You could argue that this year’s edition of the US Open Pool Championship was the greatest ever. From outer table drama to underdog stories to a deserved eventual champion in Ko Ping-Chung who pulled on the green jacket with undeniable pride.
A tournament that means the world to everybody who travels from afar to compete tends to deliver annually, although the 46th staging of the sport’s oldest major provided more than usual and was an extra special experience for players and fans alike.
KO PING-CHUNG IS A HUMBLE HERO
Ko Ping-Chung was the first top ten seed to be banished onto the one-loss side following an opening day defeat at the hands of 2001 champion Corey Deuel. Nevertheless, fast forward six days and the Taiwanese sensation had a beaming smile as he pulled on the green jacket and received the famous Barry Behrman trophy.
His journey to stardom certainly wasn’t a straightforward one. Too many mistakes in that loss to the American proved costly and those somewhat continued on the one-loss side. Furthermore, Ko subsequently needed to survive a deciding rack against Poland’s Radoslaw Babica in losers’ qualification to avoid an early exit.
There was immense pressure on him for the remainder of the tournament following that early defeat but Ko coped with that immensely well. His single elimination campaign was much more convincing, beginning with a hard-fought victory over Alexander Kazakis. It was an imposing last 16 victory over third seed Joshua Filler though that truly issued a warning to his fellow title contenders.
Ko exceeded expectations in all respects towards the business end. Him potting all 99 balls and making the one ball on all 11 breaks during his semi-final whitewash of Aloysius Yapp tells everyone all they need to know. It was utterly irresistible, flawless and a masterclass involving every aspect of the game.
Opening the final with back-to-back jump shots, one of them being a table-length jump on the three ball, it was clear that Ko was a worthy champion. He worked his way into the tournament, progressively improving throughout and eventually proving unstoppable when it really mattered.
Ko was a humble champion and comes from a humble family. It was apparent how much it meant to Pin-Yi and Ping-Han when both jumped onto the table and raised the oldest major’s newest champion aloft. It was a moment that Ko Ping-Chung will forever cherish and having his brothers alongside him made it even more special.
GORST IS NEARING GREATNESS
There will undoubtedly be a ripple effect when Fedor Gorst finally gets that elusive major accolade in the World Nineball Tour era under his belt. Following successive quarter-final defeats at the European Open and the Spanish Open, Gorst continued to make strides towards his ultimate goal in Atlantic City.
The Moscow-born star was tested during his incredible campaign, with American Nicholas De Leon holding a 7-6 lead against him during the double elimination phase, although Gorst showcased all the qualities of his complete game and grew into the tournament in similar style to the eventual champion.
The US Open may have been Gorst’s golden opportunity, with the American fans now treating him as their own, but progress is everything and he certainly made that. A few mistakes proved costly in the final and those errors will annoy him enough to put them right.
PECELJ IS MAKING HIS MARK
Aleksa Pecelj somehow manages to excel under immense pressure. The Serbian produced the week’s underdog story and his comeback victory against Jayson Shaw saw him reach a maiden major semi-final at arguably the sport’s biggest tournament.
Pecelj had a problem throughout the double elimination phase which followed him into single elimination – he was struggling with the breaking format. However, the youngster showed resolve and amended the concern behind the scenes, before putting together an unbelievable six-pack in his last 16 destruction of Ralf Souquet.
Belgrade’s Pecelj still needs some seasoning but his Atlantic City exploits were another successful step during his development into one of the world’s elite. An achievement which was recognised by Serbian newspapers will provide confidence in abundance.
MACIOL REVELS IN THE BIG OCCASION
Daniel Maciol is one of the many European talents who could quite easily snap off a major accolade, but the Pole handles matches against the world’s very elite incredibly well. His victory over Francisco Sanchez Ruiz meant that he has dethroned the defending champion at both of the last two WNT majors.
Maciol ended Albin Ouschan’s reign as European Open champion in August in emphatic fashion and he repeated that feat in Atlantic City when beating Sanchez Ruiz 10-5. Gaining huge scalps has become a regular occurrence for Maciol, who has become one of the most dangerous players in any field.
REFEREEING CONUNDRUM
Matchroom would have learned from the refereeing issues that unfolded on the outer tables. There were numerous problems due to the lack of honesty from certain players but those problems needed to happen in order for them to realise what needs changing.
Scott Frost and Hunter Lombardo’s altercation, when the latter suggested that his opponent’s shirt was hanging down and touching a ball, was the most documented incident, although an additional two melees occurred.
Mario He believed that his Vietnamese adversary Pham Phuong Nam failed to call a foul when attempting an escape after being hooked in their hill-hill affair. Duong Quoc Hoang, meanwhile, ignored Jeffrey De Luna’s handshake post-match due to a similar incident in their clash, citing a lack of sportsmanship from his opponent.
Referee Desislava Bozhilova was called to the table by Frost in the midst of him and Lombardo becoming embroiled in a disagreement, and she was firm in her response by stating that she couldn’t do anything as she had not seen the incident unfold.
She was understandably correct in her approach but what was said by the official differs to the standard rules, which are put in place by the WPA and followed by the World Nineball Tour. Emily Frazer and tournament director Brendan Moore would have witnessed what happened and now be working on a solution for future Matchroom tournaments.
