#Nick Malaj

[thepoolscene]

The Pool Scene - Del Smith, Gabe Owen, Gary Lutman, Jalal Yousef, Jeffrey de Luna, Jeffrey Ignacio, Jeremy Jones, Konrad Piekarski, Kostas Koukiadakis, Luu Minh Phuc, Manny Perez, Nick Malaj, Omar Alshaheen, Raymund Faraon, Ruslan Chinakhov, Tyler Styer, Vilmos Foldes - World Pool Association

New Post on https://thepoolscene.com/?p=55446

2019 WPA Players Championship Matches Released on YouTube

CueSports International (CSI) is pleased to announce that recorded matches from the 2019 WPA Players Championship have been released on the CSI YouTube Channel. Forty-three (43) matches featuring many of the world’s best players such as Shane Van Boening, Jeffrey De Luna, James Aranas, Jayson Shaw, Alex Pagulayan, Skyler Woodward, Yu-Hsuan Cheng, Carlo Biado and more can be viewed in their entirety – absolutely free!

The $50,000 added event, which was held April 12-19 at Griff’s Billiards in Las Vegas, was a collaborative effort between CSI and the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA). The format was 9-ball and limited to 64 players in a single elimination format with a 32-player consolation event for those eliminated in the first round. The main event was a race to seven (7) with the semi-final and final being a race to nine (9) win by two (2). The consolation event was a race to five (5) with the semi-final and final being a race to seven (7).

Forty-eight (48) of the sixty-four (64) players were chosen by the WPA rankings and WPA member federations. The remaining sixteen (16) spots were determined by four (4) stage 1 qualifiers. For more information about the event, visit www.playcsipool.com/2019-wpa-players-championship.

RECORDED MATCHES STAGE 1 – QUALIFIERS Match 1: Ruslan Chinakhov (Russia) vs Vilmos Foldes (Hungary) Match 2: Omar Alshaheen (Kuwait) vs Jui-An Hsu (Taiwan) Match 3: Manny Perez (USA) vs Donny Branson (USA) Match 4: Del Smith (Great Britain) vs Chris Lawson (USA) Match 5: Jeffrey Ignacio (Philippines) vs Yu-Lung Chang (Taiwan) Match 6: Konrad Piekarski (Poland) vs Vang Bui Xuan (Vietnam) Match 7: Raymund Faraon (Philippines) vs Che-Wei Fu (Taiwan) Match 8: Jeffrey De Luna (Philippines) vs Yu-Lung Chang (Taiwan) Match 9: Jalal Yousef (Venezuela) vs Omar Alshaheen (Kuwait) Match 10: Vilmos Foldes (Hungary) vs Kings Santy (USA) Match 11: Gabe Owen (USA) vs Ian Costello (USA) Match 12: Gary Lutman (USA) vs Vang Bui Xuan (Vietnam) Match 13: Ruslan Chinakhov (Russia) vs Tyler Styer (USA) Match 14: Jeffrey Ignacio (Philippines) vs Szu-Ting Kuo (Taiwan) Match 15: Nick Malaj (Greece) vs Che-Wei Fu (Taiwan) Match 16: Jeffrey De Luna (Philippines) vs Mitch Ellerman (USA) Match 17: Luu Minh Phuc (Vietnam) vs Chris Alexander (Great Britain) Match 18: Tyler Styer (USA) vs Vilmos Foldes (Hungary) Match 19: Kostas Koukiadakis (Greece) vs Daniel Baker (Great Britain) Match 20: Gabe Owen (USA) vs Dean Goddard (Great Britain) Match 21: Jeffrey De Luna (Philippines) vs Chris McDaniel (USA) Match 22: Jeremy Jones (USA) vs Ian Costello (USA) Match 23: Raymund Faraon (Philippines) vs Blake Baker (USA) Match 24: Ruslan Chinakhov (Russia) vs Jeffrey De Luna (Philippines) STAGE 2 – MAIN EVENT Match 25: Alex Kazakis (Greece) vs Toru Kuribayashi (Japan) Match 26: Jeffrey Ignacio (Philippines) vs Mika Immonen (Finland) Match 27: Darren Appleton (Great Britain) vs Thorsten Hohmann (Germany) Match 28: Alex Pagulayan (Canada) vs Yu-Lung Chang (Taiwan) Match 29: Niels Feijen (Holland) vs Waleed Majid (Qatar) Match 30: Billy Thorpe (USA) vs Gerson Martinez (Peru) Match 31: Jung-Lin Chang (Taiwan) vs Alex Kazakis (Greece) Match 32: Thorsten Hohmann (Germany) vs Niels Feijen (Holland) Match 33: Johann Chua (Philippines) vs Mika Immonen (Finland) Match 34: Jeffrey De Luna (Philippines) vs Jayson Shaw (Scotland) Match 35: Skyler Woodward (USA) vs Carlo Biado (Philippines) Match 36: James Aranas (Philippines) vs Naoyuki Oi (Taiwan) Match 37: Yu-Hsuan Cheng (Taiwan) vs Shaun Wilkie (USA) Match 38: Shane Van Boening (USA) vs Eklent Kaci (Albania) Match 39: Jayson Shaw (Scotland) vs Yu-Hsuan Cheng (Taiwan) Match 40: Shane Van Boening (USA) vs Carlo Biado (Philippines) Match 41 SEMI-FINAL: Yu-Hsuan Cheng (Taiwan) vs Johann Chua (Philippines) Match 42 SEMI-FINAL: Carlo Biado (Philippines) vs Yu-Lung Chang (Taiwan) Match 43 FINAL: Yu-Hsuan Cheng (Taiwan) vs Carlo Biado (Philippines)

Please SUBSCRIBE to the CSI YouTube Channel to be notified whenever we upload new content.

CueSports International (CSI) is an international pool league and event leader and is currently comprised of three divisions: CSI leagues, CSI events and CSI media. CSI leagues manages the BCA Pool League and USA Pool League, CSI events produces numerous amateur and professional events around the globe and CSI media creates live streaming and digital content. Through its vision and strategic alliances, CSI is “shaping the future of pool.”  For more information about CSI or any of its divisions, visit www.playcsipool.com or find CueSports International on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram

[thepoolscene]

The Pool Scene - Jeffrey Ignacio, Mitchell Ellerman, Nick Malaj - World Pool Association

New Post on https://thepoolscene.com/?p=54403

Four Players from Four Countries Advance in Qualifier 3 of the WPA Players Championship

Four players from four countries bested the field in Qualifier 3 of the WPA Players Championship. Omar Al-Shaheen (Kuwait), Mitch Ellerman (USA), Jeffrey Ignacio (Philippines) and Nick Malaj (Greece) finished as the top four of the 50-player field to advance to the $50,000 added Stage 2 Main Event which begins Tuesday, April 16.

The WPA Players Championship is being staged at Griff’s Billiards in Las Vegas, April 12-19. The main event, with $50,000 added prize money, is limited to 64 players. 48 players where chosen by the WPA rankings and member federations to begin in the Stage 2 Main Event. The remaining 16 spots are being filled by four Stage 1 qualifier tournaments, one per day, held at Griff’s Billiards April 12-15. The top four finishers from each qualifier receive a paid spot in the Stage 2 Main Event which begins April 16.

The fourth and final Qualifier will be held Monday, April 15 where at least four additional players will advance to Stage 2.

ONLINE BRACKETS The online tournament brackets can be found at www.CTSonDemand.com.

WATCH LIVE The entire event is being streamed live by CSI media, a division of CueSports International (CSI). The production, complete with full-time commentary led by former World 8-Ball Champion, Karl Boyes, begins each day at noon pacific time. To watch live, visit www.playcsipool.com/watch-live. The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) is the international governing body for pocket billiards and is comprised of six member federations representing North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.  The WPA is the world-recognized body for sanctioning World Championship events.  It is also one of the three member organizations of the World Confederation of Billiards Sports (WCBS), representing the billiard disciplines of pool, snooker and carom.  For more information about the WPA, visit www.wpapool.com. CueSports International (CSI) is an international pool league and event leader and is currently comprised of three divisions: CSI leagues, CSI events and CSI media.  CSI leagues manages the BCA Pool Leagueand USA Pool League, CSI events produces numerous amateur and professional events around the globe and CSI media creates live streaming and digital content.  Through its vision and strategic alliances, CSI is “shaping the future of pool.”  For more information about CSI or any of its divisions, visit www.playcsipool.com or find CueSports International on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. The WPA Players Championship is made possible by the following sponsors: ​Andy Billiard Cloth • Cyclop Balls • Diamond • Griff’s Billiards • HOW Tips • Predator • Master Billiard Chalk

[thepoolscene]

The Pool Scene - Albin Ouschan, Alexander Kazakis, Chris Melling, David Alcaide, Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz, Jayson Shaw, Mario He - World Cup of Pool

New Post on https://thepoolscene.com/?p=54815

HOSTS OUT AS SPAIN AND AUSTRIA MAKE SEMIS

Quarter-finals Greece 2-9 Austria Spain 9–6 Great Britain A

Hosts Great Britain are out of the BetVictor World Cup of Pool after a 9-6 quarter-final defeat to Spain, who will now face Austria in the semi-finals at Morningside Arena, Leicester.

