Joshua Filler has revealed that he ‘learned his lesson the hard way’ following a foul during the US Open 10-Ball Championship in Las Vegas, later expressing his confusion over the tournament rules.
Filler battled back from four racks behind against Lee Van Corteza in a captivating contest to force a deciding rack at eight apiece, although how the eighth rack unfolded caused backlash amongst those watching.
Corteza hooked Filler behind the four ball and the nine ball, forcing him into attempting a jump shot. Filler sunk the two ball but nudged the nine on his follow through, with the cue ball subsequently colliding with the nine.
Speaking to Window’s Open, Filler was unaware of the cue ball fouls only rule, which was in operation at Griff’s Las Vegas, meant that a non-object ball may be hit accidentally unless the cue ball comes into contact with it.
“I think from both of us it was one of the best matches we’ve ever played. We both didn’t make any silly mistakes in the whole match,” Filler began. “What happened was I was 7-3 down or 8-4 or something and I kept fighting and at 8-7 we had the situation.
“We played a safety battle, he hooked me so I had to get my jump cue. I jumped the ball, touched the nine with my stick and I knew that of course but it’s cue ball fouls only so I thought it’s not a foul. I’ve seen so many players touching balls or moving them and continue playing and if my opponent did it I wouldn’t say a word.
“I finished the match and I lost without knowing I did something wrong, honestly. After somebody told me that I did a foul I felt so bad because it was an open table with ball in hand and you would never have made a mistake in that rack.
“Luckily, I lost, because I wouldn’t want to win like that. That’s my honest opinion – I hate cheating, I hate moves or whatever. But I didn’t know that if I touched the ball and it then gets moved by another ball that it’s a foul.
“I’ve never had this situation before. We never play these rules in Europe – it’s always all ball fouls. It would have been a foul if I was playing in the World 10-Ball or whatever.
“He was sitting in the right spot to see and I thought he saw that, he laughed and I thought everything was fine. I feel so, so sorry – I don’t want to be a bad sportsman and that’s not my goal.
“I’ve gotten messages by the way and I don’t want to say the words but it was just incredible. I’ve just finished a match and got ten messages and videos on Facebook and I didn’t know what was going on.
“I thought I did everything right but I’ve learned my lesson the hard way. There are many players out there who know I always call a foul on myself when I’ve done something wrong. It’s really tough. I’m not the way that people describe me.”
