Matchroom Pool is delighted to announce the launch of The UK Open, a new open tournament and the latest addition to the Matchroom Pool Series set to take place for the first time in May 2022 London, with a total prize fund of $200,000.
The UK Open will feature alongside the most illustrious tournaments in 9-ball pool including The World Pool Championship, US Open Pool Championship, Mosconi Cup, World Pool Masters, World Cup of Pool, and Championship League Pool which all form a key part of the Matchroom Pool World Rankings and the race to be a part of the Mosconi Cup teams for European and American players. The tournament marks a key milestone in Matchroom Multi Sport’s commitment to Pool and will see 256 players compete from May 17 to May 22 at the Copper Box Arena, London with a buy-in of only $200, live on Sky Sports in the UK, and DAZN in the USA, Canada, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, and Italy.
Matchroom Multi Sport Managing Director Emily Frazer underlined her vision for the tournament: “We’ve been talking a lot about expanding the Matchroom Pool Series and it’s now we stop talking and actually turn it into actions. We’ve acquired the US Open and the World Championship and now we’re going to launch a new event. It’s the biggest prize fund in British pool and the biggest field size, it’s just so exciting.
“I think it’s very clear in the Matchroom Pool team we’re just so passionate about this game. We’ve been speaking to the likes of Jayson Shaw, Kelly Fisher, Darren Appleton, and Shane Van Boening is going to fly over. 2022 is just going to be fantastic for pool, we’re super excited about it. We’re going to sell that field out; we’re going to get 256 players and that will be a full international field.”
“We’re looking at the open events now, three years ago we only had three events in our calendar. Lets create a calendar where the top players can actually travel and have a full calendar of events and ranking system. But lets also give British players an opportunity to step into pool and lets grow 9-ball, it’s the future of the sport and lets take pool to the next level.”
Emily Frazer, Matchroom Multi Sport Managing Director｜©Erwin Dionisio
Shaw, the UK’s No.1 is excited to see a new 9-ball tournament on British shores: “It’s fantastic seeing another event added to the UK calendar for the UK fans and everybody in Europe will be excited to have a big tournament there. I am really looking forward to it and I cannot wait to see what the setup is. Matchroom are doing good things for pool, and this is massive for UK pool.”
Fisher, Women’s World Champion said: “It’s fantastic news it’s really exciting. Matchroom are doing great, it’s fantastic for our sport, players, and fans. It’s the first time it’s ever been done in pool, we’re getting it in the UK, and I think we will see a lot more players coming through over the next few years with the opportunity to knuckle down.”
Appleton, former World Champion added: “It’s great for the UK and besides the Matchroom events, we do not have any tournaments in the UK where people think they can play the game and make a living. Stuff like this will bring people out from the woodwork because there’s plenty of talent and they’re all interested in playing. It will be a tough field; it will fill up very quickly. It’s great for the game in the UK.”
Further information will follow including how players can enter and how fans can buy their tickets to see the action unfold in a first for 9-ball pool in the UK. Subscribe to Matchroom Pool Club to be the first to receive ticket updates and more.
英國體育賽事推廣公司 Matchroom 宣布 “Matchroom 台球系列賽 (Matchroom Pool Series)” 將迎來新成員，將於2022年推出英國公開賽，比賽將於明年五月首次在倫敦舉辦，總獎為20萬美元。英國公開賽將成為 Matchroom Pool 繼世界花式撞球大師賽 (World Pool Masters), 世界盃雙打賽 (World Cup of Pool), 莫斯考尼盃 (Mosconi Cup), 美國公開賽9號球錦標賽 (US Open Pool Championship), 世界9球錦標賽 (World Pool Championship), 撞球冠軍聯賽 (Championship League Pool) 之後的第七項賽事，而這些賽事也都將納入 Matchroom Pool 的世界排名積分，對於歐洲和美國球員來說，將成為能否參加莫斯考尼盃比賽的依據。
這一賽事的推出也標誌著 Matchroom Multi Sport 對台球這項運動承諾的一個重要里程碑。賽事將有256名球員參加並於5月17-22日在倫敦的 Copper Box Arena 場館進行，屆時也將於英國、美國、加拿大、德國、奧地利、瑞士、西班牙和義大利電視直播。
Matchroom 常務董事 Emily Frazer 說出她對比賽的願景: “我們一直在談論著擴大 Matchroom台球系列賽，現在是時候停止談論，而是將其付諸實際行動。我們取得了美國公開賽9號球錦標賽和世界9球錦標賽，現在我們將推出新賽事，這將是英國台球中最大規模及最高獎金的一項賽事。讓人為之振奮。我認為我們團隊非常清楚我們對這項運動充滿熱情，我們一直在與 Jayson Shaw, Kelly Fisher 和 Darren Appleton 討論，並且 Shane Van Boening 已確定將前往參加。2022年對於台球將會是精采的一年，我們對此都非常興奮。
我們正在研究讓賽事對男女子球員都開放，三年前我們的日程中僅有三項賽事，我們希望建立一個賽事日程讓頂級球員能擁有完整的賽事和排名系統。同時，也讓英國球員有機會進入美式台球並使其成長，這是這項運動的未來，讓我們帶領台球更上一層樓。”
Jayson Shaw｜© Taka Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport
“很高興在英國看到一項新的9球錦標賽，英國和歐洲的球迷們都會很開心在那舉辦一場大型賽事，我非常期待它。Matchroom 正在為台球最些有意義的事，這對英國台球來中更是意義重大。” Jayson Shaw 說道。
Kelly Fisher｜©Taka Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport
女子世界冠軍 Kelly Fisher 則表示: “這是個令人振奮的好消息。Matchroom 做得很好，這對於我們這項運動、球員和球迷來說都是很棒的消息。我認為在接下來幾年哩，我們將看到更多球員有機會展現他們的球技。
Darren Appleton｜©Taka Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport
前世界冠軍 Darren Appleton 補充說道: “這對英國來說是極好的，在英國除了 Matchroom 的賽事之外，我們沒有任何的賽事讓人們認為他們可以打球並且以此為生。有很多人他們都有興趣打球，這也將讓更多的人參與進來，比賽名額將會很快地被額滿，而賽事強度也將會很高，然而這對英國來說是一件很棒的事情。”
CN by Alison