Albin Ouschan and Shane Van Boening will contest the 2022 World Pool Championship final this evening at the Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes live on Sky Sports Arena in the UK, DAZN in the USA, Canada, Spain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria as well as other networks worldwide from 5:30 pm UK time.
Ouschan headed into the day looking to become only the second player in history to defend his title and win it three times emulating Earl Strickland. The Austrian set up a semi-final clash with Kuwait’s Abdullah Alyousef after victory over Mosconi Cup teammate Joshua Filler yesterday evening. Alyousef meanwhile came through a dramatic quarter-final showing with Max Lechner of Austria.
It was Ouschan that got off to the quicker starts after winning the lag, the Mean Machine took the opening eight racks without reply to leave Alyousef, playing in his first World Pool Championship semi-final, glued to his chair. Into the ninth rack and Ouschan found himself struggling for position off the break allowing Alyousef back to the table to put a mini run of three racks together.
In truth, Ouschan was always in control of proceedings despite the mini comeback from Alyousef. In the 12th rack, Alyousef missed what looked to be a simple 2 ball and that was his last chance at the table as Ouschan ran out a comfortable winner to meet Van Boening in the final.
Albin Ouschan (Predator)｜©Taka G. Wu / Matchroom Multi Sport
Van Boening won the lag against Kazakis and took the opening two racks, two more racks than he had achieved against the Greek in last year’s World Pool Masters final. Kazakis did hit back though to make it two all before hitting the front for the first time at 3-2.
At 3-2, it would’ve been easy for Van Boening to start seeing last year’s World Pool Masters final in his periphery vision, but he took the match by the scruff of its neck to run into a rampant 8-3 lead including a golden break in the ninth rack. Dry breaks have been rare this week for Van Boening, but he made one in the 12th rack to allow Kazakis back to the table and make it 8-4. A break and run in the next made Kazakis‘ difference only three and it quickly became two after Van Boening scratched after being offered an opportunity in the 14th. Kazakis kept his momentum flowing to be to cut the deficit to one rack when he scratched on the break gifting Van Boening a two-rack advantage once again.
The South Dakota Kid’s grappled to keep his dominance on the match and broke and run to get to the hill first at 10-7. Despite a dry break from Van Boening in what proved to be the final rack, it was the American who managed to get the better of Kazakis in a brief safety battle luring the Nineball World No. 12 into a thin cut on the 1 ball that he left over the pocket.
Van Boening from there on cleared the table to reach his third World Pool Championship final, in a repeat of the 2016 final.
Shane Van Boening (Cuetec/ANDY/Dynaspheres)｜©Taka G. Wu / Matchroom Multi Sport
Sunday, 10 April – 5:30 pm UK time – Race to 13 – Final
Albin Ouschan vs Shane Van Boening
The 2022 World Pool Championship final gets underway from 5:30 pm UK time as Ouschan takes on Van Boening to claim the newly increased £60,000 first-place prize and to move to No.1 on the 2023 Live Nineball World Rankings.