanced to a 3:1 and 6:3 lead and always kept Makkonen at a safe distance. But after nine racks, the tide seemed to turn in the match. Makkonen grew stronger and claimed three points back, leveling the match at 6:6. Suddenly the heat was on for both players. Ouschan handled his part with flying colors and ran his next rack, taking a 7:6 lead. Makkonen tried to repeat that but he played a very bad position on the 6-ball. He attempted a safety shot but left a difficult but possible shot for Ouschan. The Austrian pocketed that and had another tough combination shot in front of him. But no one could stop Ouschan anymore. he ran all balls which were left on the table and marched on into the quarter-final with an 8:6 victory. His opponent will be Mateusz Sniegocki (POL) who overpowered Denis Grabe (EST) with 8:6.

"I did not feel well during the match. I guess Petri also struggled" said Ouschan. "When he made the mistake on the 6-ball, I realized that this would be my chance to snatch the match!"

Van den Berg ousted by Kaplan

Tomasz Kaplan (POL)
Black day for Dutch Pool

Nick van den Berg (NED), the Player of the Year 2012, has just been eliminated in the round of the final 32 players by Tomasz Kaplan (POL) with 8:5.

It was a black day for Dutch Pool today. Their Nr. 1 player Niels Feijen did not even make it into the single elimination stage. He lost 7:8 to Balasz Miko (HUN) in the loser's qualification round. However, there were still five Dutch players among the last 32, including 10-Ball World Champion Huidji See and Nick van den Berg. But it was not their day. Van den Berg had a mainly tactical match with Kaplan where safety play determined the course of action. Kaplan went ahead quickly and benefited from some mistakes from van den Berg who committed two fouls in the early stage of the match. That allowed Kaplan to take a 6:2 lead. Van den Berg never recovered from that. He could get to 4:6 and 5:7 but in the end, Kaplan prevailed with his better safety shots.

The other Dutch players were not more fortunate. They all lost in that round, extinguishing the hope for the Netherlands to gain another Euro-Tour win here in Sarajevo.

Fortunski ends hope for Muratore

Mieszko Fortunski (POL)
Feijen still has one foot in the door

21-year-old Mieszko Fortunski (POL) just ended all hopes for Bruno Muratore (ITA), ousting him clearly with 8:3.

It has not been the best tournament for Italy's Bruno Muratore. He lost his second match to Fortunski's teammate Kudlik with 6:8. On the one-loss-side, he achieved a close 8:7 victory over his fellow countryman Gabriele Crovetto which brought him into the match against Fortunski. The Polish youngster had just received a whitewash from Dimitri Jungo with 8:0. Psychologically, the advantage should have been on Muratore's side. He just won a fiercely contested match. But as often in life, things do not happen as expected. In fact, Muratore never got started in the match. After seven racks he was trailing 1:6. A disaster was looming ahead of him. Suddenly, Fortunski showed some weakness and Muratore had to get back in the match or die trying. The Italian got back, winning two racks in a row, showing that he is by far not yet finished. However, Fortunski was not too impressed by that. He continued on his road to victory and took another two racks for a spot in the loser's qualification round while Muratore's journey in the Dynamic Billard Bosnia & Hercegovina Open Euro-Tour ended in 49th rank.

Hard work for Stepanov

Konstantin Stepanov (RUS)
Hill-hill match decided over success or failure

At the maximum level of excitement, Konstantin Stepanov (RUS) defeated Senharip Azar (SWE) with 8:7.

In the third loser's round, Stepanov had to enter the ring against Azar. The Russian received a tough defeat from Romanian Viziru Augustin in his first match so he was forced to seek his fortune on the loser's side. His opponent, Senharip Azar does not regularly play on the Euro-Tour. In the recent 12 months, he has attended only three out of seven tournaments. That is part of the reason why he is only ranked 101 in the current rankings. But Azar is a regular for Sweden at the European hampionships and should not be underestimated.

