David Alcaide (Taka Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport)
Defending champion David Alcaide has been knocked out of the 2024 European Open Championship, along with world champion Fedor Gorst and Joshua Filler, in Fulda, Germany.
Now in its third year, the European Open Championship is once again hosted at Hotel Esperanto, in partnership with the City of Fulda, the local sports authority Fulda Die Sportstadt, and renowned broadcaster Sky Sports.
David Alcaide’s title defence came to a heartbreaking end in the Last 16, as he fell to five-time US Open champion Shane Van Boening. Despite El Matador taking an early two-rack lead, the American quickly took control, ultimately securing a 10-7 victory. Van Boening will now face former world champion Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, who advanced to the quarter-finals with a 10-8 win over Shane Woolford.
Joshua Filler once again found himself up against his European Open nemesis, Mustafa Alnar. After an earlier defeat to Alnar in the tournament, Filler was determined to seek revenge. The German star started strong, taking an early lead, but Alnar fought back to level the score at 5-5. The two traded racks until they reached 7-7, with Filler poised to regain the lead.
However, a costly miss on the 9-ball in rack 15 dashed his hopes of winning a title in his home country, allowing Alnar to sweep the remaining racks. Alnar clinched victory with a spectacular 3-9 combo, securing his place in the quarter-finals.
In an intense quarter-final, Mosconi Cup teammates Fedor Gorst and Skyler Woodward went head-to-head. The match was tightly contested, with the score tied at 5-5 before Gorst launched a five-rack run, putting him on the hill. However, Woodward responded with a brilliant comeback, overcoming Gorst’s safety play and running through the racks to edge out a 10-9 victory.
Elsewhere in the Last 16, Ko Ping Chung avenged his brother’s earlier defeat by decisively beating Hungary’s Oliver Szolnoki 10-4. The US Open champion will now face “The Viking” Mickey Krause, who eliminated 2022 European Open champion Albin Ouschan earlier in the day.
In another Last 16 clash, 2024 World Pool Championship semi-finalists Johann Chua and Wojciech Szewczyk battled in a match filled with rack exchanges. Chua, the World Cup of Pool champion, pulled ahead with a crucial three-rack run, securing a 10-7 win.
Quarter-Finals Schedule (CEST local time)
- Johan Chua (PHI) vs Mustafa Alnar (TUR) – TV Table, 18:30
- Mickey Krause (DEN) vs Ko Ping Chung (TPE) – Table One, 18:30
- Shane Van Boening (USA) vs Francisco Sanchez Ruiz (SPA) – TV Table, 20:00
- Skyler Woodward (USA) vs Daniel Maciol (POL) – Table One, 20:00
Live rack-by-rack scoring will be available throughout the event at www.wntlivescores.com.
Wherever you are in the world, you will be able to catch the action with broadcasters globally and live on the Matchroom Pool and Multi Sport YouTube channels in selected territories and on Matchroom.Live. UK-based fans can see the final two days on Sky Sports with the opening four on Matchroom.Live and the Matchroom YouTube. Fans in Scandinavia, the Baltics, Poland, Netherlands, and Iceland can watch live on Viaplay.
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