Mickey Krause
International Junior 9-Ball Championships take stage with 19U Boys (16) and Girls (8)
The fact that all 10 of the soon-to-be competitors at the Mosconi Cup in Orlando are still at work in the International Open 9-Ball tournament is the good news. The bad news (at least for those of us on this side of the ‘pond’) is that going into Wednesday’s action at the International Open, all but one of Team Europe’s members (Mickey Krause) is still competing on the winners’ side of the bracket, while only one of Team USA’s members (Shane Van Boening) remains on the winners’ side.
All of the Mosconi Cup team members still remaining on the winners’ side were scheduled to compete in the final qualifying round that will advance its winners to the 16-entrant, single-elimination phase of the Open. In matches that were scheduled for noon, today (Nov. 20), USA’s Fedor Gorst, Tyler Styer, Billy Thorpe and Sky Woodward were scheduled to make their attempts to ‘stay alive’ on the loss side of the bracket. Team Europe’s Mickey Krause will compete on the loss side as well. On the winners’ side, Team Europe’s Eklent Kaci was scheduled for a noon match versus Carlo Biado, while at 2:45, Van Boening was scheduled to meet Alex Kazakis in the Simonis Aramith TV Arena. Winners’ side matches for the other Team Europe members were scheduled at 4:45 p.m., with Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz facing Georgi Georgiev, and David Alcaide squaring off against Kledio Kaci (Eklent Kaci’s “little brother”). Scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in the Simonis Aramith TV Arena, Jayson Shaw and the Netherlands’ Hall of Famer, Neils Feijen will attempt to qualify for single elimination.
By early evening, the eight winners’ side competitors will have advanced to single elimination, while the loss side competitors will (or won’t) catch up to qualify from that side of the bracket. It should be noted that as this report was being prepared, there have not been any Mosconi Cup preview matches between competitors with the potential to meet during the Mosconi Cup.
There were a few ‘surprises’ that emerged from Day Two of the Open, bearing in mind that identification of ‘surprises’ is almost always in the eye(s) of the beholder(s). In his brief rise to the top of those listed among the world’s professionals, Fedor Gorst has developed something of a reputation as being virtually unbeatable. Impossible, of course, and yet that aura of invincibility has a way of attaching itself to expectations when it comes to match results. No surprise that with an 843 Fargo Rate, Gorst defeated a 433 (Ryan Jones), nor that he defeated an 820 (Naoyoki Oi), though the 10-4 score might have come as a surprise (to some). The fact that the Philippines’ Lee Vann Corteza (818) defeated him in the third round was a bit of a surprise, and the score, 10-5, was another one.
Corteza was scheduled to compete in the qualification round for advancement to single elimination against Robbie Capito. Also competing in the last qualifying round were Aloysius Yapp against Wiktor Zielinski, and the all-Germany match between Joshua Filler and Moritz Neuhausen. All matches were scheduled for 4:45 p.m. Loss-side progress will await arrivals from the winners’ side to advance eight from that side of the bracket to single elimination.
Pro-Am Open continues along its double-elimination, with ‘buy-in,’ option to Final 16
For those of you who frequent the digitalpool.com Web site to look at its brackets for updated information, it might be a bit confusing if you log in to take a look at the International Open’s Semi Pro 9-Ball bracket and notice that it doesn’t seem to be getting any smaller. Normally, looking at a double-elimination bracket, you see the field narrowing toward the hot seat on the winners’ side and the semifinals on the loss side.
The 192-entrant, Semi Pro tournament is operating with a “buy in” format, which allows competitors, after an initial loss, to ‘buy in’ for a second chance. So, the field gets renewed after every round, reducing the field in increments. Half of the original field of 192 lost its first match and had they all bought back in to the tournament, the second round would have been the same size as the first, only re-seeded. Players get only one chance to ‘buy in,’ so the field adjusts downward at varying rates as one by one, players are eliminated after their second loss. Eventually, the field will be reduced down to a Final 16, at which point, the format will switch to single elimination through to the final.
At that start of the day (Wednesday), 63 matches were scheduled, representing 126 of the field’s original 192 entrants. At the risk of leaving somebody out, in an attempt to discuss the event’s progress in any meaningful way, we’ll direct you to the digitalpool.com bracket that can be employed to determine whether a player (or, players) in whom you might be interested is still competing – 2024 International Semi Pro 9-Ball.
Tate and Hollingsworth move from competition in Open event to Junior Championships
In what is going to be their last year of eligibility for anything labeled as a ‘Junior’ event, Joey Tate and Landon Hollingsworth stepped aside from competing in the International’s Open 9-Ball event and signed on to the 2024 Junior American Series Championships, which drew 16 entrants to a 19U Boys division and entrants to a 19U Girls division.
Tate advanced through three rounds on the winners’ side of the Open 9-Ball tournament before being defeated by Jayson Shaw 10-6, last night
As this report was being prepared, the 16 boys had completed their opening round of play with half of them advancing to a winners’ side quarterfinal. Two of those winners’ side quarterfinals were scheduled to begin at noon; D’angelo Spain facing Konnor McFayden, as Colston Harrelson squared off against Lazaro Martinez III. At 2:45 p.m., Tate and Hollingsworth were scheduled to meet in what was likely to be their last junior ‘hurrah!’ Hayden Ernst and Jas Makhani were also scheduled to play at 2:45.
The field of eight, 19U girls got underway at noon, as well, with their opening round advancing four to a winners’ side semifinal. Joey Tate’s younger sister, Noelle, downed Courtney Hairfield in the opening round and advanced to one of those winners’ side semifinals against Jordan Helfrey, who’d defeated Katelyn Schultz 7-4 in the opening round. Last we knew, Tate and Helfrey were tied in their winners’ side semifinal.
Skylar Hess won her opening round match versus Aurora Hestnes 7-4, as Skylynn Elliott defeated Tanvee Vallem 7-5. Hess and Elliott’s winners’ side semifinal got started shortly thereafter.
Evening schedule awaits results of 16 loss-side matches
There were, as this report was being prepared, 32 competitors left on the loss side, all, with two exceptions, playing matches. Billy Thorpe’s victory over Corey Deuel (10-2) was the only final score available to us.
Tomorrow’s (Thursday) International Open 9-Ball action will, barring any delays, be single-elimination matches through to the end. The four rounds are likely to be spread out and finish on Friday, as the Semi Pro Open 9-Ball event takes command of a few tables to catch up.
The $4,000-added, International 10-Ball “Big Foot” Challenge will get underway on Saturday (Nov. 23) and dominate the Simonis Aramith TV Arena with its 10-foot table. Also on Saturday, the 32, 9 ft. tables will host the $30,000-added International Straight Pool Open (formerly known as Peter Burrow’s American 14.1 Straight Pool Championships).
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