Alexander Kazakis (GRE) just won the Dynamic Billard Klagenfurt Open 2019 with an impressive 9:8 victory over Marc Bijsterbosch (NED).
Bijsterbosch had already two 9:8 victories to survive today to make it to the final match so he was actually on a marathon. His opponent Kazakis had wind underneath his wings since making the final match meant his nomination to this year’s Mosconi Cup Team. The final match was packed with drama and excitement and was as thrilling as it could have been.
Kazakis opened the final match with a powerful break. He had 3 balls down and a perfect layout. Being in the top form that he has shown throughout the tournament, especially having the Mosconi Cup Team nomination in his pocket by making this final, Kazakis started and seemed to be unstoppable. He cleared the table quickly and got to a 1:0 lead over his Dutch opponent. Bijsterbosch however did not seem to be too impressed and returned the table to Kazakis after having run a rack himself, tying the match at 1:1. Rack three displayed again 3 balls down for Kazakis. He really had a perfect break in the early stage of the final match. Another clearance followed for a 2:1 lead for Kazakis. In rack four, Bijsterbosch had 2 balls down but a very long shot on the 2-ball and came up with a safety attempt. He left a tough shot for Kazakis who had to execute a jump shot. The outcome was lucky for the Greek since he left no clear shot for Bijsterbosch. However, Bijsterbosch fired a one bank shot in and ran the rack to get to 2:2 including a fluke shot on the 8-ball.
The quality of the final match was unbelievably high. The first mistake happened in rack #5 when Kazakis lost the cue ball on the break shot and scratched. That brought Bijsterbosch to the table with ball in hand. He cleared the rack and got to a 3:2 lead with his own break shot coming up next. At that stage, the odds were in favour of Bijsterbosch winning the match. But Kazakis hung in there and managed to get back to a one-rack-lead himself at 5:4. Rack #10 was fiercely fought over. Kazakis stood tall and for the first time in the match got to a 2-rack lead at 6:4. He has won 4 consecutive racks which left an impression on Bijsterbosch. Race #11 saw again Kazakis performing a break shot. But this time he only had 1 ball down and 1 ball crossing the head string which meant the break shot was illegal. It brought Bijsterbosch to the table who consequently ran the table and added another point to his score. The next rack was a break and run for Bijsterbosch which tied the match once more at 6:6. Once more, the tide turned in the match and Bijsterbosch also won rack #13 to get to 7:6 over Kazakis.
The match heated up with both players wanting the victory very much. Bijsterbosch’s break shot in the next rack was not ideal. He had a ball down but no shot on the lowest numbered ball. He somehow managed to solve the situation and again ran the whole rack, getting on the hill with 8:6. The pressure was on Kazakis whose break shot was up in the next rack. He played well until the 6-ball where he fell out of position. Kazakis attempted a jump shot but he did not pocket the 6-ball. A safety duel followed with Kazakis coming out as the winner. The Greek once more used his chance and got to 7:8. Rack #16 was again determined by safety play in the beginning. None of the two wanted to commit any mistake and they both played rather defensive. Kazakis replied a push out from Bijsterbosch with a good safety and gained control in the rack. This gave him the upper hand and he won the rack to tie the match at 8:8. At hill-hill, everything is possible. Kazakis had the deciding break shot and he had a great break in rack 17. Two balls were down and he had a good layout in front of him. He fell out of position for the 3-ball but came up with a great safety. Bijsterbosch had no answer for it and Kazakis capitalised, making the balls and winning the match and the tournament with 9:8. „A miracle happened today“ said Kazakis after the award ceremony, „I was trying really hard to get in the Mosconi Team the whole year. It could not have gone any better for me, winning also this tournament to make the team“.
Top Eight Finishers
1. Alexander Kazakis GRE
2. Marc Bijsterbosch NED
3. Denis Grabe EST
Mats Schjetne NOR
5. Joshua Filler GER
Miguel Silva POR
Wiktor Zielinski POL
Fedor Gorst RUS
That concludes the coverage of the Dynamic Billard Klagenfurt Open 2019. We will be back with more Euro-Tour action from Antalya, Turkey, in November 2019.
The Dynamic Billard Klagenfurt Open were played in the Sportpark Klagenfurt Arena in Klagenfurt, Austria, on up to 20 tables which were all streamed LIVE throughout the whole event. In order to be able to follow all the action LIVE, premium membership can be obtained at www.kozoom.com. Once a premium membership is held, all events for the respective period of time can be viewed LIVE. Additionally, a huge video gallery is contained in the website.
The event was hosted by the European Governing Body for Pool, the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF) and organized by International Billiard Promotion (IBP). For further information and reference please go to the federation website www.eurotouronline.com or visit us on Facebook for regular news clips or contact our press office [email protected].