WE ARE DOWN to the last 16 players after a full day’s play at the
Dynamic Billard St Johann Open and there will be plenty of Europe’s
big-name players vying for the title on Monday. There are four rounds of
matches tomorrow to determine the destination of the second Euro Tour
trophy of the season.
There are five Poles, three Austrians and three Germans among the last
16 but flying the flag for Norway in youngster Emil-Andre Gangflot, a
multiple gold medallist at the EPBF European Junior Championships.
It’s the first time he has reached the last 16 stage on the Euro Tour in
his fledgling career and he did it an excellent 9-1win over Czech David
Zalman. Undefeated so far, could Gangflot make a serious impact
tomorrow? He faces Daniel Guttenberger, who beat Niels Feijen by the
narrowest of margins, buoyed on by some local support around an outside
table.
Austrian Guttenberger has not done too much on the Euro Tour going back
to 2012 but has since reapplied himself to the game following the break
for the pandemic. A silver medal in 9-ball at last year’s European
Championships may well be a pointer to where his is headed.
Commented Daniel, “It was a crazy match again! Every time I play against
Niels, somehow, it’s hill-hill and crazy things happen and this time I
wanted to win so bad as I’d lost the last three times against him so I’m
proud that I put it together. For sure the crowd made me a bit nervous
and I was shaking!”
DAY TWO UNFOLDED at the Dynamic Billard St Johann Open today as the
field reduced to the 32 players contesting the Winners’ Qualification
round on Sunday afternoon as well as a host of players still battling it
out on the one-loss side. In fact, there are 86 players remaining with
one defeat and the whole field plays down to the last 16 tomorrow.
One young player starting out in the professional world is Poland’s
Szymon Kural, who last November claimed the WPA World Junior
Championship (U19). Seemingly from a never-ending production line of
Polish talent, Kural is three wins from three here in St. Johann and can
look forward to a Winners’ Qualification match against Mario He on
Sunday afternoon.
Kural defeated Brit Sam Storey, Thomas Binder (Germany) and Attila
Bezden of Hungary to make his way through on the winners’ side. The 21
year-olds previous best Euro Tour efforts were two 33rd place finishes
so he has everything to play for as the event enters its third day.
Commented Kural, “I think I’ve played pretty good in all matches. Maybe
not perfect but I think it the last one was a good game with some really
good shots and really good racks. A few mistakes also but they weren’t
that important in the matches.
“Three comfortable wins so I’m waiting for Mario tomorrow in the
Winners’ Qualification. It will be a nice match and we will see. I think
it will be nice to get some rest before tomorrow’s match and I will
enjoy the views of St Johann because it’s a beautiful place. Maybe some
good food but I’m waiting for tomorrow,” he concluded.
Ruiz.
OF THE 246 players gathered in Austria for the Dynamic Billard St Johann
Open, surely one of the favourites to lift the title on Monday will be
Germany-based Syrian Mohammad Soufi who comes into the tournament on the
back of his first ever Euro Tour win when he lifted the Dynamic Billard
Estonian Open earlier this year. Now based in Germany for seven years
along with his brother, it was Soufi’s first major career victory.
Now up to a career high #17 on the Euro Tour rankings, Soufi has enjoyed
a breakout first quarter of 2023 as he turned himself from journeyman
into one of the most exciting players in the world of pool. The Syrian
potter first started playing on Europe’s premier tour in 2017 and he
gained a couple of 9th place finishes in his first two years, with
limited starts.
Things improved in 2019 when he reached the quarter-finals for the first
time in Veldhoven. 2021 saw just one start for Mohammad and this time it
was a best-ever finish as he reached the final four in Lasko, Slovenia.
Looking to have made a significant breakthrough, Soufi endured a
miserable 2022 with five events played and a high finish of 9th in
Petrich, Bulgaria backed up by 129th and 65th places in other tour
stops.
Coming into 2023, no one could have predicted what was in store for the
speedy Syrian. Entering the 128 player WPA World 9 Ball Championship as
a rank outsider amongst a super-strong global field, Soufi grabbed the
event by the scruff of its neck as he stunned the pool world to reach
the final. Ultimately it proved a bridge too far as he was undone in the
championship match by the best player in the world, Francisco Sanchez
Ruiz.
