Click the image to view the full size photograph - use "back" to return here.
2024 UK OPEN POOL CHAMPIONSHIP |
KACI’S TITLE DEFENCE COMES TO AN END
Eklent Kaçi’s title defence comes to a shocking end at the BetVictor 2024 UK Open Pool Championship at the Telford International Centre. Unlike Capito, Fortunski, Makkonen, and Labutis who advance into tomorrow’s semi-finals live on broadcasters worldwide, including DAZN, Viaplay, and Sky Sports in the UK.
Defending champion Eklent Kaçi began the day with an impressive battle against American hall of famer Shane Van Boening, securing a decisive 10-5 victory. Kaçi then went on to encounter Spanish Open semi-finalist Pijus Labutis, who had previously stopped Mickey Krause with a 10-6 win in the Last 16 stage.
Unfortunately for Kaçi, his title defence came to a devastating halt against Labutis, who prevented the Albanian from gaining any momentum during the racks. A golden break comfortably propelled Labutis to the hill, where he swept the table to reach 10-5, bringing an end to Kaçi's reign.
Filler’s masterclass persisted as he continued his rack win streak from the previous night, dominating Wiktor Zielinski with a commanding 6-0 lead. Filler’s execution of safety shots left Zielinski with little opportunity to gain ground, concluding the match 10-3.
In the subsequent round, Filler faced off against the emerging talent Robbie Capito, who had defeated Fedor Gorst in a dramatic 10-8 showdown the round before. Despite Filler's strong performance earlier, he encountered challenges against Capito, who began with an impressive 6-0 advantage. Filler regained momentum, seizing opportunities presented by his opponent's mistakes and bringing the match to a hill-hill climax. Unfortunately, a crucial error in potting the 4-ball in the final rack proved costly for Filler, allowing Capito to secure the victory and advance to the semi-finals.
The Last 16 saw a double KO, with both Ko Pin Yi and Ko Ping Chung getting knocked out of the tournament by Tobias Bongers and Mieszko Fortunski, respectively. Bongers and Fortunski then faced off in the following round, but it was Fortunski who emerged victorious with a convincing 10-4 win over Bongers.
Mosconi Cup Team USA captain Skyler Woodward also met his match in the Last 16, as Petri Makkonen defeated the last remaining American 10-7. The Finnish competitor then went head-to-head with the two-time World Pool Champion, Albin Ouschan, establishing an early lead in the match.
However, Makkonen's missed shot on the 9-ball in rack 12, followed by a scratch on the break in rack 17, allowed Ouschan to mount a comeback and bring the match to a thrilling hill-hill scenario. Unfortunately for Ouschan, a dry break dashed his hopes, enabling Makkonen to clear the table and secure his place in the semi-finals tomorrow.
JS Junior Open Bracket
The JS Junior Open finished today, showcasing a thrilling final match between Sonny Haegmans and Maks Benko. In a showdown filled with tension, defending champion Benko emerged victorious with a 9-4 triumph. His win secured the top prize of $2,500, amidst the buzz of excitement at the Telford International Centre.
Juniors aged 17 and under all came to Telford hoping to make a name for themselves as an up-and-coming superstar. With host Shaw watching on and welcoming, action was fast-paced as they competed for their part of the $10,000 prize fund.
Watch
The last day will be broadcasted live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland with fans in the USA and Brazil able to watch on DAZN whilst those in Scandinavia, the Baltics, Poland, Netherlands, and Iceland can watch live on Viaplay.
The comments are owned by the poster. We aren't responsible for their content.
PRO9 has established an outstanding reputation as Europes No.1 source for information on American Pool in the UK and Europe.
Upcoming tournament details, prompt match reporting, exclusive images by talented photographers, superb articles by expert pundits, active pool related forums, player profiles and a very sophisticated membership - basically, an incredible information resource for the American style game in Europe.
Since it launched, PRO9 has become compulsory reading, not just for the UKs pool players, but to hundreds and thousands of pool obsessives from around the world every single day.
PRO9s members range from professional pool players, cue-sports enthusiasts, club managers, tournament organisers, pool fans and aficionados, as well as various "movers and shakers" in the cue-sports field, including entrepreneurs in the wholesale and retail sector, as well as magazine editors and television sports promoters.
Growing more and more popular every single year, PRO9 is the best placed vehicle for the promotion of your pool club, billiards brand, associated products, services and opportunities in the truly massive pan-European billiard market.
If you qre reading this, you should check out www.Pro9.co.uk for yourself! Please use these logos and text in your links to www.Pro9.co.uk - thank you.
Forum rules: No advertising, no links to businesses/shops/eBay, no swearing, respect our sponsors and each other, no hate!
Comments