The match with Stepanov was a living testimony for that. It was actually Azar who took control over the match from the beginning and dominated the happenings on the slate. He was ahead 3:0 and 5:2 before Stepanov managed to get back a bit. The top ten player from Moscow tied the match even after 10 racks at a score of 5:5. It looked like the favorite had found his rhythm and everything would turn to normal with Stepanov winning the match easily from then on. But one should never count one's chicken before they are hatched! Azar took the next two racks and got on the hill with a nice 7:5 lead. That put all the pressure of the World on Stepanov.

It was time now to show whether he was a top ten player. And he proved it. He got back, and with excellent positional, safety and shotmaking skills he managed to turn the match around and win it with 8:7. Stepanov will now face Mark Magi (EST) in his next round while Azar will have to settle for 65th.

Other notable results from today's loser's side matches include Tommy Wolff (NOR) eliminating "the dark horse" from Turkish North Cyprus, Berk Mehmetcik, with 8:7. Mats Nygren (SWE) ended all hopes for local junior hero Alen Muratovic (BIH), creaming him with 8:5.

Epic comeback from Cohen

Stephane Cohen (FRANCE)
Unbelievable effort from Cohen over Feijen

After trailing 0:4, Stephane Cohen (FRANCE) managed to turn the tide in the match with Euro-Tour Nr. 1 ranked player, Niels Feijen (NED), and defeated him with 8:5. The match could be used in the history books of pool-billiard. The lesson learned could be "never give up"!

Cohen was playing in the first winner's round against Feijen. The Dutch has just taken the last Euro-Tour in St. Johann/Pg., Austria and is currently the Nr. 1 ranked player in Europe. That draw alone was tough for Cohen. "I did not really have the time to prepare for that tournament here", stated Cohen, "I have been on a nice vacation with my family". Maybe that was the best preparation for him. He came up with an unbelievably strong performance. But before that, it was Feijen's show at the table. "The Terminator" started out as usual - strong, focussed and tough to beat. After four racks, he was leading 4:0 and it was smooth sailing for the Dutch Champion so far. In the 5th rack Feijen suddenly missed a make-able 6- ball and opened the door for Cohen to open his account. Cohen accepted the invitation and took the rack. From then on, the match changed completely.

Feijen had obviously lost his break shot. Whatever he tried, he could not pocket a ball on the break anymore. On the other hand, Cohen grew stronger and stronger. He ran two racks from a very difficult position and claimed point after point. In the end, Cohen accomplished the "mission impossible" and snatched seven racks in a row off Feijen, getting on the hill with 7:4. Feijen managed to pull one rack back from Cohen but the French gave the answer right after that, winning the match with 8:5.

"I think the match turned when he missed the 6-ball. That brought me into the match", said Cohen after his amazing victory. "I grew stronger and suddenly, also my break shot was good. I had balls down and position every time I broke".

Feijen will have to analyze what happened tonight in his match. He will get another chance on the one-loss side of the tournament. Cohen proceeds to the winner's qualification round where he will meet Filip Bermanec (CRO) who surprisingly wrestled Juan Carlos Exposito (ESP) down with 8:7.

Other notable results from the second winner's round include Dominik Jentsch (GER) getting the better of Matjaz Erculj (SLO) with 8:3. Ivo Aarts, the rising star from the Netherlands, clearly defeated his teammate Marc Bijsterbosch with 8:2. World 10-Ball Champion Huidji See (NED) did his homework and crushed Babken Melkonyan (ROM) 8:4.

Just enough for Ekonomopoulos

Nikos Ekonomopoulos (GRE)
Tough battle in the loser's round

After a fierce fight in the loser's bracket, Nikos Ekonomopoulos (GRE) overcame Mehmet Bakici (TUR) with 8:7 in a thrilling finish.

Ekonomopoulos already faced some serious problems today. He lost his opener and needed to win this match in order to stay alive in the tournament. His opponent is not among the top players of the Euro-Tour... but sometimes dark horses just come out of nowhere and perform incredibly well. The match started quite leveled with both players playing solid pool. After the first six racks, it was all square at 3:3. Then it seemed as if everything goes back to "business as usual". Ekonomopoulos won three racks in a row and Bakici committed a few mistakes. Leading 6:3, Ekonomopoulos broke the rack and scratched. Bakici took the cue ball and ran out. Suddenly, he seemed to be "on fire". He claimed rack after rack back from the Greek. He even went on the hill, taking a 7:6 advantage. The heat was on for Ekonomopoulos. He managed to get on the hill as well. At 7:7, Ekonomopoulos broke the balls and had a decent layout in front of him. But suddenly he missed the 2-ball and left everything in the open for Bakici. The Turkish came to the table and lined up the 4-ball for a combination shot on the 10-ball. But he missed that shot by a mile. Ekonomopoulos stepped back to the table and ran the balls needed, winning the match by the skin of his teeth with 8:7.