THE DYNAMIC BILLARD Euro Tour returns to one of its most popular venues as the St Johann im Pongau Open gets underway this Friday 14th April in the picturesque Austrian Alpine town. In fact, the Euro Tour’s history here goes as far back as 2010 when Karl Boyes defeated Nick van den Berg for his only Dynamic Billard Euro Tour victory. Since then, the likes of the Likes of Niels Feijen, Dennis Grabe, Mark Gray, Mario He, Alexander Kazakis, Eklent Kaci and Joshua Filler have all recorded championship wins in St. Johann.
Given the popularity of the venue, there is a whopping field of 246 players representing 41 countries registered to compete this week and due to venue sizing, the tournament is lengthened to four days with a conclusion being played out 17th April. The semi-finals and the final will be broadcast live or delayed to ten countries across Europe. For all other territories, play is available throughout via the EPBF website.
In addition, there is a Women’s Euro Tour event taking place on April 15th, concluding on Sunday 16th April. 55 players from 20 nations have registered which means that over 300 players will be in attendance in St Johann this weekend.
The defending champion this week is the ever-green Niels Feijen (Netherlands) who comes to St. Johann as the tour’s most successful player here, having recorded three victories in the Austrian mountains since the Euro Tour first visited in 2010. Wins in 2013, 2015 as well as last year where he defeated Francisco Sanchez Ruiz in the final, make this a happy hunting ground for the Terminator.
The 46 year-old Dutchman explained why, “I think, first of all, I really enjoy being in St. Johann. It’s a lovely place and the weather has always been awesome when we’ve been here. It’s a feel good place, you have the wellness, the swimming pool, the fresh air, you can go for a walk, and that’s good for the mind, good for the soul and that’s good for the game.
• World Nineball Tour to provide a minimum of $3-million prize money this year
• Over 40 World Nineball Tour events
• 1,000 hours of live pool in 2023, from the Matchroom Majors
Matchroom Pool is proud to unveil the formulation of the World Nineball Tour marking the benchmark for the game of professional pool globally with events reaching all four corners of the world boasting a minimum prize fund of $3 million: minimum of 40 ranking events and a minimum of 1,000 live TV hours for Matchroom events globally in an ever-growing list of broadcasters creating opportunities for all players.
Following in the footsteps of Matchroom’s highly successful model that has seen the Professional Darts Corporation and the World Snooker Tour both with over £15 million in prize money for the forthcoming season. The World Nineball Tour will accelerate at pace to provide a commercial platform for professional pool and change players lives.
The Nineball ranking structure has expanded to new territories to help players turn fully professional worldwide; the Tour will build a fair, transparent, and commercial constitution where players will see a profitable future, break new ground, and inspire stars of the future globally.
2023 will see 10 major events forming the backbone of the calendar promoted by Matchroom with a new signature 256-player field Spanish Open Pool Championship recently announced as part of a wider partnership in Spain. Similarly, the Southeast Asia territory will shortly announce a host of new events aligned to the World Nineball Tour.
We believe a collaborative effort between Matchroom and the rest of the world of pool will be the best way to ensure players have endless opportunities to earn World Nineball Ranking points that provide a gateway to the most-valuable tournaments on the calendar.
This year’s schedule is ever-expanding with the World Nineball Tour keen to work with organisers and federations all over the world as underlined with the launch of numerous new Ranking events across continents including the Americas, Asia, Oceania, and Europe.
It offers a platform for not only the players to earn a fair living but also for local organisers to grow their events with both Matchroom and the third parties set to benefit from unrivalled insight into the game. The direct goal is to also open further ranking event opportunities in the USA, South America, and central Europe.