Austria were in fine form as they defeated Greece 9-2, before the host pair of Chris Melling and Jayson Shaw fell to Spain’s David Alcaide and Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz after the Spaniards pulled away in the latter stages of the match.

It looked as though the early lead would go to Spain, but Alcaide missed on the 8 allowing the hosts to steal a 1-0 lead. Spain levelled but a clumsy attempted snooker by Sanchez-Ruiz left the 6 on for Britain in the next, and Shaw and Melling cashed in.

The scrappy start continued but at 3-3 Great Britain ran out from their own break and had an opportunity to make it 5-3 until Shaw scratched in unfortunate circumstances. The teams exchanged two more racks to make it 5-5 in the race-to-9 before Alcaide spotted a 4/9 carom to put Spain within three.

At that point Melling scratched and Spain had a two-rack lead, the first time either side had earnt that margin in the match and they were soon on the hill at 8-5. Great Britain pulled one back when Shaw made a high-pressure 1/9 but it was their last rack of the tournament as Spain completed a 9-6 win to move into the semi-finals.

“My partner played an amazing match,” said Alcaide. “I missed a couple of difficult shots but he gave me a lot of confidence.”

Sanchez-Ruiz added: “Austria will be a tough match, they have two players who are two of the best in the world but we believe in our game and will stay focussed on the next round. We are only thinking round-by-round so for us, the semi-final is the final.”

Photo courtesy of JP Parmentier/Matchroom Multi Sport

Austria’s Mario He and Albin Ouschan defeated Greek duo Nick Malaj and Alexander Kazakis to land their place in the last four. Austria had complete control of the early stages of the match and raced to a 4-0 lead. They looked sure to go five up but He missed a routine 9. The cue ball was on the rail but nonetheless it was a straightforward shot and it opened the door back into the match for Greece.

However, Kazakis and Malaj couldn’t capitalize and the 2017 champions restored their four-rack advantage. In the next rack Ouschan pulled off one of the shots of the tournament, making a long one and bringing the cue back down the table via two rails for perfect position on the 2.

Photo courtesy of JP Parmentier/Matchroom Multi Sport

That helped Austria pull five ahead and more clinical shooting took them to 7-1. Greece got their second rack on the board in the ninth but it was too little, too late; Austria reached the hill in the tenth and were into the semi-finals at the end of the 11th, a 9-2 victory marking one of the standout performances of the tournament so far.

“We had a pretty good start,” said Ouschan. “Mario played some incredible shots and that gave us some confidence. They missed a few balls and didn’t look too confident, but we took our chances.”

He added: “I played well before the missed 9 and I was able to forget it afterwards. It was important but I was able to forget it because we had a good lead.”

Photo courtesy of JP Parmentier/Matchroom Multi Sport

Photo courtesy of JP Parmentier/Matchroom Multi Sport

The semi-finals take place from 1:30pm on Sunday afternoon with the final a race-to-11 which begins at 6.30pm. 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.

[thepoolscene]

The Pool Scene - Alex Pagulayan, John Morra - World Cup of Pool

New Post on https://thepoolscene.com/?p=54790

CANADA TAKE DRAMATIC ROUTE TO QUARTER FINALS AS PHILIPPINES AND GREECE EDGE THROUGH

Round Two Philippines 7-5 Albania Canada 7–6 Estonia Chinese Taipei 5-7 Greece

Canada beat Estonia in a dramatic hill-hill clash to reach the last eight of the BetVictor World Cup of Pool, while there were also wins for Philippines over Estonia and Greece against Chinese Taipei on Friday afternoon at the Morningside Arena, Leicester.

Three-time World Cup winners the Philippines (Carlo Biado and Jeff De Luna) fell 3-1 behind against the Albanian team of Eklent Kaci and Besar Spahiu but the Asian side then won five consecutive racks to reach the hill in the race-to-seven clash. Albania fought back and ran the tenth before benefitting from De Luna’s dry break in the 11th to cut the deficit to just one.

Then, with the match threatening to move towards hill-hill, De Luna pulled off a brilliant cut to the middle to make the 7 and the remaining two balls were easy for the Filipino pair, who have now equalled their 2018 showing of reaching the quarter-finals.

They’ll meet Canada after Estonia’s Denis Grabe and Mark Magi snatched defeat from the jaws victory, a mistake from the latter gifting the match to Alex Pagulayan and John Morra when it looked like the Europeans would clean up at hill-hill.

Estonia took the lead with a smart 3/9 and when John Morra missed an 8-ball bank for Canada, it was an easy out for Estonia. They picked up two more racks and led 4-0 before Canada got on the board but when they did, they strung together a three-pack. A Grabe 5/9 gave Estonia a two-rack advantage and although Canada replied immediately, Estonia were able to reach the hill at 6-4 ahead.

Canada caught them and at 6-6 the pressure got the better of Magi, who played terrible position on the 7, locking the cue up against the object ball. Grabe then scratched trying to retrieve the situation, and Canada completed the set for the match.

“I don’t know where to begin with that one,” said Morra. “We struggled from game one but we fought to the bitter end so I am proud of us. We have to try and go back and feel how we did in the first match; we felt good and were in control but this time we got behind.

“We lost to Philippines in 2012 where they had a big home crowd behind them, but this year we don’t have to face that crowd, we just have to play well.”

The session’s closing match also went the distance. It was nip and tuck all the way between the Ko brothers Pin Yi and Ping Chung for Chinese Taipei and Greek duo Alexander Kazakis and Nick Malaj, and after ten of the 13 racks it was 5-5.

Greece were the first to the hill and had Kazakis breaking for the match. The one ball was down but there wasn’t a shot on the two. Greece pushed out and after both teams visited the table, Ping Chung attempted to jump a group of balls in the centre of the table to reach the two, but sent the cue flying off the table. Ball in hand was what Greece wanted but Malaj played poor position on the 6 and Kazakis opted for the safety. They were soon back at the table and despite Kazakis being left a tricky shot on the 7, which he could only just see behind the 9, this time they closed out the match.

Photo courtesy of ‘JP Parmentier/Matchroom Multi Sport’

Photo courtesy of ‘JP Parmentier/Matchroom Multi Sport’

Photo courtesy of ‘JP Parmentier/Matchroom Multi Sport’

The second round concludes on Friday evening, with Great Britain against Poland one of three matches. The quarter-finals take place on Saturday with the semi-finals and final on Sunday. 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.

[thepoolscene]

The Pool Scene - Alex Montpellier, Alex Pagulayan, Chris Melling, Fabio Rizzi, Jayson Shaw, John Morra - World Cup of Pool

New Post on https://thepoolscene.com/?p=54767

GREAT BRITAIN THROUGH AS CANADA AND GREECE ADVANCE

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.

Photos courtesy of  ‘JP Parmentier/Matchroom Multi Sport’ 

Photos courtesy of  ‘JP Parmentier/Matchroom Multi Sport’ 

Photos courtesy of  ‘JP Parmentier/Matchroom Multi Sport’ 

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.

