DEVASTATING EXIT FOR DEFENDING CHAMPION KRAUSE
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 14 Mar 2025
Mickey Krause’s title defence came to a crushing end on Day Three of the 2025 European Open Pool Championship, while former world champions Shane Van Boening, Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, and Carlo Biado advanced to tomorrow’s Last 64 stage.
For the first time, the prestigious championship is being hosted at Hills Hotel in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in partnership with the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Sarajevo Canton. The tournament runs from March 11-16, bringing world-class nine-ball action to the heart of the Balkans, on Sky Sports to the UK & Ireland, and WNT TV to the USA, Vietnam, and other international regions.
Krause’s reign as European Open champion came to an abrupt and bitter end as the Danish Viking suffered a tough 9-5 defeat in his opening match against Emil Gangflot, forcing him into the Losers’ Bracket.
In a must-win showdown, Krause faced Hubert Lopotko, who was eager to avenge his defeat to Krause in last year’s Mezz Bucharest Ranking Event final. What was expected to be a hard-fought battle turned into an even greater struggle for the defending champion, as Lopotko stormed to the hill, leaving Krause trailing by six racks. Despite a late surge to close the gap, a costly miss on the 1-ball proved fatal, allowing Lopotko to strike the final blow and complete his long-awaited revenge, eliminating Krause from the tournament.
Shane Van Boening continued his strong run in Sarajevo, delivering a commanding 9-5 victory over Indonesian cueist Andri Januarta to secure his place in the Last 64 of the European Open. However, it was a different story for his Mosconi Cup teammates Billy Thorpe and Tyler Styer, whose tournament campaigns came to a heartbreaking end. Thorpe suffered back-to-back defeats to Joao Grilo and Marcel Price, while Styer’s hopes were dashed by a costly scratch against Kostas Koukiadakis, sealing his early exit.
Francisco Sánchez Ruiz made light work of his Winners’ Qualification match against Bui Truong An, storming to a 9-1 victory in a dominant display. El Ferrari wasted no time shifting into high gear, taking control at 2-1 before running up the racks to close the match.
Carlo Biado’s European debut continues to gather momentum, with the former world champion securing his place in the Last 64 after a commanding 9-4 victory over Britain’s Imran Majid.
Joining the Black Tiger in the next stage, the rest of the 2024 Team Asia crew also cruised through. Johann Chua kept his European redemption quest alive, overcoming a 3-0 deficit to defeat rising star Riku Romppanen 9-4. Meanwhile, Reyes Cup MVP Aloysius Yapp delivered a clinical performance, dismantling Scottish Open and Welsh Open snooker champion Gary Wilson with a swift 9-3 win.
Despite his earlier setback, Wilson kept his tournament hopes alive, rebounding in the Losers’ Bracket with a dominant 9-2 victory over Carlo Blasi to secure his spot in tomorrow’s single elimination stage.
Determined to keep the European crown in his home country, Sanjin Pehlivanovic powered into tomorrow’s single-elimination stage with a third commanding 9-1 victory, this time over Greece’s Dimitris Loukatos. He was joined by his fellow Balkan contenders, as Eklent Kaçi, Aleksa Pecelj, and Kledio Kaçi all secured their spots in Day Four.
Also advancing to the next round is reigning UK Open champion Robbie Capito, who continues his pursuit of another Matchroom Major title. Meanwhile, former European Open champion David Alcaide remains in the hunt to reclaim the title, keeping his championship ambitions alive.
Last 64 Draw
The Last 64 is now confirmed for the 2025 European Open Pool Championship, with the pick of the round including a tasty encounter between Premier League Pool contenders Johann Chua and Edward Koyongian. Other stand out ties include Carlo Biado against Tobias Bongers, and Duong Quoc Hoang against Thorsten Hohmann.
For the full draw and live rack-by-rack scoring will be available throughout the event at www.wntlivescores.com.
Session Times
The European Open Championship will take place from March 11-16
All times are local (CEST)
11-14 March – from 10 am daily
15 March – 12 pm – 4:30 pm / 6:30 pm – 10:30 pm
16 March – 12 pm – 4:30 pm / 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Don’t miss the chance to catch the action as the 2025 European Open Pool Championship unfolds in Sarajevo – Spectator tickets available here!
For all the latest updates, follow Matchroom Pool on Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and YouTube
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