Johann Chua (Taka Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport)
Shane Van Boening’s title defence came to a crushing end as the American fell short in Stage Two, suffering defeats to Johann Chua, Robbie Capito, Aloysius Yapp, and Kledio Kaci, preventing him from advancing to the next stage of the 2025 IFX Payments Premier League Pool.
In partnership with the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Sarajevo Canton, the Premier League Pool is being hosted for the first time at Hills Hotel in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The tournament runs from March 20-27, bringing thrilling nine-ball action to the heart of the Balkans, live on WNT TV along with other major broadcasters.
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Van Boening’s struggles continued on Day Seven as the defending champion failed to secure a single victory in his desperate bid to break into the Top Six. A crushing 5-1 defeat to Chua was followed by a 5-2 loss to Capito, leaving his qualification hopes hanging by a thread.
In a must-win showdown against Yapp, Van Boening started strong, building a two-rack lead. However, the match tightened into a hill-hill decider, where the Reyes Cup MVP rose to the occasion, delivering a flawless final rack to seal Van Boening’s fate. The American’s campaign officially came to an end before suffering one last defeat to Kaçi, dropping him to the bottom of the table and closing the chapter on his title defence.
Joining Van Boening on the way out was home favourite Sanjin Pehlivanovic, who needed four wins to break into the Top Six but fell short after losses to Duong Quoc Hoang and Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, finishing seventh. Meanwhile, Hoang and Kaçi—both also needing a strong final day to climb the standings—were unable to mount a comeback and exited alongside Van Boening and Pehlivanovic.
At the top of the table, Johann Chua reclaimed the No.1 spot with 18 match wins, edging out Capito by a single point on the leaderboard. The Hanoi Open champion reinforced his dominance in the evening session, battling past former frontrunner Capito in a tense hill-hill showdown. Despite a spirited fightback from Capito, who trailed 4-1 before forcing a decider, Chua held his nerve to close out the crucial win.
Chua won four of his five matches on Day Seven, only losing to Pehlivanovic, but overcoming Duong, Yapp, Capito, and the now-deposed champion Van Boening.
Francisco Sanchez Ruiz endured a shaky start with a surprise defeat to Moritz Neuhausen but bounced back with wins over Kaçi, Pehlivanovic, and Yapp to climb into third place with a total of 16 match wins.
Jayson Shaw, Neuhausen, and Yapp round out the Top Six, each securing their spot in Stage Three with 14 match wins. With the field now set, all eyes turn to the final day, where a new Premier League Pool champion will be crowned.
The 2025 IFX Premier League Pool returns on Thursday, 27 March from 12 CEST on WNT TV, along with Viaplay, Rigour, and Nova. Find where you can watch in your country here.
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