The Mosconi Cup marked the conclusion of the 2023 World Nineball Tour, the most successful year to date with 40 events staged across four continents with over $3.3m prize money on offer to players.
New Matchroom Majors were added to the calendar, with the Spanish Open Pool Championship and Hanoi Open Pool Championship taking the World Nineball Tour to exciting heights in new corners of the globe.
Ahead of the launch of the 2024 calendar, we take a look back at each of Matchroom’s Major events across the World Nineball Tour.
World Pool Championship – Kielce, Poland
A tournament of upsets and drama, the World Pool Championship opened a phenomenal year on the World Nineball Tour. Mohammad Soufi broke out as a star at the top of the game, beating two-time champion Albin Ouschan en-route to the final. Francisco Sanchez Ruiz continued an incredible run of form, sealing the World Championship against the Syrian to add to victory at the 2022 US Open.
Premier League Pool – Leicester, United Kingdom
FSR’s dominance continued in reaching his fourth final from his last five Matchroom events, winning the league by four points. The Spaniard defeated Japan’s Naoyuki Oi 7-3 in the semi-finals, setting up a mouth-watering final with Jayson Shaw, who had reached the final with victory over Sanjin Pehlivanovic. Tied at 4-4, Shaw missed a cut on the three ball and allowed Sanchez Ruiz in – going on to land another WNT title.
World Pool Masters – Brentwood, United Kingdom
16 of the world’s best descended on Brentwood for the World Pool Masters, with Ko Pin Yi shining the brightest to win the $40,000 top prize against Eklent Kaçi. It was his first major title since 2015, secured after an epic run overcoming Jayson Shaw, Shane Van Boening, James Aranas and the Albanian Kaçi.
UK Open – London, United Kingdom
Eklent Kaçi’s moment came at the Copperbox Arena in London, defeating Joshua Filler to claim his first singles Matchroom Major title. The Albanian Eagle established himself as one of the form players on tour, securing wins over Shane Van Boening, Ko Ping Chung and Skyler Woodward before a dominant 11-4 final victory over Filler. The tournament saw him rise to second in Team Europe’s Mosconi Cup rankings, but his chances were sadly ended following a car accident in the summer.
Spanish Open – Lugo, Spain
Dang Jin Hu was the inaugural winner of the Spanish Open Pool Championship, beating Marc Bijsterbosch in a hill-hill epic finale in the historic Galician city of Lugo. The Chinese star broke announced himself on the world stage, with wins over Eklent Kaçi and Skyler Woodward setting up a first final for both men. After reaching the hill, Dang broke dry, but his safety play proved too much for the Dutchman.
World Cup of Pool – Lugo, Spain
Pinoy duo James Aranas and Johann Chua created history for the Philippines, landing a record fourth World Cup title. In a repeat of the 2009 final, where Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante defeated Ralf Souquet and Thorsten Hohmann, the Philippines once again lined up against Germany – this time represented by Joshua Filler and Moritz Neuhausen. With the Filipinos on the hill, Germany made a deliberate foul hoping Aranas and Chua would not make the two, but their exceptional play saw them clean up the table and the title as secured.
European Open – Fulda, Germany
David Alcaide booked his place at a third-successive Mosconi Cup after winning the European Open Pool Championship in another dramatic hill-hill final. Anton Raga sat in the opposing seat, a first WNT final for the exciting Filipino. It was a battle between youth and experience, with the latter proving most effective for Alcaide. Having hooked the Spaniard and looking in control of a safety battle, the six failed to drop into the middle pocket and El Matador’s first singles title since the 2019 World Pool Masters was sealed.
US Open – Atlantic City, United States
Ko Ping Chung overcame Fedor Gorst to capture the 46th Annual US Open Pool Championship. The Chinese Taipei star was on song all week, famously recording a whitewash victory against Aloysius Yapp in the semi-finals, potting every single ball in the process. His final opponent, Gorst, was playing in similar fashion and it looked set to be a finale for the ages. Having been 6-3 down, momentum shifted to Ko who showed his semi-finals form in winning 10 consecutive frames to secure the Barry Behrman Trophy.
Hanoi Open – Hanoi, Vietnam
Jayson Shaw finally brushed his Matchroom Major singles demons aside, beating Albin Ouschan in a dramatic hill-hill final for a first Major victory since the 2017 US Open Pool Championship. The two Mosconi Cup teammates were exchanging blows throughout, with the Glaswegian getting to the hill first. A mistake on the five-ball let the Austrian in breaking for the match. A double-kiss kicked the cueball into the middle pocket on the break and Shaw could clean up for victory.
Mosconi Cup – London, United Kingdom
Following a year’s build-up across the World Nineball Tour, Europe and the United States’ very best descended on the Alexandra Palace for the 30th Anniversary Mosconi Cup. Ralph Eckert was drafted in as Team Europe’s captain, the only rookie on a team featuring all five winners of last year’s cup in Las Vegas. Led by Jeremy Jones and featuring the newly allegiance-switched Fedor Gorst, Team USA were unable to establish any early momentum at the Palace and were 6-0 down at one point on day two. Europe were led by the crowd, with Britain’s Jayson Shaw and Germany’s Joshua Filler – who would receive the Cuetec MVP award for his performance – the cheerleaders at the table leading chants and songs from the home support. Europe would win the contest 11-3, a dominant display from Albin Ouschan, Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, David Alcaide, Shaw and Filler.
WNT Ranking Event Winners
Turning Stone Classic XXXIV – Jayson Shaw (GBR)
Derby City Classic – Fedor Gorst (USA)
Longoni Bosnia Open – Niels Feijen (NED)
McDermott Classic – Billy Thorpe (USA)
PRP Nineball Open – Wojciech Szewczyk (POL)
J Flowers Scottish Open – Jayson Shaw (GBR)
Chuck Markulis Memorial – Shane Wolford (USA)
Mezz Bucharest Open – Konrad Juszczyszyn (POL)
Big Dog 9-ball Championship – Shane Van Boening (USA)
Jacoby 9-ball Open – David Alcaide (ESP)
Sharks International 9-ball Open – Ko Ping Chung (TPE)
Longoni Visoko Open – Aleksa Pecelj (SRB)
Turning Stone Classic XXXVII – Fedor Gorst (USA)
Nineball Oceania Tour – Marco Teutscher (NED)
Raxx Pool Room Open – Carlo Biado (PHI)
Longoni Loznica Open – Niels Feijen (NED)
Connecticut Open – Moritz Neuhausen (GER)
Peri 9-ball Open – Fedor Gorst (USA)
Wolf’s Den Billiards – Aloysius Yapp (SGP)
International Open – Aloysius Yapp (SGP)
Universal Chinese Taipei Open – Ko Ping Chung (TPE)
TE Capital APP 9-ball Open – Ko Pin Yi (TPE)
