CAPITO EXTENDS HIS LEAD AS BATTLE HEATS UP | 2025 IFX PREMIER LEAGUE POOL
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 22 Mar 2025
Robbie Capito tightened his grip on the top spot with another dominant display on day two, securing commanding victories over Bui Truong An, Eklent Kaçi, and defending champion Shane Van Boening.
In partnership with the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Sarajevo Canton, the 2025 IFX Premier League Pool is being hosted for the first time at Hills Hotel in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The tournament runs from March 20-27, bringing thrilling nine-ball action to the heart of the Balkans, live on WNT TV along with other major broadcasters.
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Capito’s remarkable form showed no signs of slowing as he opened the day with a flawless 5-0 whitewash against Bui Truong An. Building on that momentum, he secured a statement win over defending champion Shane Van Boening, sealing the match with a stunning 2-9 combo to claim a 5-2 victory and reinforce his position at the top. The Hong Kong star then wrapped up his day with a commanding 5-1 triumph over former UK Open champion Eklent Kaçi, keeping his pursuit of a maiden PLP title firmly on track.
Jayson Shaw slipped from the top spot despite a hard-fought 5-4 win over Sanjin Pehlivanovic in his opening match. The Brit was then stunned by the 17-year old Filipino AJ Manas in a tense hill-hill showdown. However, he bounced back in a crucial battle against Johann Chua, pitting two Hanoi Open champions against each other with second place on the line. Shaw delivered when it mattered most, securing a 5-2 victory to reclaim his place just behind Capito.
Despite his setback against Shaw, Johann Chua kept himself in contention with two key victories over AJ Manas and Kledio Kaçi, aiming to hold onto third place. However, Reyes Cup MVP Aloysius Yapp surged past him, delivering an exceptional day’s performance with wins over Pijus Labutis, Bui Truong, and defending champion Shane Van Boening. While both Yapp and Chua ended the day with the same number of match wins, Yapp edged ahead on rack difference, boasting a +9 tally compared to Chua’s +5.
Day two was one to forget for Van Boening, who not only suffered a defeat to Capito but also struggled against Moritz Neuhausen and Aloysius Yapp. Three consecutive losses saw the defending champion slide down to eighth place in the standings. Meanwhile, Francisco Sanchez Ruiz mounted a strong comeback following his disappointing opening day, securing three crucial wins. The Spaniard edged past Kledio Kaçi in a thrilling hill-hill battle, followed by a dominant 5-0 whitewash of Pijus Labutis, before rounding off his resurgence with a win over Bui Truong to keep his bid for a second PLP title alive.
Joining Ruiz and Yapp with three victories on day two was German talent Moritz Neuhausen. The young star took down Van Boening before outplaying Eklent Kaçi 5-3 and closing his day with a flawless 5-0 win against Edward Koyongian.
Vietnam’s Duong Quoc Hoang finally found his footing, picking up his first two wins of the tournament with back-to-back victories over Eklent Kaçi and Edward Koyongian. However, his momentum was halted by local favourite Sanjin Pehlivanovic, who also secured his first two wins of the event—beating Tyler Styer 5-3 before defeating Duong 5-2.
The same could not be said for fellow Vietnamese cueist Bui Truong, who continued to struggle in his PLP debut. Another three losses on day two saw him remain rooted at the bottom of the standings, just below Edward Koyongian and Eklent Kaci.
The 2025 IFX Premier League Pool returns on Friday, 21 March from 12 CEST on WNT TV, along with Viaplay, Rigour, and Nova. Find where you can watch in your country here.
Don’t miss the chance to catch the action as the 2025 IFX Premier League Pool unfolds in Sarajevo – Spectator tickets available here!
You can track the action on all 183 matches at Premier League Pool via the WNT Live Scores website here.
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