“I couldn’t stop smiling knowing that I was part of it. I was so far from Poland yet it immediately felt like home and like I belonged,” explains Wojciech Szewczyk, reminiscing on his World 10-Ball Championship success last March. It was an elusive triumph which was only enhanced by the euphoria of tasting success in the renowned Las Vegas.
An arduous victory over Peru’s Christopher Tevez put the prolific Pole’s name up in lights and proved a momentous occasion for pool in his native country. “It was fairytale stuff for me, I wouldn’t change a thing,” adds Szewczyk. He will now forever be known as the first world champion from a nation with a glowing future in the game.
“It doesn’t matter what will happen to my career in the future, that will always remain a highlight and there’s no doubt about that,” says Szewczyk, still beaming with pride twelve months on from his finest hour. “I do believe it brought me to the next level in the pool community too.
“But, for me personally, it was a lifetime achievement and a dream come true, an ultimate reward for almost twenty years of effort. It’s also proof that I was working hard and that luck can be on my side even on such big occasion. It was a feeling of deep satisfaction.”
Szewczyk was stranded in his seat after powerlessly watching defending champion Eklent Kaci break and run for a 10-7 lead in his finals day opener. Nevertheless, approximately five hours afterwards and the 31-year-old was unleashing a passionate roar and saluting the knowledgable Las Vegas audience as their champion.
“It was a total blend of emotions – you name it!” expresses Szewczyk. “There was shock and amazement, there was relief and a sudden let go of mental reins I was trying to hold on to so hard, there was exhaustion as that was my fourth race-to-ten that day, gratefulness and I was just deeply moved.
“There was a high speed film of my career in front of my eyes, there was also feeling for Christopher as it was a super tight match and I know the feeling of losing the final very well, it was his tournament too. All that in a span of several seconds. I’m not sure how I didn’t just faint there.”
Szewczyk smiles as he recollects the most memorable moment which materialised in the aftermath of his landmark success. “I went to sleep at like 6am after the final but was on my feet around 8am. I love sleeping but I felt too happy to just lie down. The day after the final is obviously when most players get back home,” he explains.
“I just went down [from the hotel room] to casually have a walk and enjoy my morning, and going through the casino I met the whole Taiwanese team ready to go. When they saw me, they waved and everyone stood up and they gave me a little applause for my success. The way I felt then, I’ll never forget.
“They’re arguably the best team in the world, most of these players I looked up to as my favourites and idols. The amount of pool talent, experience and knowledge in that group has my utmost respect and they decided to appreciate my effort in the game they are masters of.
“I don’t think I will ever experience a bigger honour in pool. That was special. It was so natural and ordinary and at the same time extraordinarily kind. That’s my best memory right there.”
An occasion that surely comes close to that momentous Las Vegas success was an immense opportunity to compete in a world championship on home soil. Matchroom brought the 2023 World Pool Championship to Kielce, Poland and the Polish players were treated with enormous gratitude.
“I have to admit that was pretty special too,” Szewczyk continues, having been beaten in the last 32 at the hands of Vietnam’s Duong Quoc Hoang. “Our home crowd made us all feel like national heroes and winning some tough battles in front of them, celebrating together, was a real buzz.
“I think it was a very well-run tournament, the foreign players seemed happy too. Of course I wish you could ask me the question ‘Winning which title felt more important?’ but that is still something to cross out from my to-do list.”
Despite the winter weather providing a blanket of snow outside of the venue, the Polish pool enthusiasts came out in full force to support their countrymen. Szewczyk was pictured surrounded by children with red and white scarves and was developing into a superstar.
“It would be nice if we had a major event yearly in Poland – it seems like a very good destination,” Szewczyk says. “With Polish players doing better and better worldwide, the interest is visibly growing. I see old faces that come back to pool, new players and many, many kids that seemed excited to meet us, cheer for us and get some autographs and pictures.
“I felt like Robert Lewandowski [the footballer] after my opening match win so the crowd really had our backs but I also would like to underline that in my opinion they were very fair and considerate. Of course they were clearly on our side but I was proud seeing that they were the positive kind of spectators, appreciating our opponents and acting with lots of respect.”
Pool is booming in Poland, players are achieving more and more successes internationally and the people are becoming increasingly interested in the game. It’s a nation that has an instrumental structure in place, but what does Szewcyzk believe is the key to his country’s undeniable progression?
“Oh it must be Polish pierogi,” Szewczyk laughs. “I am asked frequently about that and I must say I am not entirely sure. I obviously know our team well and I have to say that everyone is very stubborn and ambitious with their pool journey. That drive seems to be contagious, our top players just got better year after year, overcoming barriers up to the point when we are finally able to take down major events.
“There is also a stream of young players coming and here credit goes to our well-organised structures and growing promotion of pool. It seems like it should only get easier from here for Polish pool but will it? We shall see. I know I am responsible for myself and there is still a lot to improve. I like to think my best is yet to come.”
Szewczyk’s personal progression has been there for all to witness in recent years. Even aside from his landmark World 10-Ball Championship triumph, the Warsaw-based ace is a regular occurrence in the latter stages of World Nineball Tour tournaments.
“Looking back it seems like I had sort of breakthrough achievements every couple of years,” expresses the Pole. “It has never been easy as I tried not to neglect my education. I actually am pretty proud of that, not trying to be cocky here, but it definitely was some extra effort. I had to push myself to study and keep growing in pool to be competitive against the potting machines I faced.
“There were times though like one-and-a-half years in between my studies and now two years after I graduated when I decided to put all my resources like time and focus to be a better pool player. I always wanted to see how it feels and how much potential there is actually in me. Would full commitment make a difference or maybe it would backfire once it becomes a job?
“Both these periods let me improve a lot and I just tried to professionalise the next areas of my game, obviously spending more time practicing but also practice smarter, practice outside of the pool table things that can help me on the pool table, get knowledge, find people that can help me out, so just being really, really active.
“I also found it very exciting discovering how much you can actually do to get that extra edge that might make a difference. Knowing how close I was to be out of the World 10-Ball a couple times last year, taking all my luck aside, I know that all those little things actually made a deciding difference for me. That’s probably why it feels so rewarding.”
There has arguably been no better time for somebody to be coming into their peak period as a pool player, with the World Nineball Tour and the Pro Billiard Series both equally offering prodigious opportunities. Szewczyk has impressed on both tours and vows to continue his upward path into this season.
“I always see the world championships as the most important events of the year,” Szewczyk clarifies. “I craved for a medal in Poland, that didn’t happen, now I have a different type of challenge ahead with World 10-Ball. I am very much looking forward to World 8-Ball though [in November], I’m glad it has come back as I enjoy playing it, I feel like I play this game decent and actually was just one rack away from a medal last year.”
In addition, Szewczyk adds: “I really want to get deep in some Matchroom majors. It’s hard to believe but I was 17th six times in a row in them starting with the 2021 US Open. That’s actually not easy to achieve but cannot be regarded as a deep stage – I’d like to see myself in a semi-final or better. That’s for events and results, personally I hope to grow, to enjoy the process, to see and feel results of my work, to be solid mentally and remember how lucky I am to do what I do, having in my corner those people I do have.”