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NINEBALL WORLD NO.1 SANCHEZ RUIZ TO HOST FSR JUNIOR OPEN
• Matchroom Pool invests further into Junior Nineball with third tournament
• Set to take place alongside Spanish Open on June 23-24
• Zero entry fee with total prize fund of $10,000
• Juniors to play in same arena as Spanish Open closing stages with final live streamed
Nineball World Number One and current world champion Francisco Sanchez Ruiz will host the FSR Junior Open, the third junior event on the Nineball World Tour calendar set to take place alongside the Spanish Open Pool Championship in Lugo, Spain from June 23-24.
The tournament will follow the same format as the SVB and JS Junior Opens with 64 juniors aged 17 and under able to enter for free. A prize fund of $10,000 is in the offing as well as free entry into next year’s Spanish Open Pool Championship with all players also receiving a free custom jersey courtesy of partners Onboard Sportswear.
Sanchez Ruiz cannot wait to cheer on the juniors in a town where the Spaniard won his first-ever junior tournament: “To be honest, it's hard for me to assimilate everything from this last year and this news. After the victory in the Derby City Classic, I have had a lot of confidence and I have worked very hard to achieve everything that I have achieved.”
“Honestly, having a junior event in my name is a dream! I think billiards is growing a lot and young people can have a good future as a professional. My junior memories are wonderful and decisive in my career. I think that in the beginning, like anyone else, they are the most beautiful.”
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WORLD CUP OF POOL CHAMPIONS SPAIN TO DEFEND TITLE ON HOME SOIL
• World Cup of Pool to follow Spanish Open from June 27 to July 2 2023
• Second of three announcements this week for Nineball in Spain
• Nineball World No.1 Spain’s Francisco Sanchez Ruiz and David Alcaide looking to defend title on home soil
• Nineball World Ranking used as qualification and seedings for first time
Defending World Cup of Pool champions Spain will get the opportunity to defend their crown on home soil with the 2023 edition set to take place from June 27 to July 2 at Pazo De Feiras E Congresos De Lugo just days after the completion of the inaugural Spanish Open Pool Championship live on Sky Sports in the UK and DAZN in Spain.
World champion and Nineball world number one Francisco Sanchez Ruiz alongside confidant 2019 World Pool Masters winner David Alcaide will step out in Lugo looking to become the first country in the tournament’s history to defend their title and they will do it in front of a rapturous home crowd.
15 of the 32 countries competing have qualified from the Nineball World Rankings with the likes of two-time champions Austria, Great Britain, the USA, and Chinese Taipei amongst the sides to be on the seeded half of the draw. As host nation, Spain will also field a B team with rising stars Jose Alberto Delgado and Jonas Souto Comino set to join forces as the 16th seeded side.
The unseeded side will offer plenty of danger for the seeded countries with the 16 wild cards set to include China’s return to the international stage and three-time champions the Philippines with further countries to be confirmed over the coming weeks on the Matchroom Pool social media pages.
Guaranteeing each team at least £3,625, the World Cup of Pool is the only scotch doubles event on the Nineball World Tour with a total prize fund of $250,000 on offer.
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MATCHROOM POOL LAUNCHES SPANISH OPEN IN STRING OF ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR SPAIN
• Spanish Open one of three announcements for the Nineball World Tour in Spain this week
• Spanish Open to take place in Lugo from 20-25 June 2023
• $200,000 prize fund for 256 player field event
Matchroom Pool is delighted to announce another signature multi-table major event, the Spanish Open Pool Championship set to take place from 20-25 June 2023 in Lugo, Spain at Pazo De Feiras E Congresos De Lugo with a $200,000 prize fund and the final two days broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK and DAZN in Spain.
The Spanish Open Pool Championship is the fifth 256-player field tournament promoted by Matchroom on the Nineball World Tour with players set to fight through a seeded double elimination stage led by the top 128 on the Nineball World Rankings before only 64 make it to the single elimination rounds.
Entries will open Monday, 3 April at 2 pm UK time with the top 64 on the current Nineball World Rankings given priority entry. The remaining spots will be up for grabs with entries costing $250.
In partnership with The Asociación Gallega de Billar Pool (AGP). The AGP was founded in 1992 by Carlos Iglesias Lorenzo in Cangas del Morrazo (Galicia - Spain), with the aim of promoting and disseminating pool billiards in Galicia, a modality that to date was not known.
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.
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