The draw for the preliminary round of the World Pool Masters has been made with Eklent Kaci vs. Earl Strickland, Wu Jiaqing vs. Alex Pagulayan and an all-Spanish clash between David Aclaide and Francisco Sanchez Ruiz among the stand-out ties.
The 24-player field includes eight players who qualified for the event by winning major 9-ball tournaments and these eight players go straight into the last 16. The remaining 16 invited players play in the preliminary round, with players joining the last 16 draw in order of their seeding. Players in the preliminary round were seeded by their current WPA World Ranking.
The World Pool Masters takes place at Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar this March 29-31 with tickets available now at worldpoolmasters.com.
The draw was streamed on the World Pool Masters Facebook page and can be replayed here:
Preliminary Round
Shane van Boening (9) vs. Kelly Fisher
Fedor Gorst (10) vs. Naoyuki Oi
Chris Melling (11) vs. Matt Edwards
Eklent Kaci (12) vs. Earl Strickland
Wu Jiaqing (13) vs. Alex Pagulayan
Petri Makkonen (14) vs. Justin Sajich
Albin Ouschan (15) vs. Jeffrey De Luna
David Alcaide (16) vs. Francisco Sanchez Ruiz
Last 16
Niels Feijen (1) vs. David Alcaide/Francisco Sanchez Ruiz
Han Yu (8) vs. Shane van Boening/Kelly Fisher
Ko Pin Yi (4) vs. Wu Jaiqing/Alex Pagulayan
Jayson Shaw (5) vs Eklent Kaci/Earl Strickland
Alexander Kazakis (3) vs. Petri Makkonen/Justin Sajich
Konrad Juszczyszyn (6) vs. Chris Melling/Matt Edwards
Joshua Filler (2) vs. Albin Ouschan/Jeffrey De Luna
Skyler Woodward (7) vs. Fedor Gorst/ Naoyuki Oi
Match Schedule
Friday, March 29 – Afternoon Session – 1300 local time
Wu Jiaqing (China) vs. Alex Pagulayan (Canada)
Fedor Gorst (Russia) vs. Naoyuki Oi (Japan)
Albin Ouschan (Austria) vs. Jeffrey De Luna (Philippines)
David Alcaide (Spain) vs. Francisco Sanchez Ruiz (Spain)
Friday, March 29 – Evening Session – 1900 local time
Eklent Kaci (Albania) vs. Earl Strickland (USA)
Shane Van Boening (USA) vs. Kelly Fisher (England)
Petri Makkonen (Finland) vs. Justin Sajich (Australia)
Chris Melling (England) vs. Matt Edwards (New Zealand)
Saturday, March 30 – Afternoon Session – 1300 local time
Niels Feijen (Holland) vs. Alcaide/Ruiz
Han Yu (China) vs. SvB/Fisher
Ko Pin Yi (Chinese Taipei) vs. Wu/Pagulayan
Alexander Kazakis (Greece) vs Makkonen/Sajich
Saturday, March 30 – Evening Session – 1900 local time
Jayson Shaw (Scotland) vs. Kaci/Strickland
Konrad Juszczyszyn (Poland) vs. Melling/Edwards
Joshua Filler (Germany) vs. Ouschan/De Luna
Skyler Woodward (USA) vs. Gorst/Oi
Sunday, March 31 – Afternoon Session – 1300 local time
Quarter-Final 1
Quarter-Final 2
Quarter-Final 3
Quarter-Final 4
Sunday, March 31 – Evening Session – 1900 local time
Semi-final 1
Semi-final 2
Final