World 8-Ball Men’s Championship – Lechner’s Epic Comeback stops Filler

2023 Predator WPA World Championships poster_horizontal_777x437

After losing the lag shot, Max Lechner sat in his chair for five racks. WPA world number 1 Filler was on a mission. A dry break on the sixth rack gave Lechner the opportunity to come back to the table and he took advantage of it, cutting the distance to 5-4 and then leading 9-8. Filler forced the hill-hill but a dry break costed the Last 16 clash.

On Table 2, Shane Van Boening started the match like a beast and quickly added a 6-0 in the score versus Alex Kazakis. When the Greek put some racks together it was too late. 10-4, SVB advanced through to the quarter finals looking for his first World 8 Ball title and $75,000 top prize.

Men’s Quarter Finals are scheduled for Saturday at 12pm Austrian time. Clash match between reigning World 8 Ball champion Francisco Sanchez Ruiz and American star Shane Van Boening will be streamed live on Table 1. Mario He vs Sanjin Pehlivanovic on Table 2.

2023 World 8 Ball Mens - Lechner's Epic Comeback stops Filler

©Pro Billiard Series

In the Women’s World 10 Ball, defending champion Chou was beaten by Chezka Centeno in a forceful 9-2 in the quarter finals. Sisters Allison Fisher and Kelly Fisher, and Chinese Yu Han complete the final 4 who will battle for the biggest prize in women pool: $50,000.

Women’s semifinals will take place on Saturday at 3pm, both tables available to watch live for free on the Pro Billiard TV youtube channel.

2023 World 10-Ball Juniors - Kledio Kaci

Kledio Kaci©Alison Chang

In the Juniors division, Kledio Kaci, the younger brother of world champion Eklent Kaci, mirrors his sibling’s exceptional manners and skills. Despite his youth, Kledio has demonstrated he’s a firm candidate to take the World Juniors title this year in Klagenfurt. Young albanian will face Yannick Pongers in the semifinals of Boys Under 19. Semifinals for Junior Boys and Girls will be played on Saturday.

The events are hosted in Austria with the support of the city of Klagenfurt and region of Carinthia, Jasmin Oushan Billiard Academy, Richwert Promotions and Pro Billiard Series partners Predator, CSI and Kamui.

All five World Championship events will be streamed live on Predator Pro Billiard Series broadcast platforms. The brand-new Pro Billiard TV YouTube channel and Billiard TV will host table 1 matches with multi-camera coverage and English commentary free to watch throughout the events. Kozoom will be the destination to watch every single match live. For more information follow @ProBilliardSeries on social media.