[thepoolscene]

The Pool Scene - (Kevin) Cheng Yu Hsuan, Abdullah Saeed O Alshammari, Adam King, Adam Lilley, Adam Mscisz, Albin Ouschan, Alejandro Carvajal, Alex Montpellier, Alex Pagulayan, Alexander Kazakis, Aloysius Yapp, Amar Kang, Amer Al-Darbani, Angelo Salzano, Arnar Peterson, Bahram Lofty, Ben Crawley, Billy Thorpe, Blake Baker, Bora Anar, Brandon Shuff, Brendan Ng, Brendon Bektashi, Brian Parks, Brian Sanders, Bryan Farah, Carlo Biado, Chang Jung Lin, Chang Yu Lung, Che-Wei Fu, Cheng-Chieh Liu, Ching-Shun Yang, Chris Alexander, Chris McDaniel, Chris Melling, Chris Robinson, Christopher Lawson, Cole Gibbons, Corey Deuel, Corey Harper, Dali Lin, Dalibor Nikolin, Damian Pongpanik, Dang Jin Hu, Danny Olson, Darren Appleton, David Alcaide, David Anderson, David Dimmitt, Dejan Sipkovski, Dennis Grabe, Dennis Hatch, Dennis Orcollo, Deomark Alpajora, Dimitri Jungo, Donny Mills, Dustin Dixon, Earl Strickland, Eklent Kaci, Elliot Sanderson, Ellis Brown, Erik Hjorleifson, Ernesto Dominguez, Eugene Villena, Fabio Rizzi, Fahad Salem N Alharbi, Fedor Gorst, Florida Pro Tour, Francesco Candela, Francisco Bustamante, Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz, Franklin Hernandez, Gabe Owen, Gary Lutman, Gary Onomura, Gary Urinoski, Giuseppe Iacobucci, Gwyn Spooner, Hayato Hijikata, Henrik Larsson, Hideaki Arita, Hoang Duong Quoc, Hsu Jui An, Hsu Kai-lun, Hunter Lombardo, Imran Majid, Ivo Aarts, Jalal Yousef, Jamal Oussi, James Adams, James Aranas, James Davee, Jamie White, Jani Siekkinen, Jason Hitzfeld, Jason Klatt, Jason Mcclain, Jason Theron, Jason Williams, Jayson Shaw, Jeff De Luna, Jeffery Ignacio, Jeffrey Jimenez, Jeremy Jones, Jochen Kluge, Johann Chua, Johann Dominik Hiber, John Barton, John Chapman, John Moody Sr, John Morra, John Schmidt, Johnny Archer, Jon Demet, Jonathan Mcdowell Pakieto, Jorg Kellner, Josh Roberts, Joshua Filler, Justin Bergman, Justin Espinosa, Kang Lee, Katsuyuki Yamamoto, Kelii Chuberko, Ken Kuwana, Kenichi Uchigaki, Kenny Loftis, Kim Laaksonen, Kings Santy, Ko pin Yi, Ko Ping Chung, Koh Yong Lee Randolph, Konrad Juszczyszyn, Konrad Piekarski, Kostas Koukiadakis, Kosuke Tojo, Kuo Szu-ting, Kurt Kobayashi, Lee Heuwagen, Lefteris Georgiou, Liu Haitao, Liu Ri Teng, Luis Guerrero, Luu Minh Phuc, Maksim Dudanets, Manny Perez, Marc Bijsterbosch, Marc Vidal Claramunt, Marcel Price, Marco Penta, Marco Spitzky, Marco Teutscher, Marco Vignola, Marcus Westen, Marek Kudlik, Mario He, Mark Foster, Mark Showalter, Marlon Manalo, Martin Daigle, Masato Yoshioka, Mateusz Sniegoki, Matt Edwards, Matt Krah, Max Eberle, Max K Reyes, Melinda Huang, Michael Dechaine, Michael Delawder, Michael Hutcheson, Michael Pruitt, Michael Yednak, Mieszko Fortunksi, Mika Immonen, Mike Stalk, Milos Verkic, Mitch Ellerman, Mohamed Baabad, Mohammed Ali N Al Eid, Molrudee Kasemchaiyanan, Naoyuki Oi, Nguyen Phuc Long, Nick Malaj, Nicolas Charette, Niels Feijen, Omar Al Shaheen, Paddy McLoughlin, Patrick Flemming, Patrick Griess, Patrick Holtz, Patrick Mannillo, Paul Duell, Paul Jaurez, Pedro Botta, Peter Busarac, Petri Makkonen, Philipp Stojanovic, Philipps Yee, Radoslaw Babica, Radwan Jameel R Sorouji, Ralf Souquet, Ralph Eckert, Raymund Faraon, Renato Camantigue, Richard Halliday, Ritchie Ogawa, Rob Hart, Robbie Capito, Robby Foldvari, Robert Goddard, Robert Hewings, Roberto Gomez, Roderick Malone, Rodney Morris, Roland Stock, Roman Hybler, Ronald Regli, Ruslan Chinakov, Ryo Yokawa, Sami Koylu, Sangin Pehlivanovic, Seiji Kuwajima, Shane Van Boening, Shaun Wilkie, Siming Chen, Simon Pickering, Skyler Woodward, Stan Tourangeau, Stanley Walton, Stephen Folan, Stephen Holem, Steve Lingelbach, Steve van Ness, Steven Lingafelter, Terry Spalding, Thomas Welle, Thorsten Hohmann, Toan Nguyen, Tom Griffith, Tom Staveley, Tomasz Kaplan, Tommy Kennedy, Tommy Tokoph, Tony Chohan, Torsten Schmitt, Toru Kurabayashi, Tyler Fleshman, Tyler Styer, Vilmos Foldes, Wang Can, Warren Kiamco, Wojciech Szewczyk, Wu Jiaqing, Wu Kun Lin, Yip Kin Ling Leo, Yukio Akagariyama, Zachary Bos - US Open

New Post on https://thepoolscene.com/?p=54436

REINCARNATION OF POOL MAJOR BEGINS IN VEGAS

The 43rd partypoker US Open 9-Ball Championship broke off at Mandalay Bay Resort, Las Vegas on Sunday as a 256-player field of the world’s elite pool players began their quest to land one of billiard’s biggest titles.

The reincarnation of one of pool’s oldest majors, now promoted by Matchroom Multi Sport, began at 9am with 33 tables breaking in unison. Among the first to move to the winners’ side of the tournament was reigning champion Jayson Shaw, who got his tournament off to the perfect start with an 11-0 dismantling of German Marcus Westen. Later in the day Shaw defeated fellow Brit Tom Staveley while American No.1 Shane van Boening is also still going on the winners’ side as is the tournament’s highest-racked female player, Siming Chen of China. But there were a wave of early casualties as seeded players including previous US Open Champions Mika Immonen and Kevin Cheng fell into the losers’ side of the tournament. World Pool Masters winner David Alcaide and Mosconi Cup winners Skyler Woodward and Tyler Styer also have just one life left in this double elimination format and must now win eight consecutive matches to make the last-16 stage of the event.

The tournament feature table, streamed live at Facebook.com/USOpen9Ball, ended with a classic between two American legends as Dennis Hatch and Earl Strickland battled out a hill-hill thriller before The Hatchetman delivered a decisive blow to knock ‘The Pearl’ over to the losers’ side of the brackets. Play continues at 9am local time on Tuesday. The US Open is split into two stages with the full field playing double elimination down to the final 16 from Sunday, April 21 until Tuesday April 23. From Wednesday April 24 until Friday April 26 the final 16 players will play straight knockout in the Diamond Arena with global television coverage including Sky Sports and DAZN. All matches at the partypoker US Open 9-Ball Championship are race to 11, winner breaks, except the final which is race to 13. The draw and match schedule for the first stage of the tournament is available now at www.matchroompool.com. Players are playing for their share of a $300,000 tournament purse. The winner will take home $50,000, the famous US Open green jacket and the newly-commissioned Barry Behrman trophy. Tickets for the 43rd partypoker US Open 9-Ball Championship are still available at www.matchroompool.com from as little as $10 with VIP packages also available for the final three days of the tournament.

[thepoolscene]

The Pool Scene - Carlo Biado, Chang Yu Lung, Johann Chua - World Pool Association

New Post on https://thepoolscene.com/?p=54422

The WPA Players Championship Is Down To Two Philippines vs. Taiwan Semi-Finals

(Las Vegas)—Any discussion by pool fans about which countries produce the world’s very best players will invariably find the Philippines and Taiwan at the top of the list. And this week in Las Vegas, not surprisingly, those arguments came through loud and very clear.

After three days featuring the very best pool players from all corners of the globe, the 64 player field at the inaugural WPA Players Championship has been whittled down to four, with both race to 9 semi-finals on Friday at Griffs Billiards in Vegas featuring the Philippines vs. Taiwan. 

In one semi-final the Philippines’ Carlo Biado, the 2017 World 9-ball Champion, will square off against Taiwan’s Chang Yu Lung. In the other semi-final, the Philippines Johann Chua will match wits against Taiwan’s Kevin Cheng, who captured the 2015 US Open.

All four players put in wonderful performances today, each winning two matches to advance to the semis.  The Philippines Chua has been living on a high wire all week and has managed to survive and tell the tale. After storming back from 6-2 down in the round of 32 against two-time world champion Mika Immonen, Chua pulled another fast one in the round of 16 today in his match versus Greece’s Nick Malaj.  Chua found himself down 6-3 in the race to 7, alternate break match but tied the score at 6 to force an overtime. In the win by two format Malaj lead 7-6, 8-7 and 9-8 before a stingy Chua finally caught up. Chua took the nervy sudden death rack to advance, 10-9.

Chua finally had a chance to catch his breath in his quarters match against Vietnam’s Duong Quoc Hoang. The Filipino was never really challenged and won, 7-3.

