by Ben Hudd • January 15, 2023

Francisco Sanchez Ruiz has snubbed the defence of his Derby City Classic title and will instead prepare for February’s World Pool Championship.

Sanchez Ruiz defeated Joshua Filler in the 2022 final to secure the biggest accolade of his career at the time, which sparked his remarkable rise to becoming the US Open champion and world number one.

The Spaniard headlines a number of the world’s elite who have opted against travelling to the second ranking event of the season, according to Billiards Digest journalist Mike Panozzo.

In addition, world number four Albin Ouschan has chosen against competing in Louisville, while US Open runner-up Max Lechner, Mario He and Alexander Kazakis have also made the decision not to attend.

Seven of the world’s top ten have opted against travelling to the prestigious tournament overall, with current world champion Shane van Boening, Jayson Shaw and Joshua Filler the only entries from that bracket.

The Derby City Classic takes place between January 25-28 ahead of the World Pool Championship from February 1-5 in Poland.