Matchroom Pool is pleased to confirm the inaugural European Open Pool Championship will take place in Thorsten Hohmann‘s hometown of Fulda, Germany at the Hotel Esperanto Fulda from August 9-14 2022 with player entries open next Tuesday, 21 June at 3pm BST, and spectator tickets available to purchase from Monday 27th June.
The European Open Pool Championship is the latest event to be added to the Nineball World Ranking schedule with 256 of the world’s best set to head to Germany, scheduled live on Sky Sports. The tournament will be played out in the same way as May’s first-ever UK Open and the US Open Pool Championship. It will see players fight through a seeded double elimination stage led by the top 32 on the Nineball World Rankings. Only the last 16 will make it through to the straight knockout stage.
Hohmann: “It’s always been a dream for me to have a tournament in my home, Fulda. It’s in the heart of Germany. It’s accessible and it’s a beautiful town. It will be perfect for us. The venue. The players and fans will like it. I am just one of many talents to come out of Fulda. We have at least five European champions. We have a big history. Bringing the world to Fulda is great for Pool in Germany and Fulda.”
“On one hand, I want it to be a success, so I don’t want to play. I just want to be a part of organising it and getting promotion there and getting the residents of Fulda to support the event and for them to experience it on this level with a production level never seen before in Germany. On the other hand, I want to do well and play well.”
BCA Hall of Fame, Thorsten Hohmann (file)｜©Taka G. Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport
Leon Scholz of Team Esperanto said “We as the Hotel Esperanto are pleased to host Matchroom Pool’s inaugural European Open Pool Championship and welcome the players and their fans in Fulda – the hometown of hall of famer Thorsten Hohmann. We are looking forward to an exciting tournament featuring 256 of the best pool players in the world as well as numerous fans who will follow the event live here at Hotel Esperanto or on TV.”
Emily Frazer, Matchroom Multi Sport Managing Director said: “2022 has been a mighty year for Pool, with our development of the Nineball World Rankings; seedings and ranking events have been a solid progression for the Pool, thrusting a lot of excitement and hope amongst the top professional players. Expanding the volume of hours of Pool shown live on Sky Sports is a major boost for the European Open as we aim to promote the game to a wider audience. Heading to Fulda, the hometown of the superstar Thorsten Hohmann sets the scene for this first-time event; with us taking the plunge to push our events further around the globe. I can’t wait to see what numbers turn out for this, either way, expect fireworks in traditional Matchroom fashion!”
The tournament will carry vital Major Ranking event status for the Live Nineball World Rankings as well as a $200,000 prize fund. Player entries will cost only $250.
Key Dates
- Tuesday, 21 June – Player Entries open at 3pm BST
- Monday, 27 June – Spectator tickets on sale
The event will be available live around the world, split across the Double Elimination and Single Elimination stages of the tournament allowing for global coverage. Matchroom.Live and Matchroom Pool social media channels will produce the streamed double elimination stage with Sky Sports, DAZN, Viaplay, and Matchroom.Live televising the Last 16 onwards as well as other broadcasters worldwide including SportKlub, Sportscast and more. See where you can watch here.
Sign up for alerts for the European Open Pool Championship here.
首屆9號球歐洲公開賽將於霍曼家鄉德國富爾達舉辦
Matchroom公司宣佈首屆9球歐洲公開賽將於2022年8月9日至14日在明星球員 Thorsten Hohmann 的家鄉德國富爾達 (Fulda) 的 Esperanto 酒店舉行，選手報名通道將於6月21日 (星期二) 下午3點開啟，觀眾可自6月27日開始購買賽事門票。
9號球歐洲公開賽的成績將被納入9號球世界排名 (Nineball World Rankings)，賽事共設有256個選手席位並將通過天空體育 (Sky Sports) 進行直播。歐洲公開賽將與5月的首屆英國公開賽和美國公開賽的賽制相同。世界排名前32的球員將作為種子選手，比賽採用雙敗淘汰制。
Hohmann 表示：“在我的家鄉富爾達舉辦比賽一直是我的夢想。富爾達位於德國的中心地帶，那裡交通便利，是一個美麗的城市。富爾達將是一個完美的辦賽地點。球員和球迷都會喜歡這裡。我只是人才濟濟的富爾達中的一員而已。我們那裡至少誕生了五個歐洲冠軍，可以說我們有著悠久的撞球文化積澱。能夠把一項大型賽事帶到富爾達，對德國的9號球運動發展和對富爾達當地來說都是雙贏的事情。”
“一方面，我希望本屆賽事能夠成功舉辦，所以我不想通過球員身份參與其中。我只想參與組織工作，在那裡進行宣傳，讓富爾達的居民支持這項活動，並讓他們體驗到在德國從未見過的高水準賽事。另一方面，我想在把組織工作做好的同時還能在賽場上取得一些好成績。”
德國名將, 前世界冠軍、名人堂成員 horsten Hohmann (file)｜©Taka G. Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport
賽事舉辦場地 Esperanto酒店的負責人 Leon Scholz 說：“我謹代表 Esperanto 酒店對首屆歐洲公開賽在我處舉辦表示歡迎。歡迎廣大球員和球迷來到 Thorsten Hohmann 的家鄉 — 富爾達 (Fulda)。我們無比期待著這項激動人心的賽事，屆時將有256名世界上最優秀的9號球選手以及眾多球迷在來到酒店現場或通過電視轉播關注這場賽事。”
Matchroom Multi Sport 運營總監 Emily Frazer 說：“2022年對9號球來說是繁榮發展的一年，我們開發了9號球世界排名體系。種子席位和排名賽體系的構建為9號球運動提供了堅實的基礎，一眾頂尖職業球員也因此充滿了期待的希冀。而增加在天空體育對於9號球的直播時長也是歐洲公開賽得以舉辦的一大動因，我們希望能夠向更多的觀眾推廣9號球運動。而富爾達和來自富爾達 (Fulda) 的明星球員 Thorsten Hohmann 都為這一賽事的創辦提供了無數支援。我們也在努力將我們的賽事進一步推向全球。我迫不及待地想知道本屆比賽的報名盛況，但無論如何本屆歐洲公開賽都將是有著濃郁 Matchroom 風格的一項大賽！”
本屆歐洲公開賽作為排名賽將被納入9號球世界排名體系 (Nineball World Rankings)，賽事總獎金20萬美元，球員報名費為每人250美元。
重要日期：
- 6月21日 (星期二) — 選手報名啟動 (英國時間下午3點)
- 6月27日 (星期一) — 門票開售
本屆歐洲公開賽將在全球範圍內進行現場直播，比賽分為雙敗淘汰賽和單敗淘汰賽兩個階段。Matchroom.Live 和Matchroom Pool 將作為雙敗淘汰賽階段的直播媒體，Sky Sports、DAZN、Viaplay 和 Matchroom.Live 將轉播16進8以後的單敗淘汰賽階段，包括 SportKlub、Sportscast (博斯) 等其他廣播公司也將對本屆賽事進行同步直播。
台灣將如同大師賽、英國公開賽與雙打世界盃一樣餘 博斯 (Sportscast) 進行轉播。