Fedor Gorst (Taka Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport)
Fedor Gorst has won the 47th US Open Pool Championship at Harrah’s Resort, Atlantic City, after defeating five-time US Open champion in a historic finale live on Sky Sports in the UK and DAZN in the USA.
Final Result
Fedor Gorst 13–10 Shane Van Boening
Fedor Gorst and Shane Van Boening, who had clashed just a week prior in a gruelling race-to-120 marathon, were fated to meet again in the historic 2024 US Open Championship final. This marked the first all-American US Open final since 1999, with both players on the brink of making history.
The pressure was palpable as the two Americans stepped into the arena, each acutely aware of the stakes. Van Boening, winning the lag, was first to secure a rack, but Gorst quickly seized upon a dry break in the second rack, running up the score to take an early 3-1 lead.
A missed 2-7 carom by Gorst in the next rack handed Van Boening the chance to close the gap to level the score 3-3. However, another dry break from Van Boening allowed Gorst to regain his two-rack advantage. The momentum swung again when Gorst’s failed safety on the 5-ball brought Van Boening back to the table, allowing him to edge ahead 6-5. Gorst quickly evened the score after Van Boening faltered on the 3-ball in the twelfth rack.
Gorst then pressed his upper-hand, forcing Van Boening into a scratch after a jump shot attempt to escape a tricky hook. Yet, when Gorst missed a bank shot on the 7-ball, Van Boening took full advantage, bringing the score level once more. The back-and-forth continued, with Van Boening haunted by another scratch, allowing Gorst to regain the lead.
The drama escalated as Van Boening pounced on a dry break from Gorst in the sixteenth rack. He attempted to snooker Gorst on the 4-ball, but Gorst, displaying his trademark resilience, executed a brilliant jump shot to foil Van Boening’s strategy and retain his advantage.
Close to reaching the hill, Gorst made an uncharacteristic error on the 2-ball, giving Van Boening another lifeline. Van Boening then played a cunning safety on the 5-ball, drawing Gorst into a foul. A tense safety exchange ensued, with Van Boening emerging victorious, only to miss the crucial 6-ball, allowing Gorst to reach the hill.
Just when it seemed Gorst was poised to close out the match, a self-inflicted hook on the 2-ball offered Van Boening a glimmer of hope. He capitalised on this, claiming two racks and narrowing the gap. However, a cursed scratch from Van Boening sealed his fate.
With chalk still on his chin, Gorst returned to the table for one final, decisive run. Determined to atone for his loss in last year’s final, the World Champion flawlessly cleared the table to finally be crowned champion with 13-10 triumph.
Van Boening’s dream of a record-breaking sixth title ended in heartbreak, but history was nonetheless made. Fedor Gorst not only won his first US Open Championship title, he became the first player ever to hold the titles of US Open Champion, World Pool Masters, and World Pool Champion simultaneously.
Next World Nineball Tour Event
The World Nineball Tour heads to the Ox Billiards, in Seattle, USA for the Seattle Nineball Open between September 6-8th.
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The World Nineball Tour descends on the Vietnamese capital for the Mansion Sports Hanoi Open Pool Championship, held between October 8-13th at the Hanoi Indoor Games Gymnasium in partnership with the City of Hanoi and the country’s number one sports agency Vietcontent.
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