Robbie Capito has landed his maiden major accolade on the World Nineball Tour, overcoming Mieszko Fortunski 13-10 in a nervy final to win the UK Open Pool Championship at the Telford International Centre.
US Open quarter-finalist Capito proved that his monumental victories over the esteemed Fedor Gorst and Joshua Filler were no bolts from the blue, rocketing into the world’s top 32 and surging himself into Reyes Cup contention for team Asia.
The 22-year-old from Hong Kong compiled five break and runs in a final that lacked excellence at times on his way to trousering the $30,000 top prize, following in the footsteps of Joshua Filler and Eklent Kaci in winning the UK Open Championship.
Fortunski obtained an early 3-1 advantage, punishing a missed kick shot on the four ball from Capito, but the Hong Kong youngster responded well, putting together successive break and runs to turn the tables and gain a slender lead at 5-4.
Having hit the front the extended his buffer to three racks, Capito could have found himself 8-4 in front. Fortunski scratched after executing a bank shot and gifted his opponent ball in hand, only for Capito to somehow squander a routine eight ball and allow the Pole to move within two racks.
Fortune soon turned into misfortune for Fortunski as he left a seven ball that he’d struck with inside english hanging over the pocket, before Capito completed a sensational clearance – featuring a long two with draw and two terrific cut shots – to establish a four-rack cushion at 9-5.
A tricky missed five ball down the rail soon allowed Fortunski to halve the deficit, though, the Pole subsequently broke dry. Capito’s bizarre push out assisted a routine jump shot for Fortunski, which he executed well, before leaving his opponent with a makeable two-nine combination to restore his three-rack lead.
Fortunski was preforming in parallel to his brilliant best but soon found himself within touching distance. In almost identical fashion to that aforementioned spurned five ball, Capito missed a tough eight ball up the rail, allowing his Polish opponent to move within one rack at 11-10.
Capito subsequently struck a tremendous seven ball following a poor safety attempt from Fortunski and that helped him move onto the hill, before the youngster nervelessly pocketed the one in the side from the break and ran out to reign supreme.
Beforehand, Capito had reeled off six racks in succession from 3-0 behind on his way to beating Pijus Labutis in the semi-finals, defying some eye-catching last-ditch safety play to overcome the Derby City Classic runner-up.
Fortunski, meanwhile, emerged into an unassailable 6-0 lead in his semi-final and was in cruise control throughout to sweep aside Finland’s Petri Makkonen, who had beaten world number one Francisco Sanchez Ruiz earlier in the tournament.
Attentions now turn to the historic World Pool Championship in Saudi Arabia next month for Matchroom, with the million-dollar tournament taking place from June 3-8 as the champion receives a life-changing $250,000.
