Two rounds of single elimination play on Thursday decided the final 16 that will view for the most prestigious title in nineball pool, the 2024 US Open. Two men – Joshua Filler and Jayson Shaw – are looking to become multiple-time champions of the event now held at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Another, Shane van Boening, is looking to cement himself as the most decorated US Open player in history with a sixth title. He currently shares that record with another American great, Earl Strickland. Van Boening last won in 2016 and hasn’t reached a final at the event since.
Van Boening took down Francesco Candela and Duong Quoc Hoang – who took him out of the World Pool Championship last year – on Thursday to reach the round of 16. He remains undefeated in the tournament but plays his stiffest test, world number five Shaw next.
Shaw took a slightly more scenic route to the last 16. He lost to Hsieh Chia-Chen in the double elimination portion of the event but came through the losers’ qualification round against Hunter Lombardo to survive into the single elimination phase. On Thursday, he downed Karl Gnadeberg and Konrad Juszczyszyn to set up the matchup with Van Boening.
Filler also lost in the early rounds of the event but came through two tight matches on Thursday to reach the last 16. He edged past Mickey Krause in a hill-hill thriller, then felled Bernie Regalario, 10-7. Filler now faces Marc Bijsterbosch.
Along with the Americans, the Philippines have three players still vying for the coveted green jacket. Michael Baoanan will take on world number six David Alcaide in the last 16. Alcaide cruised through Thursday’s play the most comfortable of anyone, dropping just six racks across two matches.
The other two, Johann Chua and Jefrey Roda, face each other next. Chua ended 2003 winner Jeremy Jones’ Cinderella run in the last 32 on Thursday.
Along with Van Boening, Skyler Woodward and world number one and current world champion Fedor Gorst carry the American flag into the final two days of the 2024 US Open. But Woodward and Gorst will face each other in the last 16 in a repeat of their recent clash at the European Open.
The major upsets came early in the day on Thursday in the last 64 round. World number two Francisco Sanchez Ruiz fell victim to Oscar Dominguez, 10-3. World number 13 Mario He fell to Juszczyszyn a little later. World number eight Wiktor Zielinski and world number nine Aloysius Yapp also couldn’t survive their last 64 matchups.
Reigning US Open champion Ko Ping-Chung also couldn’t make it past his first match on Thursday. Gorst raced past him, 10-6. Another Ko brother, Pin-Yi, is still challenging for the green jacket.
Pin-Yi survived a hill-hill encounter with Brit Elliott Sanderson before dismantling another Brit in Imran Majid, 10-2, in the last 32. He’s looking to add a US Open to a list of accolades which already includes a world championship in two disciplines, a World Cup of Pool and a World Pool Masters. Pin-Yi plays world number 17 Albin Ouschan.
Rounding out the last 16 are Jani Uski and Niels Feijen, who’s the last player over 45 years old in the tournament. Uski dropped just 10 racks in two matches on Thursday. Feijen also looked strong, dropping 11 racks in his two matches.
There’s hardly been any easy bouts since the tournament shifted to a single elimination format for the last 64. Eight matches have gone hill-hill and another six matches have finished 10-8. Eight of the world’s top-15 ranked players on the World Nineball Tour are in the final 16.
