Shane Van Boening and Joshua Filler have been eliminated, while Fedor Gorst, Eklent Kaçi, Johann Chua, and Wojciech Szewczyk advance to the semi-final at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal City Sports Hall in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
In partnership with the Saudi Arabian Billiard & Snooker Federation (SABSF) and the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Sport, the crown jewel of the World Nineball Tour will be available through leading global broadcasters, including Sky Sports, SSC, Shahid VIP Sports, MENA, and DAZN.
Shane Van Boening and Joshua Filler’s attempt to secure their second title came to a tragic end in the Last 16 stage, with the pair being knocked out by Wojciech Szewczyk and Anton Raga, respectively.
Van Boening struggled against the Polish warrior Wojciech Szewczyk, who controlled the pace of the game to the very end. A self-inflicted hook prevented Van Boening from stopping Szewczyk on the hill, causing him to foul and allowing Szewczyk to win the round. Szewczyk proceeded to face Wiktor Zielinski in the clash of the Poles, where he executed a 3-9 combo shot in the final rack to defeat Zielinski 11-5.
Filler’s pursuit of the crown was halted in rack 16, where he failed to pot the 6-ball, allowing Anton ‘The Dragon’ Raga to clear up the racks. However, Raga’s dream of seizing the title came to an end in the quarterfinals, where he met Fedor Gorst. Gorst conducted a clinic against Raga, executing a long bank shot on the 9-ball in rack 5, followed by a long jump shot to escape a hook in rack 10, to finish 11-4.
Continuing his impressive tournament performance, Eklent Kaçi made light work of the Dutch player Marc Bijsterbosch, sealing an 11-3 victory in the Last 16. Kaçi advanced to the quarterfinal to face ‘The Cobra’ Jeffrey Ignacio, who put up a valiant effort to stop the Albanian. However, a scratch on the 7-ball in rack 11 granted Kaçi the chance to break away from the 5-5 tie and secure the win.
©Taka Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport
The only Pinoy to secure a spot in the semi-finals was World Cup of Pool winner Johann Chua, who began the day clinching an 11-8 victory over Mohammad Soufi. ‘Badkoi’ Chua continued his triumph by not only defeating the Chinese cueist Dang Jin Hu but also executing an incredible seven-rack break and run to reach the final rack.
The Saudi Junior Championship ended today, showcasing an entertaining final match between Felix Vogel and Ivan Rudenko. In a showdown filled with tension, Vogel emerged victorious with a 9-4 triumph to secure the Saudi Junior Championship crown. His win secured the top prize of $4,000, amidst the buzz of excitement at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal City Sports Hall in Jeddah.
Juniors aged 17 and under from around the world came to Jeddah hoping to make a name for themselves as an up-and-coming superstar, as they competed for their part of the $20,000 prize fund.
The semi-final take place tomorrow with Eklent Kaçi vs Johann Chua to kick off the day at 1 pm KSA / 11 am BST UK time, available on Sky Sports, SSC, Shahid VIP Sports, MENA, and DAZN.
Saturday 8th June – 13:00 pm KSA time – Semi-Final
1pm –
TV Table – Eklent Kaci (ALB) vs Johann Chua (PHI)
Approx. 2:30pm –
TV Table – Fedor Gorst (USA) vs Wojciech Szewczyk (POL)
Saturday 8th June – 19:30 pm KSA time – Final