Francisco Sánchez Ruíz is the 2022 US Open 9-ball champion! He's just beaten Max Lechner 13–10 in a seesaw final after both of them came through hill–hill semifinals. Lechner started stronger, but Sánchez Ruíz got back into it with a 2–9 billiard in the fifth rack followed by a golden break in the sixth, meaning that with the score at three racks apiece Lechner had potted 33 balls against Sánchez Ruíz's seven, which caused a lot of laughter (including from the players) when the TV stats graphics flashed up on the screens around the arena. Lechner struggled a bit with his stroke at times in both matches, but showed a lot of character to hang in and first win the semi and then make the final so interesting, including playing five of the very best shots of the tournament in a single rack to make it (I think) 11–10.
It caps a great year for FSR, who won the 9-ball division of the Derby City Classic (the first ever Nineball World Ranking-approved event) at the start of the year and the World Cup of Pool alongside David Alcaide a few months ago as well as being runner up to Joshua Filler at the UK Open. He's stepped up from always being a dangerous player on the European scene to looking right at home as one of the very top ten or twenty players in the world, and indeed is now way out in front at the top of the Nineball rankings (albeit a little behind SVB and Filler for money won in all competitions this year, and way behind Fedor Gorst, whose WPA ban for most of the year due to being Russian means he's way down the official rankings but has spent the year keeping himself sharp by absolutely battering everyone in non-WPA events all over the USA).
There are two more Nineball ranking events before the Mosconi Cup, but they won't affect team selection: the International Open in Virginia, which runs from 30 October to 5 November (this is the spiritual continuation of the former, non-Matchroom incarnation of the US Open), and the EuroTour's year-ending Treviso Open from 25 to 27 November. The Mosconi is in Vegas from 30 November to 3 December. In other disciplines, the US Pro Billiard Tour's (10-ball) Ohio Open kicks off on Wednesday and runs until next weekend, and in late November in Puerto Rico Predator are putting on the World Junior 9-Ball Championship and are also resurrecting the World 8-Ball Championship, which I don't think has been held for a little while. Given that both these events are being publicised under Predator's Pro Billiard Series banner, I'm guessing there'll be freely available streams on their YouTube channel, as is the case for their 10-ball state opens and world championships.
Mosconi Cup-wise, as I wrote a couple of days ago the final American US Open finishers all going out relatively early meant we already knew that Shane Van Boening, Oscar Dominguez and Skyler Woodward were on Team USA (one pick for each team – SVB for the USA, Filler for Europe – is based on world rankings at the end of the European Open, with two more confirmed from the rankings now at the close of the US Open, and the final two announced next week as the captains' choices), but one of the automatic European spots was still up in the air. Sánchez Ruíz came into today knowing he was already guaranteed to join Filler on the team; Lechner needed to win the final to confirm his spot. Lechner's loss in the final means Albin Ouschan is world #4, and the third-highest-ranked European, while Lechner is the new world #5, so Ouschan is the other automatic pick.
For wildcards, USA captain Jeremy Jones was keeping his cards close to his chest on Matchroom commentary and Europe captain Alex Lely isn't involved in the Matchroom team (Karl Boyes is, but is no longer Team Europe's vice captain), so it's hard to get a read. I'd be surprised if Tyler Styer's performance this week doesn't get him a pick, and Jones might want to give Shane Wolford a go; Josh Roberts could also be a contender. Both have taken part in a bunch of Matchroom's new events this year, so it could be between them, but Roberts is really a one-pocket specialist. Jones might well prefer to give Billy Thorpe the nod; he's back from his cannabis ban and is great friends – and forms a dangerous doubles partnership – with Woodward. Of course, they might decide to do something showy and call up Earl Strickland again after the pantomime last year (relatedly, he apparently wasn't hanging around at the US Open this week because he's caught COVID), but given tickets are far easier to shift for an event in Las Vegas than for one in London I'm guessing probably not. For Europe, it would be a huge surprise if Jayson Shaw doesn't get one of the captain's spots given how pivotal he's been in recent years, so Lely's main dilemma has more to do with the embarrassment of riches he can decide between: does he reward Lechner's tenacity (and by far his personal best showing in a major tournament) with a pick? Does he go with David Alcaide, who's always reliable in the Mosconi? Either would provide for a strong doubles partnership with a great friend (FSR for Alcaide, Ouschan for Lechner). If he takes Lechner, Mario He or one of the Polish contingent (it kind of feels like Poland could put together a strong Mosconi Cup team for Europe all on its own) there would be two Mosconi debutants on the European side (it'll be FSR's first appearance) in front of a hostile American crowd, so I reckon he'll go with Alcaide's experience and strong relationship both on and off the table with Sánchez Ruíz. But of course I haven't even mentioned Eklent Kaçi. Or Alex Kazakis. Or Fedor Gorst. Or Dmitri Jungo, Sanjin Pehlivanovic, Marc Bijsterbosch, Denis Grabe ...