Chua will now face Taiwan’s Kevin Chang, who has looked impervious this week. Chang first came back from a 4-1 deficit to the USA’s Shaun Wilkie to win 7-4. He then dueled with defending US Open champ Jayson Shaw in the quarters. The match was even through 5 before Cheng stepped on the gas and closed it out, 7-5.

Photo of Yu Lung Chang by JP Parmentier

In the round of 16, Biado, who is ranked world number 3, had to go into extra time to take down Taiwan veteran, Yang Ching Shun, 8-6. In the quarters Biado met up with the USA’s Shane Van Boening, who had, up to this point, looked like he had plans on lifting the trophy on Friday.  The match was tight early, but Biado was just too focused and too sharp. The Filipino star made some nervy clearances on the way to a convincing 7-4 win.

Biado’s semis opponent will be Chang, who put in two rock solid efforts this afternoon. In the round of 16, the Taiwanese veteran had to go extra innings before outlasting the Philippines latest hot shot, James Aranas, 8-6. In the quarterfinals, Chang outpaced hall of famer Ralf Souquet, 7-5, to advance to the semis. 

The first race to 9, alternate break semi final between Johann Chua and Kevin Chang will begin at 12 noon Vegas time. The second semi-final between Carlo Biado and Chang Yu Lung begins at 2pm. The race to 9, alternate break final will take place at 6pm.

WPA Players Championship Payouts

1 – $10,000 2 – $7,000 3/4 – $5,000 ea. 5/8 – $3,000 ea. 9/16 – $1,500 ea. 17/32 – $400 ea.

Consolation Tournament Payouts

1 – $1,500 2 – $1,000 3/4 – $500 ea. 5/8 – $250 ea. 9/16 – $150 ea.

ONLINE BRACKETS

The online tournament brackets can be found at www.CTSonDemand.com.

WATCH LIVE The entire event is being streamed live by CSI media, a division of CueSports International (CSI). The production, complete with full-time commentary led by former World 8-Ball Champion, Karl Boyes, begins each day at noon pacific time. To watch live, visit www.playcsipool.com/watch-live.

The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) is the international governing body for pocket billiards and is comprised of six member federations representing North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. The WPA is the world-recognized body for sanctioning World Championship events. It is also one of the three member organizations of the World Confederation of Billiards Sports (WCBS), representing the billiard disciplines of pool, snooker and carom. For more information about the WPA, visit www.wpapool.com.

CueSports International (CSI) is an international pool league and event leader and is currently comprised of three divisions: CSI leagues, CSI events and CSI media. CSI leagues manages the BCA Pool Leagueand USA Pool League, CSI events produces numerous amateur and professional events around the globe and CSI media creates live streaming and digital content. Through its vision and strategic alliances, CSI is “shaping the future of pool.” For more information about CSI or any of its divisions, visit www.playcsipool.com or find CueSports International on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.

The WPA Players Championship is made possible by the following sponsors:

Andy Billiard Cloth • Cyclop Balls • Diamond • Griff’s Billiards • HOW Tips • Predator • Master Billiard Chalk

[thepoolscene]

The Pool Scene - Carlo Biado, Corey Deuel, Raymond Faroun, Skyler Woodward - World Pool Association

New Post on https://thepoolscene.com/?p=54419

Final 16 Set In Vegas For The WPA Players Championship

(Las Vegas)–The Philippines’ Johann Chua pretty much knew his run in the WPA Players Championship was over. Playing in a round of 32 match against Hall of Famer Mika Immonen and down 6-2 in a race to 7 alternate break match, there was little chance for the talented Filipino to come back.

But the pool gods started to conspire against the great Finn, and Chua slowly clawed his way into contention. As that happened, Immonen clearly began to lose his composure, which only imbued the Filipino with confidence.  Chua tied the match at 6, sending proceedings into overtime, where he won the next two to advance 8-6.

“I saw him getting frustrated when I started to come back and that gave me a lot of confidence,” a relieved Chua said afterward. “Once he started to miss and give up the table, I knew I was back in the match. I’m very happy to advance.”

As 16 pool stars moved on at Griffs Billiards in Vegas, and 16 others got the boot, the WPA Players Championship moved to the business end for the final two days. The round of 16 and quarterfinals will be held on Thursday, with the semis and finals being contested on Friday.

The Philippine contingent continued to impress in the $65,000 event.  2017 WPA World 9-ball champion Carlo Biado dueled with the USA’s Skylar Woodward, with the pair of stars splitting the first 10 racks. Biado then took advantage of a lucky safe and advanced with a 7-5 win.

“I got lucky,” Biado said, echoing the favorite line of the always humble Filipino greats. But as he well knew in this case, he wasn’t just being polite.

Carlo Biado — Photo By JP Parmentier

Hot shooting 26 year old James Aranas and Raymond Faroun also won, giving Filipinos 25% of the spots in the final 16.

The USA’s Shaun Wilkie continued to impress with his second straight convincing victory today. Wilkie took down Japan’s Toru Kuribayashi 7-5 to grab a spot in the final 16. The only other American to take his place in the final 16 was Shane Van Boening, after a 7-5 win over Poland’s Wojciech Szewczyk.

The Taiwanese contingent equaled that of their neighbors in east Asia as four Taiwan players advanced to the final 16. Kevin Cheng, Ko Ping Chung, Chang Yu Lung and veteran Yang Ching Shun all won their round of 32 matches.

Scotland’s Jayson Shaw put in another convincing performance, taking down the Philippines Jeff de Luna, 7-2. Albania’s Elkent Kaci went toe to toe with New Zealand’s resurgent Matt Edwards, before pulling away for a 7-5 win. Greece’s Nick Malaj and hall of famer Ralf Souquet also advanced.

Play in the WPA Players Championship continues on Thursday at 12 noon local time.

The format will be single elimination race to 7 (win by 2), with the semi-final and final being a race to 9 (win by 2). 

WPA Players Championship Payouts

1 – $10,000 2 – $7,000 3/4 – $5,000 ea. 5/8 – $3,000 ea. 9/16 – $1,500 ea. 17/32 – $400 ea.

Consolation Tournament Payouts

1 – $1,500 2 – $1,000 3/4 – $500 ea. 5/8 – $250 ea. 9/16 – $150 ea.

ONLINE BRACKETS

The online tournament brackets can be found at www.CTSonDemand.com.

WATCH LIVE The entire event is being streamed live by CSI media, a division of CueSports International (CSI). The production, complete with full-time commentary led by former World 8-Ball Champion, Karl Boyes, begins each day at noon pacific time. To watch live, visit www.playcsipool.com/watch-live.

The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) is the international governing body for pocket billiards and is comprised of six member federations representing North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. The WPA is the world-recognized body for sanctioning World Championship events. It is also one of the three member organizations of the World Confederation of Billiards Sports (WCBS), representing the billiard disciplines of pool, snooker and carom. For more information about the WPA, visit www.wpapool.com.

CueSports International (CSI) is an international pool league and event leader and is currently comprised of three divisions: CSI leagues, CSI events and CSI media. CSI leagues manages the BCA Pool Leagueand USA Pool League, CSI events produces numerous amateur and professional events around the globe and CSI media creates live streaming and digital content. Through its vision and strategic alliances, CSI is “shaping the future of pool.” For more information about CSI or any of its divisions, visit www.playcsipool.com or find CueSports International on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.

The WPA Players Championship is made possible by the following sponsors:

Andy Billiard Cloth • Cyclop Balls • Diamond • Griff’s Billiards • HOW Tips • Predator • Master Billiard Chalk

[thepoolscene]

