The US Open Pool Championship takes place in Atlantic City, USA from August 19-24 as the longest-running major tournament on the World Nineball Tour returns for its 47th annual edition.
Pool writer Ben Hudd returns with his best bets and analysis and does so in sparkling form, having successfully tipped 100/1-shot Mickey Krause to win the European Open Championship two weeks ago at an enormous price.
US Open Pool Championship 2024 betting tips
- Fedor Gorst to win the US Open Pool Championship – 9/1 Bet365
- Aloysius Yapp to win the US Open Pool Championship – 40/1 E/W Bet365 1/2
- Aleksa Pecelj to win the US Open Pool Championship – 100/1 E/W Bet365 1/2
- Sanjin Pehlivanovic to win the US Open Pool Championship – 100/1 E/W Bet365 1/2
Fedor Gorst has been the man for the big occasion so far his season, winning both the World Pool Masters and the World Championship. The US Open is another landmark event and something special will be needed to stop Gorst completing the unofficial nineball triple crown.
Making amends on his final defeat at the hands of a relentless Ko Ping-Chung eleven months ago will be on the world number one’s mind, and he will undoubtedly have the raucous support of the American fans once again who have adopted the Moscow-born star as one of their own.
Five-time winner Shane van Boening, Joshua Filler, Francisco Sanchez Ruiz and Carlo Biado, all of who have been crowned US Open champions before, are regarded as Gorst’s closest threats by the bookmakers. However, there are little to no flaws in his game and he’s therefore the leading candidate for glory.
Meanwhile, Singapore’s Aloysius Yapp is someone who usually comes into their own towards the business end of the season. The International Open champion won back-to-back WNT ranking events in the latter months of last year, and those scalps prove that he’s capable of snapping off enormous titles.
Yapp’s record since the US Open moved to Atlantic City is an accomplished one, having reached the final during a breakthrough 2021 campaign and then the semi-finals last year. It appears that he adores returning to Harrah’s Resort, and this could perhaps be his time to go all the way.
Open championships have been dominated by the underdogs this year, with Robbie Capito and Mickey Krause both realising their potential and winning the UK Open and the European Open respectively as 100/1 outsiders. Despite the US Open usually being won by a household name, there could be value to be had lower down the pecking order.
Both Capito and Krause were highlighted as potential champions leading up to those tournaments, especially the latter who was endorsed on these pages, and there are plenty of players waiting in the wings and anticipating their first real breakthrough. Sanjin Pehlivanovic and Aleksa Pecelj are two of those names as 100/1 each-way selections.
Serbian youngster Pecelj is someone in a position similar to the one that Krause was ahead of the European Open. Pecelj was a US Open semi-finalist last year and notably held a 5-1 lead on Gorst in the semi-finals. He’s difficult to overcome when everything comes together and he’s someone whose finest hour could be just around the corner.
Pehlivanovic, meanwhile, has been talked up as a major champion-in-waiting on the World Nineball Tour for quite some time now, although nothing has really materialised. Everything is going to fall into place eventually for him, it’s just a case of predicting when that may be. Atlantic City and the US Open would be an ideal place for that to happen.