It caps a great year for FSR, who won the 9-ball division of the Derby City Classic (the first ever Nineball World Ranking-approved event) at the start of the year and the World Cup of Pool alongside David Alcaide a few months ago as well as being runner up to Joshua Filler at the UK Open. He's stepped up from always being a dangerous player on the European scene to looking right at home as one of the very top ten or twenty players in the world, and indeed is now way out in front at the top of the Nineball rankings (albeit a little behind SVB and Filler for money won in all competitions this year, and way behind Fedor Gorst, whose WPA ban for most of the year due to being Russian means he's way down the official rankings but has spent the year keeping himself sharp by absolutely battering everyone in non-WPA events all over the USA).
There are two more Nineball ranking events before the Mosconi Cup, but they won't affect team selection: the International Open in Virginia, which runs from 30 October to 5 November (this is the spiritual continuation of the former, non-Matchroom incarnation of the US Open), and the EuroTour's year-ending Treviso Open from 25 to 27 November. The Mosconi is in Vegas from 30 November to 3 December. In other disciplines, the US Pro Billiard Tour's (10-ball) Ohio Open kicks off on Wednesday and runs until next weekend, and in late November in Puerto Rico Predator are putting on the World Junior 9-Ball Championship and are also resurrecting the World 8-Ball Championship, which I don't think has been held for a little while. Given that both these events are being publicised under Predator's Pro Billiard Series banner, I'm guessing there'll be freely available streams on their YouTube channel, as is the case for their 10-ball state opens and world championships.
Mosconi Cup-wise, as I wrote a couple of days ago the final American US Open finishers all going out relatively early meant we already knew that Shane Van Boening, Oscar Dominguez and Skyler Woodward were on Team USA (one pick for each team – SVB for the USA, Filler for Europe – is based on world rankings at the end of the European Open, with two more confirmed from the rankings now at the close of the US Open, and the final two announced next week as the captains' choices), but one of the automatic European spots was still up in the air. Sánchez Ruíz came into today knowing he was already guaranteed to join Filler on the team; Lechner needed to win the final to confirm his spot. Lechner's loss in the final means Albin Ouschan is world #4, and the third-highest-ranked European, while Lechner is the new world #5, so Ouschan is the other automatic pick.
For wildcards, USA captain Jeremy Jones was keeping his cards close to his chest on Matchroom commentary and Europe captain Alex Lely isn't involved in the Matchroom team (Karl Boyes is, but is no longer Team Europe's vice captain), so it's hard to get a read. I'd be surprised if Tyler Styer's performance this week doesn't get him a pick, and Jones might want to give Shane Wolford a go; Josh Roberts could also be a contender. Both have taken part in a bunch of Matchroom's new events this year, so it could be between them, but Roberts is really a one-pocket specialist. Jones might well prefer to give Billy Thorpe the nod; he's back from his cannabis ban and is great friends – and forms a dangerous doubles partnership – with Woodward. Of course, they might decide to do something showy and call up Earl Strickland again after the pantomime last year (relatedly, he apparently wasn't hanging around at the US Open this week because he's caught COVID), but given tickets are far easier to shift for an event in Las Vegas than for one in London I'm guessing probably not. For Europe, it would be a huge surprise if Jayson Shaw doesn't get one of the captain's spots given how pivotal he's been in recent years, so Lely's main dilemma has more to do with the embarrassment of riches he can decide between: does he reward Lechner's tenacity (and by far his personal best showing in a major tournament) with a pick? Does he go with David Alcaide, who's always reliable in the Mosconi? Either would provide for a strong doubles partnership with a great friend (FSR for Alcaide, Ouschan for Lechner). If he takes Lechner, Mario He or one of the Polish contingent (it kind of feels like Poland could put together a strong Mosconi Cup team for Europe all on its own) there would be two Mosconi debutants on the European side (it'll be FSR's first appearance) in front of a hostile American crowd, so I reckon he'll go with Alcaide's experience and strong relationship both on and off the table with Sánchez Ruíz. But of course I haven't even mentioned Eklent Kaçi. Or Alex Kazakis. Or Fedor Gorst. Or Dmitri Jungo, Sanjin Pehlivanovic, Marc Bijsterbosch, Denis Grabe ...
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