Matchroom’s Hanoi Open Pool Championship and inaugural Reyes Cup will clash with Predator’s WPA World 8-Ball Championship and Women’s World 10-Ball Championship this October.
Players have been left with a troublesome dilemma due to conflicting schedules between promoters and organisations, with professionals now needing to choose between two World Nineball Tour events and a potential world title.
The second annual Hanoi Open will take place in Vietnam from October 8-13 followed by the inaugural Reyes Cup in Manila, Philippines from October 17-20, while the lucrative World 8-Ball Championship has been pencilled in for October 9-20 in Venezuela.
Vietnam’s open championship, which saw crowds of more than 2,500 spectators last year, boasts a $200,000 prize fund in comparison to the World 8-Ball Championship’s $250,000, while payouts for the Reyes Cup are yet to be confirmed.
Predator’s World 8-Ball Championship was announced three weeks earlier than Matchroom’s double-header, although the latter would have held discussions with broadcasters and sponsors for a number of months beforehand, which takes precedence over a potential overlap.
Three prestigious tournaments colliding highlights the lack of communication between the World Nineball Tour, the Predator Pro Billiard Series and the WPA, with scheduling clashes perhaps weakening the fields of both events depending on player choices.
Those who signed World Nineball Tour contracts must seek allowance to opt against the Hanoi Open and Reyes Cup and instead travel to Venezuela, with their contracts stating that they cannot attend an event that clashes with a WNT major.