The Pool Scene - (Kevin) Cheng Yu Hsuan, Abdullah Saeed O Alshammari, Adam King, Adam Lilley, Adam Mscisz, Albin Ouschan, Alejandro Carvajal, Alex Montpellier, Alex Pagulayan, Alexander Kazakis, Aloysius Yapp, Amar Kang, Amer Al-Darbani, Angelo Salzano, Arnar Peterson, Bahram Lofty, Ben Crawley, Billy Thorpe, Blake Baker, Bora Anar, Brandon Shuff, Brendan Ng, Brendon Bektashi, Brian Parks, Brian Sanders, Bryan Farah, Carlo Biado, Chang Jung Lin, Chang Yu Lung, Che-Wei Fu, Cheng-Chieh Liu, Ching-Shun Yang, Chris Alexander, Chris McDaniel, Chris Melling, Chris Robinson, Christopher Lawson, Cole Gibbons, Corey Deuel, Corey Harper, Dali Lin, Dalibor Nikolin, Damian Pongpanik, Dang Jin Hu, Danny Olson, Darren Appleton, David Alcaide, David Anderson, David Dimmitt, Dejan Sipkovski, Dennis Grabe, Dennis Hatch, Dennis Orcollo, Deomark Alpajora, Dimitri Jungo, Donny Mills, Dustin Dixon, Earl Strickland, Eklent Kaci, Elliot Sanderson, Ellis Brown, Erik Hjorleifson, Ernesto Dominguez, Eugene Villena, Fabio Rizzi, Fahad Salem N Alharbi, Fedor Gorst, Florida Pro Tour, Francesco Candela, Francisco Bustamante, Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz, Franklin Hernandez, Gabe Owen, Gary Lutman, Gary Onomura, Gary Urinoski, Giuseppe Iacobucci, Gwyn Spooner, Hayato Hijikata, Henrik Larsson, Hideaki Arita, Hoang Duong Quoc, Hsu Jui An, Hsu Kai-lun, Hunter Lombardo, Imran Majid, Ivo Aarts, Jalal Yousef, Jamal Oussi, James Adams, James Aranas, James Davee, Jamie White, Jani Siekkinen, Jason Hitzfeld, Jason Klatt, Jason Mcclain, Jason Theron, Jason Williams, Jayson Shaw, Jeff De Luna, Jeffery Ignacio, Jeffrey Jimenez, Jeremy Jones, Jochen Kluge, Johann Chua, Johann Dominik Hiber, John Barton, John Chapman, John Moody Sr, John Morra, John Schmidt, Johnny Archer, Jon Demet, Jonathan Mcdowell Pakieto, Jorg Kellner, Josh Roberts, Joshua Filler, Justin Bergman, Justin Espinosa, Kang Lee, Katsuyuki Yamamoto, Kelii Chuberko, Ken Kuwana, Kenichi Uchigaki, Kenny Loftis, Kim Laaksonen, Kings Santy, Ko pin Yi, Ko Ping Chung, Koh Yong Lee Randolph, Konrad Juszczyszyn, Konrad Piekarski, Kostas Koukiadakis, Kosuke Tojo, Kuo Szu-ting, Kurt Kobayashi, Lee Heuwagen, Lefteris Georgiou, Liu Haitao, Liu Ri Teng, Luis Guerrero, Luu Minh Phuc, Maksim Dudanets, Manny Perez, Marc Bijsterbosch, Marc Vidal Claramunt, Marcel Price, Marco Penta, Marco Spitzky, Marco Teutscher, Marco Vignola, Marcus Westen, Marek Kudlik, Mario He, Mark Foster, Mark Showalter, Marlon Manalo, Martin Daigle, Masato Yoshioka, Mateusz Sniegoki, Matt Edwards, Matt Krah, Max Eberle, Max K Reyes, Melinda Huang, Michael Dechaine, Michael Delawder, Michael Hutcheson, Michael Pruitt, Michael Yednak, Mieszko Fortunksi, Mika Immonen, Mike Stalk, Milos Verkic, Mitch Ellerman, Mohamed Baabad, Mohammed Ali N Al Eid, Molrudee Kasemchaiyanan, Naoyuki Oi, Nguyen Phuc Long, Nick Malaj, Nicolas Charette, Niels Feijen, Omar Al Shaheen, Paddy McLoughlin, Patrick Flemming, Patrick Griess, Patrick Holtz, Patrick Mannillo, Paul Duell, Paul Jaurez, Pedro Botta, Peter Busarac, Petri Makkonen, Philipp Stojanovic, Philipps Yee, Radoslaw Babica, Radwan Jameel R Sorouji, Ralf Souquet, Ralph Eckert, Raymund Faraon, Renato Camantigue, Richard Halliday, Ritchie Ogawa, Rob Hart, Robbie Capito, Robby Foldvari, Robert Goddard, Robert Hewings, Roberto Gomez, Roderick Malone, Rodney Morris, Roland Stock, Roman Hybler, Ronald Regli, Ruslan Chinakov, Ryo Yokawa, Sami Koylu, Sangin Pehlivanovic, Seiji Kuwajima, Shane Van Boening, Shaun Wilkie, Siming Chen, Simon Pickering, Skyler Woodward, Stan Tourangeau, Stanley Walton, Stephen Folan, Stephen Holem, Steve Lingelbach, Steve van Ness, Steven Lingafelter, Terry Spalding, Thomas Welle, Thorsten Hohmann, Toan Nguyen, Tom Griffith, Tom Staveley, Tomasz Kaplan, Tommy Kennedy, Tommy Tokoph, Tony Chohan, Torsten Schmitt, Toru Kurabayashi, Tyler Fleshman, Tyler Styer, Vilmos Foldes, Wang Can, Warren Kiamco, Wojciech Szewczyk, Wu Jiaqing, Wu Kun Lin, Yip Kin Ling Leo, Yukio Akagariyama, Zachary Bos - World Pool Association

New Post on https://thepoolscene.com/?p=54408

International Stars Collide in Las Vegas at the WPA Players Championship

The inaugural WPA Players Championship is set to begin tomorrow, Tuesday, April 16 at noon local time. The $50,000 added prize money event is being staged at Griff’s Billiards, where 48 champions gathered from around the world join the 16 who qualified in the earlier stages of the event.​ The 64-player field will be one of the strongest in recent years for a USA-staged event. Europe will be represented by the likes of Niels Feijen, Alex Kazakis, Chris Melling, Jayson Shaw and also legends Ralf Souquet, Thorsten Hohmann, Mika Immonen and Darren Appleton. Asia’s contingent will be led by Taiwan’s Ko brothers together with International Open winner Chang Jung-Lin. America will have a strong presence led by favorites Shane Van Boening, Dennis Hatch, Corey Deuel, Justin Bergman and the recent Derby City Classic 2019 Master of the Table, Skyler Woodward. Players will battle over four days, with the final match being scheduled on Friday the 19th at 6pm local time. The format will be single elimination race to 7 (win by 2), with the semi-final and final being a race to 9 (win by 2). For those eliminated in the first round, a 32-player consolation event will be staged, with a race to 5 format – while the semis and final will be a race to 7.

WPA Players Championship Payouts 1 – $10,000 2 – $7,000 3/4 – $5,000 ea. 5/8 – $3,000 ea. 9/16 – $1,500 ea. 17/32 – $400 ea.

Consolation Tournament Payouts 1 – $1,500 2 – $1,000 3/4 – $500 ea. 5/8 – $250 ea. 9/16 – $150 ea.

WPA Players Championship Main Event Players

WPA Player Selections​

1.  KAZAKIS, Alex (GRE)

2.  FEIJEN, Niels (NED)

3.  BIADO, Carlo (PHI)

4.  CHANG, Jung Lin (TPE)

5.  KO, Pin Yi (TPE)

6.  Van BOENING, Shane (USA)

7.  GORST, Fedor (RUS)

8.  SHAW, Jayson (GBR)

9.  MELLING, Chris (GBR)

10.  GRABE, Denis (EST)

11.  KACI, Eklent (ALB)

12.  KO, Ping Chun (TPE)

13.  WU, Kun Lin (TPE)

14.  HOHMANN, Thorsten (GER)

15.  SOUQUET, Ralf (GER)

16.  CHENG, Yu Hsuan (TPE)

17.  CHUA, Johann (PHI)

18.  APPLETON, Darren (GBR)

19.  THERON, Jason (RSA)

20.  HALLIDAY, Richard (RSA)

21.  ANDERSON, David (RSA)

22.  YIP, Kin Ling (HKG)

23.  CAPITO, Robbie (HKG)

24.  OI, Naoyuki (JPN)

25.  WALEED, Majid (QAT)

26.  HUSSAIN, Bashar (QAT)

27.  DO, The Kien (VIE)

28.  KURIBAYASHI, Toru (JPN)

29.  PAGULAYAN, Alex (CAN)

30.  MORRA, John (CAN)

31.  THORPE, Billy (USA)

32.  WOODWARD, Skyler (USA)​

33.  BERGMAN, Justin (USA)

34.  HATCH, Dennis (USA)

35.  SHUFF, Brandon (USA)

36.  DEUEL, Corey (USA)

37.  TBD

38.  WILKIE, Shaun (USA)

39.  LOMBARDO, Hunter (USA)

40.  TEVEZ, Christopher (PER)

41.  MARTINEZ, Gerson (PER)

42.  BAUTISTA ESCALERA, Ruben (MEX)

43.  BIJSTERBOSCH, Marc (NED)

44.  SZEWCZYK, Wojciech (POL)

45.  BABICA, Radoslaw (POL)

46.  DUDANETS, Maksim (RUS)

47.  EDWARDS, Matt (NZL)

48.  IMMONEN, Mika (FIN)

Stage 1 Qualified Players

49.  ARANAS, James (PHI)

50.  HSU, Kai-Lun (TPE)

51.  DE LEON, Nicholas (USA)

52.  HOANG, Duong Quoc (VIE)

53.  CHANG, Yu-Lung (TPE)

54.  YANG, Ching-Shun (TPE)

55.  LIU, Ri Teng (TPE)

56.  EBERLE, Max (USA)

57.  AL-SHAHEEN, Omar (KUW)

58.  ELLERMAN, Mitch (USA)

59.  IGNACIO, Jeffrey (PHI)

60.  MALAJ, Nick (GRC)

61.  TBD – Qualifier 4 April 15

62.  TBD – Qualifier 4 April 15

63.  TBD – Qualifier 4 April 15

64.  ​TBD – Qualifier 4 April 15

ONLINE BRACKETS The online tournament brackets can be found at www.CTSonDemand.com. WATCH LIVE The entire event is being streamed live by CSI media, a division of CueSports International (CSI). The production, complete with full-time commentary led by former World 8-Ball Champion, Karl Boyes, begins each day at noon pacific time. To watch live, visit www.playcsipool.com/watch-live.

