CAPITO IGNITES TITLE DEFENCE IN STYLE | 2025 UK OPEN POOL CHAMPIONSHIP
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 07 May 2025
Robbie Capito launched his UK Open title defence in emphatic fashion, powering through two opening day victories to continue his run in Winners' Qualification round at the 2025 UK Open Pool Championship.
Returning to the Telford International Centre for its fourth edition, the UK’s premier pool event runs from May 6–11, with the first four days streamed exclusively on WNT TV, before the final stages are broadcast live on Sky Sports across the UK & Ireland.
Capito showed little sign of nerves in his return to the table, easing past Belgium’s Kevin Lannoye 9-1 in a commanding opening performance. The Hong Kong star then overcame a spirited effort from Britain’s Marcel Price, pulling away late to secure a confident 9-5 win and keep his campaign firmly on track.
Joining Capito in the next stage, former UK Open champion and reigning European Open titleholder Joshua Filler looked in fine form, brushing aside Filipino debutant Lauro Catapang 9-2 before defeating Finland’s Jere Virtaranta 9-3 in clinical style. The German cueist now eyes a second UK Open crown as he builds momentum early.
Top seed and 2023 UK Open winner Eklent Kaçi was forced to dig deep on Day 1. The Albanian rallied from behind to defeat Roben Docampo 9-5 in his opener, before staging another comeback against Finland’s Jani Siekkinen—overcoming a 4-1 deficit to secure passage to Winners' Qualification.
Reyes Cup MVP Aloysius Yapp and fellow Team Asia star Carlo Biado also made strong starts. Yapp battled past Greece’s Dimitris Siampanis and the USA’s Anthony Grin, while Biado notched a solid win over David Black followed by a narrow victory over rising American prospect Landon Hollingsworth.
European Open finalist Naoyuki Oi continued his excellent form from Sarajevo, recording back-to-back victories over Paul Williams and Petr Urban as he hunts for his maiden Matchroom Major title this year.
Elsewhere, Mickey Krause—fresh off his win at the Scottish Open—handed a brutal 9-0 whitewash to Matchroom Sport President Barry Hearn OBE in a one-sided opener. Hearn later bowed out after an 8-4 loss to Pakistan’s Hasan Shahid, while Andy Goldstein fell 9-1 to Ramazan Akdag before receiving a walkover in his second match to stay alive in the Losers’ Bracket.
The action continues tomorrow as the remaining half of the 256-player field begin their campaigns in round one.
Session Times
The UK Open Pool Championship will take place from May 6-11
All times are local (BST)
Days 1–4 (6–9 May) – 256 to Last 16
From 10am daily
Days 5–6 (10–11 May) – Last 16 to Winner
Saturday, 10 May – 1pm–5:30pm / 7:30pm–10:30pm
Sunday, 11 May – 1pm–4:30pm / 7:30pm–10:30pm
Don’t miss the chance to catch the action as the 2025 UK Open Pool Championship unfolds in Telford – Spectator tickets available here!
For all the latest updates, follow Matchroom Pool on Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and YouTube
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