Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz
Francisco Sanchez Ruiz’s title defense as World Pool Champion came to a devastating end at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal City Sports Hall in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
In partnership with the Saudi Arabian Billiard & Snooker Federation (SABSF) and the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Sport, the crown jewel of the World Nineball Tour will be available through leading global broadcasters, including Sky Sports, SSC, Shahid VIP Sports, MENA, and DAZN.
The former defending champion, Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, was outplayed by the Danish Viking, Mickey Krause, who delivered a masterclass performance. A 5-9 carom shot in rack 15, followed by a golden break in the final rack, secured Krause’s spot in the Last 32, where he proceeded to defeat Billy Thorpe 11-9.
The upsets continued for Jayson ‘Eagle Eye’ Shaw, who, despite advancing through the Last 64 by defeating Mustafa Alnar with a convincing 11-3 victory, fell short against David Alcaide. The Mosconi Cup teammates exchanged racks in a tense showdown, with Alcaide maintaining the lead to the hill. Shaw was hooked, forcing him to scratch, allowing the European Open champion to clear up and secure his spot in the next round.
Joshua Filler’s run for his second World Pool Champion title remains on track, with further success for the German. Filler struggled in the first half of the day against Fitim Haradinaj but staged a fierce comeback with a seven-rack win streak to clinch the match 11-9. Living up to his nickname ‘The Killer’, Filler carried his momentum into the Last 32, dominating the American Oscar Dominguez 11-1.
Joining Filler in the pursuit of a second World Pool Championship title, Shane Van Boening and Fedor Gorst advanced to the Last 16, claiming victories over Alexander Kazakis and Chang Yu Lung, respectively. The day also saw a triple KO, with the three Ko brothers all being eliminated, alongside the pool veteran Ralf Souquet, and the Austrians Mario He and Max Lechner.
Tomorrow the Last 16 stage commences in the afternoon sessions, followed by the quarter-finals in the evening. Mohammad Soufi vs Johann Chua kicks off at 1 pm KSA / 11 am BST, available on Sky Sports, SSC, Shahid VIP Sports, MENA, and DAZN.
Friday 7th June – 13:00 pm KSA time – Afternoon Session
Mohammad Soufi vs Johann Chua
Table 1 – Live on Matchroom Pool YouTube
Mickey Krause vs Dang Jin Hu
Table 2 – Live on Matchroom Multi Sport YouTube
David Alcaide v Jeffrey Ignacio
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