The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) is the international governing body for pocket billiards and is comprised of six member federations representing North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. The WPA is the world-recognized body for sanctioning World Championship events. It is also one of the three member organizations of the World Confederation of Billiards Sports (WCBS), representing the billiard disciplines of pool, snooker and carom. For more information about the WPA, visit www.wpapool.com.

CueSports International (CSI) is an international pool league and event leader and is currently comprised of three divisions: CSI leagues, CSI events and CSI media. CSI leagues manages the BCA Pool Leagueand USA Pool League, CSI events produces numerous amateur and professional events around the globe and CSI media creates live streaming and digital content. Through its vision and strategic alliances, CSI is “shaping the future of pool.” For more information about CSI or any of its divisions, visit www.playcsipool.com or find CueSports International on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.

The WPA Players Championship is made possible by the following sponsors: ​Andy Billiard Cloth • Cyclop Balls • Diamond • Griff’s Billiards • HOW Tips • Predator • Master Billiard Chalk

[thepoolscene]

The Pool Scene - (Kevin) Cheng Yu Hsuan, Abdullah Saeed O Alshammari, Adam King, Adam Lilley, Adam Mscisz, Albin Ouschan, Alejandro Carvajal, Alex Montpellier, Alex Pagulayan, Alexander Kazakis, Aloysius Yapp, Amar Kang, Amer Al-Darbani, Angelo Salzano, Arnar Peterson, Bahram Lofty, Ben Crawley, Billy Thorpe, Blake Baker, Bora Anar, Brandon Shuff, Brendan Ng, Brendon Bektashi, Brian Parks, Brian Sanders, Bryan Farah, Carlo Biado, Chang Jung Lin, Chang Yu Lung, Che-Wei Fu, Cheng-Chieh Liu, Ching-Shun Yang, Chris Alexander, Chris McDaniel, Chris Melling, Chris Robinson, Christopher Lawson, Cole Gibbons, Corey Deuel, Corey Harper, Dali Lin, Dalibor Nikolin, Damian Pongpanik, Dang Jin Hu, Danny Olson, Darren Appleton, David Alcaide, David Anderson, David Dimmitt, Dejan Sipkovski, Dennis Grabe, Dennis Hatch, Dennis Orcollo, Deomark Alpajora, Dimitri Jungo, Donny Mills, Dustin Dixon, Earl Strickland, Eklent Kaci, Elliot Sanderson, Ellis Brown, Erik Hjorleifson, Ernesto Dominguez, Eugene Villena, Fabio Rizzi, Fahad Salem N Alharbi, Fedor Gorst, Florida Pro Tour, Francesco Candela, Francisco Bustamante, Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz, Franklin Hernandez, Gabe Owen, Gary Lutman, Gary Onomura, Gary Urinoski, Giuseppe Iacobucci, Gwyn Spooner, Hayato Hijikata, Henrik Larsson, Hideaki Arita, Hoang Duong Quoc, Hsu Jui An, Hsu Kai-lun, Hunter Lombardo, Imran Majid, Ivo Aarts, Jalal Yousef, Jamal Oussi, James Adams, James Aranas, James Davee, Jamie White, Jani Siekkinen, Jason Hitzfeld, Jason Klatt, Jason Mcclain, Jason Theron, Jason Williams, Jayson Shaw, Jeff De Luna, Jeffery Ignacio, Jeffrey Jimenez, Jeremy Jones, Jochen Kluge, Johann Chua, Johann Dominik Hiber, John Barton, John Chapman, John Moody Sr, John Morra, John Schmidt, Johnny Archer, Jon Demet, Jonathan Mcdowell Pakieto, Jorg Kellner, Josh Roberts, Joshua Filler, Justin Bergman, Justin Espinosa, Kang Lee, Katsuyuki Yamamoto, Kelii Chuberko, Ken Kuwana, Kenichi Uchigaki, Kenny Loftis, Kim Laaksonen, Kings Santy, Ko pin Yi, Ko Ping Chung, Koh Yong Lee Randolph, Konrad Juszczyszyn, Konrad Piekarski, Kostas Koukiadakis, Kosuke Tojo, Kuo Szu-ting, Kurt Kobayashi, Lee Heuwagen, Lefteris Georgiou, Liu Haitao, Liu Ri Teng, Luis Guerrero, Luu Minh Phuc, Maksim Dudanets, Manny Perez, Marc Bijsterbosch, Marc Vidal Claramunt, Marcel Price, Marco Penta, Marco Spitzky, Marco Teutscher, Marco Vignola, Marcus Westen, Marek Kudlik, Mario He, Mark Foster, Mark Showalter, Marlon Manalo, Martin Daigle, Masato Yoshioka, Mateusz Sniegoki, Matt Edwards, Matt Krah, Max Eberle, Max K Reyes, Melinda Huang, Michael Dechaine, Michael Delawder, Michael Hutcheson, Michael Pruitt, Michael Yednak, Mieszko Fortunksi, Mika Immonen, Mike Stalk, Milos Verkic, Mitch Ellerman, Mohamed Baabad, Mohammed Ali N Al Eid, Molrudee Kasemchaiyanan, Naoyuki Oi, Nguyen Phuc Long, Nick Malaj, Nicolas Charette, Niels Feijen, Omar Al Shaheen, Paddy McLoughlin, Patrick Flemming, Patrick Griess, Patrick Holtz, Patrick Mannillo, Paul Duell, Paul Jaurez, Pedro Botta, Peter Busarac, Petri Makkonen, Philipp Stojanovic, Philipps Yee, Radoslaw Babica, Radwan Jameel R Sorouji, Ralf Souquet, Ralph Eckert, Raymund Faraon, Renato Camantigue, Richard Halliday, Ritchie Ogawa, Rob Hart, Robbie Capito, Robby Foldvari, Robert Goddard, Robert Hewings, Roberto Gomez, Roderick Malone, Rodney Morris, Roland Stock, Roman Hybler, Ronald Regli, Ruslan Chinakov, Ryo Yokawa, Sami Koylu, Sangin Pehlivanovic, Seiji Kuwajima, Shane Van Boening, Shaun Wilkie, Siming Chen, Simon Pickering, Skyler Woodward, Stan Tourangeau, Stanley Walton, Stephen Folan, Stephen Holem, Steve Lingelbach, Steve van Ness, Steven Lingafelter, Terry Spalding, Thomas Welle, Thorsten Hohmann, Toan Nguyen, Tom Griffith, Tom Staveley, Tomasz Kaplan, Tommy Kennedy, Tommy Tokoph, Tony Chohan, Torsten Schmitt, Toru Kurabayashi, Tyler Fleshman, Tyler Styer, Vilmos Foldes, Wang Can, Warren Kiamco, Wojciech Szewczyk, Wu Jiaqing, Wu Kun Lin, Yip Kin Ling Leo, Yukio Akagariyama, Zachary Bos - World Pool Association

New Post on https://thepoolscene.com/?p=54405

DRAW MADE FOR US OPEN 9-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP

The draw for the 43rd US Open 9-Ball Championship has been made, with Jayson Shaw to begin his defense against Marcus Weston at Mandalay Bay Resort, Las Vegas on Sunday, April 21.

The draw was seeded with a golf-style category system adopted, which took in rankings from across the pool world including WPA World Ranking, BCA Standings and Fargo Rating. As defending champion Shaw was seeded No.1, while five-time US Open champion Shane van Boening is seeded second as the highest ranked American player.

Broadcast details for the 2019 US Open 9-Ball Championship will be announced shortly. Live rack-by-rack scoring will be available throughout the event at www.matchroompool.com thanks to Matchroom Multi Sport’s partnership with CueScore.

The draw, brackets and match schedule can be viewed now at https://cuescore.com/tournament/US+Open+9-ball+Championship/5185877

Note: Should any players featured in the draw not participate in the event, they will be replaced directly by the first player on the event waiting list to accept a spot in the tournament, irrespective of where the new player would have featured in any seeding category.

