The semi-final line-up for the 2022 World Pool Masters is complete at the Europa Point Sports Complex, Gibraltar live on Sky Sports, DAZN, Viaplay, and Matchroom.Live in selected countries as Lo Ho Sum, Joshua Filler, and Mieszko Fortunski joined Ko Pin Yi in tonight’s finale.
Abdullah Alyousef 6-7 Lo Ho Sum
Joshua Filler 7-0 Dennis Orcollo
Francisco Sanchez Ruiz – Mieszko Fortunski
Lo found himself 4-1 down to Abdullah Alyousef who had rallied up some early confidence to leave the youngster wondering where his next shot may come on the table in a nervy affair. Alyousef is no pushover on the back of reaching the semi-finals of the World Pool Championship just a month ago but his rhythm was disrupted in the sixth rack.
Lo had missed the two ball in his first opportunity at the table but Alyousef made a howler of an error on the three ball to put Lo back in who soon made it 4-2. The difference was soon one. In the seventh rack, Alyousef was snookered on the eight ball before making a meal of his effort for Lo to make it 4-3. Both players were making their World Pool Masters debut this week and was soon level for the first time since the start of the match at 4-4. It soon went 5-5 before Lo was first to reach the hill. Alyousef played the six ball with too much spin making the cue ball nestle inside the jaw of the middle pocket offering up a tricky pot on the seven, the Kuwaiti missed allowing Lo to reach the hill.
The miss of the tournament came in the next rack as Lo had the one ball in front of him and the five over the pocket – somehow the one ball avoided the five allowing Alyousef back to the table. Alyousef made him pay for hill-hill. Lo then completed a nervy but deserved victory in the following rack in more routine fashion to book a semi-final spot.
Nobody could’ve predicted how one-sided Filler’s win over Dennis Orcollo would be with the German offering out a donut win over the Filipino great. Orcollo didn’t get any table time with just the one foul in the match being his only contribution. Filler’s states were remarkable and do the storytelling of the contest better than any words.
Fortunski came up against the home favourite Sanchez Ruiz to book a maiden semi-final berth at a Matchroom event and he stood up well to the job at hand. The early exchanges saw the pair share the opening four racks. Neither Sanchez Ruiz or Fortunski could break away from eachother and a scratch on the break in the eighth for Sanchez Ruiz led to Fortunski levelling at 4-4. Into the ninth rack and Fortunski found his stroke with a break and run to make it 5-4 before another in the following rack to be on the hill at 6-4. Fortunski broke well in what proved to be in the final rack but gave Sanchez Ruiz a chance after hooking himself on the four ball. The resulting kick from Fortunski put him safe making it diffcult for Sanchez Ruiz to have a stroke on the four. Sanchez Ruiz made the jump on the four but left the table open for Fortunski to wrap up a huge victory.
The semi-finals and final complete the 2022 World Pool Masters from 5:30 pm UK time with Filler set to face Pin Yi. Lo takes on Sanchez Ruiz.
Sunday 8th May – Evening Session – 5:30 pm UK time – Semi-Finals
Joshua Filler (8) vs Ko Pin Yi
Mieszko Fortunski vs Lo Ho Sum
Final – Race to 9
