Shane Van Boening’s breathtaking victory over Albin Ouschan to clinch the World Pool Championship title for the first time has seen the American great become the Live 2023 Nineball World No.1 with earnings of over $60,000.
The World Pool Championship was the Nineball schedule’s first Blue Ribbon event with a newly increased prize fund of $325,000 on offer at the Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes.
Van Boening’s 13-6 win against Ouschan sees him in pole position to keep his spot in the USA Mosconi Cup team ahead of the cup returning to the USA this November 30-3 December at Bally’s Las Vegas.
The new World No.1 said: “I can’t believe it – it’s the biggest moment in my career for sure. I’ve won five US Opens but this is the day. I’ve dreamed of being world champion and today is that moment.”
“I have been trying for years. Two times I’ve been in the final and two times in the final. I just knew I was going to win the World Pool Championship. I dreamed I would be World Champion. It teaches you to work hard, follow your dreams and never give up.”
Despite defeat in the final, Ouschan did his hopes of another Mosconi Cup appearance for Europe no harm with a runner-up prize of $30,000 taking him to second on the rankings.
There was also much success for Chang Jung-Lin and Ko Pin Yi who returned to the Nineball arena for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic. Jung-Lin’s run to the quarter-final earned him $10,000 and a move inside the World’s Top 10 whilst Pin Yi took home $6,000 with both defeated by Van Boening on the way to winning the title.
Abdullah Alyousef’s maiden semi-final appearance moved him to No. 6 on the rankings whilst Joshua Filler, Alexander Kazakis, Oliver Szolnoki, and Max Lechner all made in roads inside the top 10 where Francisco Sanchez Ruiz remains despite what he would describe as a disappointing week in Milton Keynes.
The Nineball schedule sees Ranking, Major, and Blue Ribbon Events across the globe with money earned contributing to the standings on the Live 2023 Rankings. Players can earn status on the Rankings from the upcoming events.
Events below are all ranking events. The World Pool Masters, World Cup of Pool, and Mosconi Cup are all non-ranking events
EuroTour Treviso Open – EuroTour – Treviso, Italy – April 29 – May 2
Bucharest Open – IDM Club – Bucharest, Romania – May 13-15
UK Open – Matchroom – Copper Box Arena, London – May 17-22 – Buy Tickets Here
Sandcastle 9-Ball Open – NBL – New Jersey – June 3-5
St Johann im Pongau Open – EuroTour – Salzburg, Austria – June 24-27
Petrich Open – EuroTour – Petrich, Bulgaria – August 6-8
Slovenia Open – EuroTour – Slovenia – October 1-3
Sandcastle 9-Ball Open – NBL – New Jersey – October 6-8
US Open Pool Championship – Matchroom – Harrah’s Resort, Atlantic City – October 10-15 – Entries Open Tuesday, 12 April at 12pm ET
International Open – Accu-Stats – Virginia, USA – October 30 – 5 November
European Open Pool Championship – Matchroom – TBC – November 15-20
EuroTour Treviso Open – EuroTour – Treviso, Italy – November 25-27
Money earned by players during Ranking Events, Major Events, and Blue Ribbon Events featured on the Nineball schedule will contribute to the standings on the 2023 Rankings as part of Matchroom’s goal to recognise Nineball as the primary discipline of pool worldwide as well as offering the chance for European and USA players the opportunity to qualify for the 2022 Mosconi Cup through the merit of their 2022 performances.
The Nineball World Rankings:
- Feature the primary rankings list of an initial Top 32 ranked players with a top-up of a further 8 players, this list will be used throughout the 2022 events for qualification and seeding to the Nineball schedule of events
- Feature the secondary rankings list of live actual ranking points of prize money earnt that will come into effect December 2022 as well as contribute towards the Mosconi Cup 2022 team qualification
- Feature 8 Matchroom promoted events
Event Status (subject to change and review on a yearly basis)
- Blue Ribbon > $300,000 +
- Major Events > $150,000 – $299,999
- Ranking Events > Up to $149,999
The Nineball World Rankings are open to any tournament recognised by Matchroom and given the approval of Matchroom and sanction of the WPA.
To be a part of the rankings, tournament organisers must follow the overall standards set out by the Nineball World Rankings to raise the profile of the sport. Whilst this will be flexible for 2022, the aim will be to standardise the professional rules of the game of Nineball producing fairness for players throughout all organised events as well as generating an easy understanding of the game: increasing awareness across the globe.
How the Live 2023 Nineball Rankings Impact the 2022 Mosconi Cup Selection Process
For the first time, the Live Nineball World Rankings will come into play, with three players from each side who will qualify on order of merit from the Nineball World Rankings. The Live (2023) Nineball World Rankings are updated after every event recognised by the Nineball World Rankings Schedule this year and still poised to grow further. The final two players from each side will be wild cards.
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