THE DYNAMIC BILLARD Euro Tour returns after a late summer break as the Lasko Open is set to get underway this Thursday – 12th October – concluding on Saturday evening. It is the fifth event from the annual series of six and takes place in the Slovenian spa town of Lasko, a regular stop on the tour.
From a starting line-up of 118 players, the overwhelming favourite must be Germany’s Joshua Filler who has been the last man standing on each of his last three Euro Tour appearances, including last time out in Podčetrtek, Slovenia. In addition, Filler has won internationally including the big-money Qatar Open last week where he defeated Chinese Taipei’s Ko Ping Chung for the top prize.
Wojciech Szewczyk｜©EPBF
As ever, a host of top Polish stars will be in attendance including Wiktor Zielinski, looking for his first Euro Tour win since February last as well as former WPA World 10 Ball champion, Wojciech Szewczyk, who surprisingly has yet to record his maiden Euro Tour.
Also in attendance is the Tour’s No.1 ranked player Mieszko Fortunski, who won in Finland earlier in the year and has backed that up with a succession of strong finishes. Another young Pole making his way in pool is 19-year-old Szymon Kural who is starting out on the senior circuit following a glittering career as a junior.
Mieszko Fortunski｜©Pro Billiard Series
Following a cluster of medals at a succession of European Youth Championships, including two golds, Kural topped that by winning the 2022 WPA World U19 Championships last November in Puerto Rico as he defeated Germany’s Yuma Dorner in the title match. Then last week Kural reached the semi-finals of the Qatar Open, beating a host of top players among the very strong 128-player international field.
Commented Kural, “That was an incredible feeling and every match gave me more and more confidence. I lost only to Joshua who then went on to win the final. Overall though, that was a huge tournament for me, one of the best in my career.
“I am trying to become a better player every day, not only on the table, but also my mental game which is improving, this is a factor that definitely helps me to win some tough matches.
U19 Final: Yuma Dörner/GER (L) & Szymon Kural/POL(R)｜©Pro Billiard Series
The Krakow-based young star started playing pool almost ten years ago, “When I started playing, I immediately liked it and knew I wanted to do it, and that’s exactly what I do. For sure I have a lot more confidence and I do believe that I can go high in this tournament. I will do my best as always and we will see how far can I go this time.”
Kural practises four times a week for 2/3 hours and looks set for greater honours within the sport. Currently ranked at No.36, but with absences at two of the events in the seven-tournament ranking, he can leapfrog up the standings with a strong showing in Lasko this week.
As well as the prize money, there are Tour ranking points on offer, so there is everything to play for. All Euro Tour tournaments are 9-ball and players compete in a double-elimination format, playing down to the last 32 competitors, and then single elimination until the finish. All matches are races to 9 racks with alternate break.
The Women’s Euro Tour Lasko Open runs on a different schedule to the men’s event this week as it breaks off on Saturday 14th and concludes with the final on the 15th. There are 26 runners including Pia Filler, who due to the later scheduling of the women’s event, is also trying her luck in the men’s Lasko Open.
Nine of the top ten ranked players will be in attendance as well as American player Caroline Pao who has made the trip from the USA. All matches are race-to-seven and it is double elimination down to the quarter-finals.
All the matches can be viewed live by visiting www.epbf.com/tournaments/eurotour/ and clicking on the ‘LIVE’ button. This will take you through to viewing options. In addition, selected matches will be streamed on Facebook Live on the EPBF page.
Results, live scoring, and draw are available at www.epbf.com