Another unexpected end had the match between Konstantin Stepanov (RUS) and Viziru Augustin (ROM). Stepanov, currently Nr. 8 of the Euro-Tour rankings, was not able to dominate his opponent. Augustin stayed in the match and never allowed his Russian opponent to get away from him. In the end, the decision came in the final rack. Augustin had the better end on his side and was able to send the top-ten-player to the one-loss side.

Experience was the key

Fabio Petroni (ITA)
Petroni made short work with Szolnoki

In the first winner's round of today's Dynamic Billard Bosnia & Hercegovina Open, Fabio Petroni (ITA) trounced Oliver Szolnoki (HUN) with 8:3.

It was a classical clash between mature and young- or experienced and green. In the beginning, Szolnoki
appeared to be nervous and Petroni could easily benefit from it.

Being the old hand that he is with so much tournaments under his belt, Petroni punished Szolnoki's early mistakes and got to a 2:0 lead. But 16-year-old Szolnoki who just won the Silver Medal in pupil's 8-ball and a Bronze Medal in pupil's 10-ball two weeks ago was far from abandoning his attempts to win this match. He struck back with a sharp blade and after six racks, all of a sudden the match was tied at 3:3. Would young Szolnoki be able to endanger Petroni's path towards the winner's qualification round? Obviously not since Petroni managed to win the next four consecutive racks, getting on the hill with 7:3. He seemed to be very comfortable at the table while Szolnoki found no proper way to stop his journey.

Rack number ten was almost another break and run by the Italian who claimed the match with 8:3 in the end. Petroni missed the 9-ball and left it at a difficult angle for Szolnoki. The Hungarian missed it and that was the end for him in that match. It was a brave enterprise by Szolnoki but in the end experience defeated youth. Szolnoki needs to take the detour through the loser's side of the draw while Petroni marches forward into the next winner's round.

Other notable results from today's Euro-Tour include Nr.1 ranked player Niels Feijen (NED) wasting no time with Georgije Femikj (MKD), handing him an 8:0 doughnut. Stephane Cohen (nothing) who celebrated his birthday yesterday, overcame Vegar Kristiansen (NOR) with 8:5. A small upset happened when unheralded Alex Montpellier (nothing) met with Nr. 6 in Europe, Nikos Ekonomopoulos. Montpellier looked like a walk in the park but he obviously wasn't. He sent Ekonomopoulos on the left side of the draw with an 8:6 victory.

Dynamic Billard Euro-Tour in Sarajevo ready to go

Tournament Director David Morris during the player's meeting
Player's meeting held at the Bosnia & Hercegovina Open 2013

Tournament Director David Morris, who is also the President of IBPF, just held the player's meeting at Radon Plaza Hotel in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Hercegovina. He explained all necessary procedures and rules for this 10-ball Euro-Tour.

Up to 140 players from 35 nations have found their way to the Bosnian capital to joust for money, ranking points and the title. A total of 34.000,-� are at stake at this Euro-Tour event with 3.400,-� going to the winner alone. From the current top ten players in Europe, only David Alcaide (Nr.2) is missing.

All other players will compete and do their best to claim some dust and points at this tournament. Especially at the top, the situation is quite tight. Not even 300 points are between Nr. 1 Niels Feijen (NED) and Nr. 10 Radoslaw Babica (POL). So missing out on this tournament will probably endanger Alcaide's top ten position, depending on the outcome.

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.billiardapps.com or contact our press office.

Enjoy the article? Now try this...

View Pro9's front page!
Chat about this article in our forums.
Visit The Pro Shop to see new cues and gadgets.
Check out the Pro9.co.uk calendar for details of more events.

Comments