All matches at the US Open 9-Ball Championship takes place April 21-26 at Mandalay Bay Resort, Las Vegas. Matches are race to 11, winner breaks, except the final which is race to 13. The draw and match schedule for the first stage of the tournament is available now at www.matchroompool.com.

Tickets for the 43rd US Open 9-Ball Championship are still available at www.matchroompool.com from as little as $10 with VIP packages also available for the final three days of the tournament.

The tournament will be split into two stages with the full field playing double elimination down to the final 16 from Sunday April 21st until Tuesday April 23rd across multiple tables. From Wednesday April 24th until Friday April 26th the final 16 players will play straight knockout in the TV Arena in front of a global television audience.

US OPEN | ROUND ONE DRAWJayson Shawvs.Marcus WestenTom Staveleyvs.Jason WilliamsHunter Lombardovs.Kosuke TojoRadwan Jameel R Soroujivs.Tommy TokophNaoyuki Oivs.Marco VignolaAlex Montpelliervs.Jason KlattMartin Daiglevs.Patrick FlemmingAngelo Salzanovs.Corey DeuelPetri Makkonenvs.Marcel PricePeter Busaracvs.Amar KangFranklin Hernandezvs.Ellis BrownPaul Jaurezvs.Justin BergmanJames Aranasvs.Roderick MaloneMasato Yoshiokavs.Erik HjorleifsonStephen Folanvs.Jochen KlugeJon Demetvs.Toru KurabayashiFedor Gorstvs.Gary OnomuraStanley Waltonvs.Paul DuellOmar Al-Shaheenvs.David DimmittAmer Al-Darbanivs.Mateusz SniegokiDali Linvs.Fabio RizziJason Hitzfeldvs.Jeremy JonesPhilipp Stojanovicvs.Steve van NessDalibor Nikolinvs.Francisco Sanchez Ruiz(Kevin) Cheng Yu Hsuanvs.Christopher LawsonMohammed Ali N Al Eidvs.Ivo AartsRodney Morrisvs.Ken KuwanaDeomark Alpajoravs.Radoslaw BabicaMarc Bijsterboschvs.Ritchie OgawaGary Urinoskivs.Danny OlsonToan Nguyenvs.Bahram LoftyGiuseppe Iacobuccivs.Ko Pin-YiCarlo Biadovs.Fahad Salem N AlharbiKenichi Uchigakivs.Tyler FleshmanMatt Edwardsvs.Marco PentaHideaki Aritavs.Maksim DudanetsJeff De Lunavs.Torsten SchmittChris Robinsonvs.Rob HartMarco Teutschervs.Raymund FaraonYip Kin Ling Leovs.Dennis OrcolloDavid Alcaidevs.Jorg KellnerBlake Bakervs.Mitch EllermanSiming Chenvs.Mohamed BaabadJamal Oussivs.Hoang Duong QuocLiu Haitaovs.Patrick GriessMike Stalkvs.John SchmidtJustin Espinosavs.Nguyen Phuc LongKoh Yong Lee Randolphvs.Eklent KaciKo Ping-Chungvs.Sami KoyluCole Gibbonsvs.Brian SandersBrandon Shuffvs.Michael YednakRobert Hewingsvs.Michael DechaineKonrad Juszczyszynvs.John ChapmanLuis Guerrerovs.Hayato HijikataKenny Loftisvs.Corey HarperMichael Hutchesonvs.Thorsten HohmannJohnny Archervs.Kurt KobayashiKonrad Piekarskivs.Roberto GomezJani Siekkinenvs.Damian PongpanikBora Anarvs.Alex PagulayanSangin Pehlivanovicvs.Bryan FarahChing-Shun Yangvs.Milos VerkicKings Santyvs.Michael DelawderJason McClainvs.Alexander KazakisJoshua Fillervs.Matt KrahThomas Wellevs.David AndersonJalal Yousefvs.Henrik LarssonTom Griffithvs.Roman HyblerJeffery Ignaciovs.Lefteris GeorgiouJames Daveevs.Kostas KoukiadakisHsu Kai-Lunvs.Adam KingRalph Eckertvs.Mika ImmonenWu Kun Linvs.Kuo Szu-TingKang Leevs.Ernesto DominguezDarren Appletonvs.Terry SpaldingPatrick Holtzvs.Richard HallidayTyler Styervs.Kelii ChuberkoChe-Wei Fuvs.Josh RobertsJohn Bartonvs.Zachary BosJohann Dominik Hibervs.Wu JiaqingDennis Grabevs.Lee HeuwagenJeffrey Jimenezvs.Ronald RegliLiu Ri Tengvs.Gwyn SpoonerArnar Petersonvs.Chang Yu-LungWang Canvs.Dejan SipkovskiJonathan Mcdowell Pakietovs.Francisco BustamanteMax Eberlevs.Robert GoddardFlorida Pro Tourvs.Aloysius YappSkyler Woodwardvs.Luu Minh PhucStephen Holemvs.Imran MajidJason Theronvs.Katsuyuki YamamotoStan Tourangeauvs.Ruslan ChinakovWojciech Szewczykvs.Renato CamantigueJames Adamsvs.Marek KudlikBrendan Ngvs.Paddy McLoughlinBrian Parksvs.Niels FeijenChang Jung-Linvs.Roland StockJohn Moody Srvs.Adam LilleyNick Malajvs.Dimitri JungoFrancesco Candelavs.Tomasz KaplanMario Hevs.Michael PruittCheng-Chieh Liuvs.Tommy KennedyVilmos Foldesvs.Marc Vidal ClaramuntMax K Reyesvs.Billy ThorpeDang Jin Huvs.Ben CrawleyJamie Whitevs.Tony ChohanGabe Owenvs.Gary LutmanElliot Sandersonvs.Robbie CapitoWarren Kiamcovs.Mark ShowalterBrendon Bektashivs.Hsu Jui-AnPatrick Mannillovs.Melinda HuangRyo Yokawavs.Chris MellingRalf Souquetvs.Molrudee KasemchaiyananSeiji Kuwajimavs.Simon PickeringEarl Stricklandvs.Pedro BottaSteve Lingelbachvs.Dennis HatchDonny Millsvs.Eugene VillenaMark Fostervs.Shaun WilkieKim Laaksonenvs.Chris AlexanderSteven Lingafeltervs.Albin OuschanJohn Morravs.Marco SpitzkyAdam Msciszvs.Marlon ManaloAlejandro Carvajalvs.Dustin DixonPhilipps Yeevs.Johann ChuaMieszko Fortunksivs.Chris McDanielRobby Foldvarivs.Yukio AkagariyamaManny Perezvs.Nicolas CharetteAbdullah Saeed O Alshammarivs.Shane van Boening

[thepoolscene]

The Pool Scene - Alex Kazakis, Carlo Biado, Imran Majid, Jeffrey de Luna, Joshua Filler, Nick Malai, Ralf Souquet - World Cup of Pool

New Post on https://thepoolscene.com/?p=53441

2018 World Cup of Pool - Asian Big Guns Move into Quarter-Finals

Round Two Germany 5-7 China B England 0-7 Philippines Chinese Taipei 7-1 Greece

China B, the Philippines and Chinese Taipei all powered through to the last eight of the 2018 World Cup of Pool at the Luwan Arena, Huangpu District in Shanghai, as the quarter-final line-up begins to take shape ahead of the weekend.

The $250,000 tournament originated in 2006 and has since moved around the world before touching down in Shanghai. The World Cup features 32 pairs from across the globe including two from host nation China. Running from 15th to 20th May, the event is on live TV in over 100 countries around the world.

In the opening match of the session, China B – Kong Dejing and Wang Ming – won a scrappy encounter against Germany as the pairing of Souquet and Filler made far too many errors for a race to seven match and were made to pay the price.

Commented Kong, “I was really nervous at the beginning but later on I stepped up and we took advantage of our opponent’s mistakes. We are very proud to reach the quarter-finals.”

The second match saw Team Philippines motor past England 7-0. The English pair of Mark Gray and Imran Majid spent the vast majority of the match as spectators as Carlo Biado and Jeff De Luna put on a clinic.

Commented Biado, “At the start of the match I felt a bit shaky but I said to myself, stay focus, relax and just play the game. Anybody can win and there will be pressure in the remaining games. Anything can happen.”

De Luna was looking ahead to their quarter-final match against the youngsters from China B, “We practised hard last night before we came here. China B have top players, they are good young players. We will prepare for a tough match.”

In the final match Greece paid the price for an early mistake to go 2-0 ahead. It was their last effective contribution to the match as Chinese Taipei took the next seven racks for victory.

