Mickey Krause has claimed the title of 2024 European Open Pool champion, defeating Johann Chua 13-8 at Hotel Esperanto in Fulda, Germany.
The match began as a tactical battle, with Chua taking the first rack and Krause responding in kind. In the third rack, Chua led initially but faltered on a 2-7 combo, allowing Krause to seize the opportunity and take the lead.
In the fourth rack, Krause made a sharp jump shot on the 3-ball but left himself hooked on the 5-ball. Chua had a chance to level the score but missed a crucial 6-ball, allowing Krause to maintain his lead. The Danish Viking then extended his advantage by winning three consecutive racks, including a skilful long bank shot on the 6-ball in the fifth, bringing the score to 4-1.
Krause’s momentum was briefly interrupted when he scratched on an attempt to pot the 6-ball, giving Chua a chance to pull back a rack. However, Chua’s fortune turned in the following rack when he scratched on the 8-ball, enabling Krause to continue his rack-winning streak.
In the tenth rack, after a dry break from Krause, Chua attempted to narrow the gap but faltered by missing a critical 5-ball, gifting another rack to Krause, who pushed the score to 8-2.
The eleventh rack highlighted Chua’s struggle. After Krause made an error on the 4-ball, Chua tried to capitalise, even fluking the 6-ball. Yet, his hopes were dashed when he missed the 9-ball, extending Krause’s lead to 9-2.
Chua managed to secure a third rack after a dry break from Krause but quickly relinquished control with another miss in the 13th rack, allowing Krause to make it 10-3.
Despite the odds, Chua took advantage of another dry break from Krause in the 14th rack and secured the next one. In the 15th rack, Chua hooked himself on the 7-ball, seemingly setting up Krause to close out the match. However, Krause’s own error parked the 7-ball in the pocket, handing the rack to Chua, who made it 10-5.
Misfortune continued for Chua as he broke dry in the 16th rack, allowing Krause to reach the hill. Chua mounted a valiant effort with a three-rack run after another scratch from Krause, narrowing the score to 12-8. But in the end, a missed 8-ball from Chua sealed his fate, and Krause capitalised to claim the European crown.
