OF THE 246 players gathered in Austria for the Dynamic Billard St Johann Open, surely one of the favourites to lift the title on Monday will be Germany-based Syrian Mohammad Soufi who comes into the tournament on the back of his first ever Euro Tour win when he lifted the Dynamic Billard Estonian Open earlier this year. Now based in Germany for seven years along with his brother, it was Soufi’s first major career victory.
Now up to a career high #17 on the Euro Tour rankings, Soufi has enjoyed a breakout first quarter of 2023 as he turned himself from journeyman into one of the most exciting players in the world of pool. The Syrian potter first started playing on Europe’s premier tour in 2017 and he gained a couple of 9th place finishes in his first two years, with limited starts.
Things improved in 2019 when he reached the quarter-finals for the first time in Veldhoven. 2021 saw just one start for Mohammad and this time it was a best-ever finish as he reached the final four in Lasko, Slovenia. Looking to have made a significant breakthrough, Soufi endured a miserable 2022 with five events played and a high finish of 9th in Petrich, Bulgaria backed up by 129th and 65th places in other tour stops.
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Coming into 2023, no one could have predicted what was in store for the speedy Syrian. Entering the 128 player WPA World 9 Ball Championship as a rank outsider amongst a super-strong global field, Soufi grabbed the event by the scruff of its neck as he stunned the pool world to reach the final. Ultimately it proved a bridge too far as he was undone in the championship match by the best player in the world, Francisco Sanchez Ruiz.
A silver medal was his reward and his performances clearly imbued Soufi with a confidence level he’d never come close to before. His next major event was the Estonian Open and he didn’t disappoint. Playing with a speed reminiscent of Tony Drago, Soufi marched through the field enjoying wins over the likes of Mark Magi, before going down to Alexander Kazakis in the Winners’ Qualification round.
He bounced back in the Losers’ Qualification round and two more wins saw him reach the quarter-finals for only the third time in his seven-year Euro Tour career. A 9-6 win over formidable Pole Mieszko Fortunski put him into the last four where he defeated Niels Feijen in a hill-hill thriller. That set up a rematch against the Sanchez Ruiz whose Euro Tour form over the last 24 months has been nothing short of unstoppable. However, Soufi rose to the occasion to record a marvellous 9-6 victory to claim his first Euro Tour title.
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With his career turned around beyond his wildest dreams in just a few months, Soufi can look forward to more wins as he thrills the fans with his nerve-jangling speed of play. “I’m feeling very good to win for the first time in Tallinn and I’m definitely ready for the second time,” said Soufi.
“I really believe in myself now and when I’m training every day, I believe that I can win so many more tournaments. My practice schedule has changed for the better. When I practice every day, I know I’ll play better and better and when I didn’t practice so much in the past, I wasn’t the player I am today. Practice, practice, practice!
“I know players will look at me differently now but I’m ready and prepared for everything,” he added.
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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.
All the matches can be viewed live by visiting www.epbf.com/tournaments/eurot
The semi-finals and final, played out on Monday night, will be live or highlights on the following television stations across Europe;
SportKlub HD – Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia,
Bosnia Herzegovina, Greece
Eyecons – Netherlands
SportKlub – Poland
ORF – Austria
Results, live scoring, and draw are available at www.epbf.com