It was an object lesson for Nick Malaj and Alex Kazakis as a single miss effectively ended their World Cup hopes, while Chang Jung-Lin and Cheng Yu-Hsuan cashed in on the Greek error in the most clinical way.

Cheng, “I am really happy because we played an almost perfect game with just one dry break. This was one of our best performances on TV. It doesn’t matter who we are against in the next round, we just have to play our own game.”

Play continues on Friday evening with three more second round matches.

Finland v USA Spain v Sweden Australia v China A

2018 World Cup of Pool sponsored by Iwan Simonis who supply the Official Cloth; the Official Balls are Super Aramith by Saluc, and Predator is the Official Cue of the event.

[thepoolscene]

The Pool Scene - Daryl Peach, Mark Gray - World Cup of Pool

New Post on https://thepoolscene.com/?p=53425

Wins for Greece, England and USA

Greece (14) 7-0 Hong Kong

England (13) 7-2 South Korea

USA (6) v Singapore

The three evening session matches went true to the seeding as Greece, England and the USA enjoyed victories in the opening round of the 2018 World Cup of Pool at the Luwan Arena, Huangpu District in Shanghai.

The $250,000 tournament originated in 2006 and has since moved around the world before touching down in Shanghai. The World Cup features 32 pairs from across the globe including two from host nation China. Running from 15th to 20th May, the event is on live TV in over 100 countries around the world.

The Greek pairing of Nick Malaj and Alexander Kazakis whitewashed their Hong Kong opponents 7-0 and looked in excellent shape as they look to mount a realistic challenge for the title. Hong Kong by contrast looked relative novices as they struggled to make an impact.

England eased into the second round where they will play the Philippines after a comfortable win against South Korea. Mosconi Cup veterans Imran Majid and Mark Gray had the match under control as Jeong struggled to keep him cueing arm under control.

Commented Imran, “It is great to get the W in the first match. We had some help from them, they missed two or three balls.”

Gray continued, “We both played well, until the last rack none of us had missed a ball in open play. English players pride themselves on not missing shots, I know that’s not what the game is about in general but in a short race to seven you can’t afford to be missing balls and not taking out clearances.

“Me and Daryl Peach beat Philippines en route to the final a few years ago. They are one of the biggest nations in pool so we know we are in for a tough time and we will be underdogs but I like being the underdog.”

In the final match, the USA pair of Shane Van Boening and Sky Woodward enjoyed a tussle against Singapore as they bumped their way over the line with a 7-5 win. Breaking at 5-5, the Singaporean pair of Toh Lian Han and Aloysius Yapp were favourites for the win but Woodward stepped up a bit after a shaky early part of the match.

Van Boening said, “I travel all over the world and the first match is always the toughest – you have to get use to the atmosphere and get more comfortable and after we won we have a day off now so we will think it over a little more and do the best we do.”

Play continues on Thursday afternoon with three more first round matches.

Finland (11) v Malaysia

Japan (10) v Sweden

Russia (15) v Australia

2018 World Cup of Pool sponsored by Iwan Simonis who supply the Official Cloth; the Official Balls are Super Aramith by Saluc, and Predator is the Official Cue of the event.

[thepoolscene]

The Pool Scene - Alex Pagulayan, Danny Olson, Denis Grabe, Mary Coffman, Thorsten Hohmann, Vinnie Calabrese - US Open

New Post on http://thepoolscene.com/?p=22230

Pagulayan beats Van Boening for US Open 8-Ball title

CueSports International, Henderson, NV (July 31, 2017)

Alex Pagulayan proved the Lion still roars within him as he came from behind to steal the US Open 8-Ball Championship from Shane Van Boening, who had hoped for a second consecutive title and to earn back-to-back wins of both the US Open 8-Ball and US Open 10-Ball Championships.

Pagulayan’s path to the finals included wins over: Danny Stone, Australia, 8-6; Skyler Woodward, Kentucky, 8-2; and Denis Grabe, Estonia, 8-3; before losing to Dennis Orcollo, Philippines, 7-8. In the loser’s bracket, Pagulayan bested Thorsten Hohmann, Germany, 8-7 and Lee Vann Corteza, Philippines and then gained revenge on Orcollo in the semi-finals, beating him 8-6.

Van Boening’s path to the hot seat included wins over Sina Valizadeh, 8-2; Manny Perez, 8-5; Josh Roberts, 8-3; Lee Vann Corteza, 8-6; and Dennis Orcollo, whom he beat 8-4 to gain the hot seat, to meet Pagulayan in the finals.  

Van Boening jumped out to a fast 7-2 lead, which may have seemed insurmountable to all but Pagulayan. But as Van Boening’s breaks came up dry, Pagulayan was able to capitalize, slowly closing the gap and soon the score was tied at 8-8. The score was tied again at 9-9 in the race-to-10 final, with Van Boening breaking. But once again the break failed Van Boening, with the cue ball scratching – giving Pagulayan an opportunity at the table, which was all he needed. With ball-in-hand, Pagulayan was able to run out to earn the US Open 8-Ball Champion title, cup and $13,500 purse.

  The 2017 US Open 8-Ball was held at Griff’s in Las Vegas in conjunction with the 41st BCAPL National Championships, July 19-29 at The Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. Sponsors include Viking, Kamui, Omega Billiards, Cyclop, Diamond, Simonis, and Predator.  

  Alex Pagulayan, Canada $13,500

Shane Van Boening, South Dakota $7,400

Dennis Orcollo, Philippines $4,500

Lee Vann Corteza, Philippines $2,800

Vinnie Calabrese, Australia $1,600

Thorsten Hohmann, Germany $1,600

Denis Grabe, Estonia $1,100

Rodney Morris, California $1,100

Danny Olson, South Dakota $600

Josh Roberts, South Carolina $600

Dennis Hatch, Indiana $600

Nick Malaj, Greece $600

[thepoolscene]

The Pool Scene - Alex Pagulayan, Dennis Orcollo - US Open

New Post on http://thepoolscene.com/?p=22223

Van Boening to meet Orcollo for hot seat of US Open 8-Ball

Shane Van Boening of South Dakota will meet Dennis Orcollo of the Philippines for the hot seat match of the US Open 8-Ball Championship at 1 p.m. PST July 30.

Van Boening, who won the 2016 US Open 8-Ball & 10-Ball Championships, is hoping to repeat last year’s double dip. His path to the hot seat included wins over Sina Valizadeh, 8-2; Manny Perez, 8-5; Josh Roberts, 8-3; and Lee Vann Corteza, 8-6.

Orcollo beat Chris McDaniel, 8-1; Danny Olson, 8-3; and Nick Malaj, 8-3; before sending Alex Pagulayan to the loser’s bracket in a tight hill-hill match.

Corteza and Pagulayan join four others in the loser’s bracket, all hoping to grab a place in the finals.

Vinnie Calabrese of Australia has been an impressive talent throughout the tournament. Calabrese posted wins over Hunter Lombardo, 8-7 and Kim Laaksonen, 8-5 before losing to Corteza, 6-8. On the B side of the bracket, he beat: Danny Stone, 8-7; Justin Bergman, 8-6; and Nick Malaj, 8-7. Calabrese will play Denis Grabe of Estonia at 9 a.m.

Grabe has also put a lot of great talent out of the tournament, with wins over: Michael Yednak, 8-7; Francisco Bustamante, 8-7 and Thorsten Hohmann, 8-2, before losing to Alex Pagulayan, 3-8. In the loser’s bracket, he bested Dennis Hatch, 8-6 and now faces Calabrese in the morning. The loser of that match is eliminated and places 5th/6th.

Hohmann “The Hitman” of Germany is also fighting his way through the loser’s bracket. He beat Jesse Bowman, 8-4 in the first round and then was sent to the B side by Grabe, 2-8. Hohmann then beat Oscar Domiguez, 8-7; Kim Laaksonen, 8-4; and Josh Roberts, 8-4. He faces Rodney “The Rocket” Morris at 9 a.m. PST.

Morris, always a crowd favorite, beat Chris Melling, 8-3 and Justin Bergman, 8-6, before losing to Lee Vann Corteza, then he beat Danny Olson to guarantee himself at least 5th/6th and a chance to continue through to the finals.

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Dennis Orcollo

Alex Pagulayan

Corteza

Vinnie Calabrese

The 2017 US Open 8-Ball is being held at Griff’s in Las Vegas in conjunction with the 41st BCAPL National Championships, July 19-29 at The Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. The event featured more than 5,000 amateur players representing 47 states, nine Canadian provinces and 11 countries, competing in approximately 40 divisions, on 300 Diamond pool tables. The annual tournament also includes about 50 exhibitors. Sponsors include Viking, Kamui, Omega Billiards, Cyclop, Diamond, Simonis, and Predator.