Jayson Shaw launched his title defence in impressive fashion at the 2024 Mansion Sports Hanoi Open, held from October 8-13 at the vibrant Hanoi Indoor Games Gymnasium, Vietnam.
Returning for its second edition, the highly anticipated Hanoi Open Pool Championship is presented in partnership with leading sports investment firm Mansion Sports & Entertainment Group and renowned broadcaster Vietcontent.
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LIVE SCORES/BRACKETS
‘Eagle Eye’ Shaw breezed through his first match, defeating Nguyen Dat Phi with a dominant 9-1 victory. He then faced Hai Long Le in a much tighter contest, edging out a 9-7 win to advance to the Winners’ Qualification stage and continue his title defence.
Joining the defending champion was World Champion and WNT No. 1 Fedor Gorst, who had a rocky start to his campaign. Gorst fell 3-0 behind against Nguyen Hoang Phong before staging a comeback to secure a 9-6 victory. His struggles persisted in the next round, where he found himself in a hill-hill battle against Nguyen Duc Thang. In a tense final rack, Gorst capitalised on a safety exchange to execute a 4-9 carom, clinching his spot in the Winners’ Qualification.
Living up to his nickname ‘El Ferrari’, Francisco Sanchez Ruiz cruised through his first match with a 9-0 whitewash of Nguyen Van Toan. He continued his strong form, defeating Do Khai 9-3 to join his Reyes Cup teammate Shaw in the Winners’ Qualification.
Team Asia’s Filipino duo, Johann Chua and Carlo Biado, also secured their places in Winners’ Qualification. Chua was the first to qualify, thanks to back-to-back wins over Luong Van Nam and Ta Van Linh. Biado, the former World Champion, followed suit by overcoming two Chinese Taipei cueists, Wang Chih-Yung and Sun Yi Hsuan.
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Eklent Kaçi, the first European qualifier for both the Reyes Cup and Mosconi Cup, made a strong start with a commanding 9-1 win over Duong Manh Tien. However, Kaçi’s fortunes took a turn in his second match, as he was upset by Vietnamese qualifier Lo Van Xuan. A stunning 5-9 kickshot combo by Lo off Kaçi’s safety propelled the Albanian into Losers’ Qualification.
Robbie Capito, the UK Open champion, also made his Hanoi Open debut. Despite struggling early, losing 5-4 to Le Ngoc Tuan, Capito bounced back with a 9-6 win in his first match. He carried that momentum into his next game, whitewashing Adam Mscisz from Poland 9-0.
The Ko brothers, former US Open champion Ko Ping Chung and Ko Pin Han, both progressed to Winners’ Qualification after notching two victories apiece. Ko Ping Chung particularly impressed, putting together a six-rack run to dispatch Nguyen Hoang Tuan 9-2 to enter the next stage.
Kunihiko Takahashi, the 1998 World Champion, made his World Nineball Tour debut at the age of 55. In his opening match, he bested Australia’s Matt Edwards 9-7. However, Takahashi’s journey faltered in his second match, as he fell 9-7 to Nguyen Van Hai, sending him into Losers’ Qualification for a chance at redemption.
SPECTATOR TICKETS
Spectators will be able to catch the action live from the Hanoi Indoor Games Gymnasium in Hanoi throughout the week, with tickets available here.
SCHEDULE
The Mansion Sports Hanoi Open Pool Championship will take place from 8-13 October.
October 8th-11th:
10am – 9pm
October 12th:
Afternoon: 12pm – 4:30pm
Evening: 6:30pm – 11pm
October 13th:
Afternoon: 12pm – 4:30pm
Evening: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
LIVE SCORING
The only way to track all matches across the Mansion Sports Hanoi Open Pool Championship, as well as the latest scores, seeded draws and fixtures at Matchroom events, is through the WNT Live Scoring site here.