The fourth staging of the UK Open Pool Championship takes place from May 6-11 in Telford, England as 256 players compete for the $40,000 top prize.
Following a near miss as Daniel Maciol was beaten in March’s European Open semi-finals, pool writer Ben Hudd returns with his best bets and analysis for the second Open Championship of the year.
UK Open Pool Championship 2025 betting tips
- Eklent Kaci to win the UK Open Championship – 20/1 Bet365 / Ladbrokes
- Niels Feijen to win the UK Open Championship – 66/1 E/W Bet365 1/2
- Jonas Souto Comino to win the UK Open Championship – 100/1 E/W Ladbrokes 1/2
- Kledio Kaci to win the UK Open Championship – 100/1 Bet365 1/2
With world number one Fedor Gorst, Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, Shane van Boening and the Ko brothers all opting to skip the UK Open in favour of a Chinese exhibition, opportunity could await this week and someone more than capable of grasping that opportunity with both hands is world number two Eklent Kaci (20/1).
Kaci, a UK Open champion two years ago where he defeated Joshua Filler in the final, is hitting the balls well, having won the McDermott Open and made the Super Billiards Expo final during his recent trip stateside. It usually takes something spectacular to derail Kaci, and he can often grind players down when there’s no shot clock away from the main table.
The two-time world 10-ball champion is the fourth favourite to reign supreme in the West Midlands, behind only Filler, Jayson Shaw and Robbie Capito. Filler may be worth avoiding as no one has ever won back-to-back Open Championships in the WNT era, while Capito defending his title would also require something extraordinary.
Away from the tournament favourites, look no further than Spain’s Jonas Souto Comino at 100/1, who has won both the Seattle Open and the Helsinki Open in recent months. Souto Comino has mounted a charge towards a Mosconi Cup debut with his success this year, and it may be only a matter of time before he lands a major accolade.
Meanwhile, someone who has also worked their way into the Mosconi Cup conversation is the legendary Niels Feijen (66/1). The Dutchman has been there and achieved almost everything, although stepping back and putting his family before being a professional pool player has rediscovered his brilliant best. Beating Kaci, David Alcaide and Skyler Woodward on his way to the Super Billiards Expo title last month proved that Feijen remains a force to be reckoned with.
His brother may be a former champion and the fourth-favourite, but now could be the time that teenage sensation Kledio Kaci (100/1) announces himself on the world stage. Already a major quarter-finalist at 19 years old, Kaci has been commonly regarded as the most promising teenage talent since reaching the last 16 on debut at the 2023 Spanish Open.
His older brother has labelled him as a future world champion and his confidence and temperament around the table makes you understand why. Perhaps it’s slightly premature to believe he could become a major champion this soon in his career, although he has unequivocally got the capability to fulfil his destiny this week.
There’s always plenty of value in these Open Championships, as proven by 100/1 shots Robbie Capito and Mickey Krause triumphing last year. Some other long shots who were ultimately chosen against include last year’s semi-finalist Petri Makkonen (150/1), Tobias Bongers (150/1) and Dimitris Loukatos (150/1).
UK Open Pool Championship 2025 selected odds
Joshua Filler 8/1
Jayson Shaw 12/1
Robbie Capito 14/1
Eklent Kaci 20/1
Carlo Biado 20/1
James Aranas 20/1
David Alcaide 25/1
Anton Raga 25/1
Moritz Neuhausen 25/1
Aloysius Yapp 28/1
Jefrey Roda 28/1
Skyler Woodward 28/1
Wiktor Zielinski 28/1
Mario He 33/1
Mickey Krause 33/1
Mieszko Fortunski 40/1
Wojciech Szewczyk 40/1
Alex Kazakis 50/1
Pijus Labutis 50/1
Naoyuki Oi 50/1
Duong Quoc Hoang 66/1
Niels Feijen 66/1
Marc Bijsterbosch 66/1
Edward Koyongian 66/1
AJ Manas 66/1
Kuo Po-Cheng 80/1
Thorsten Hohmann 80/1
Kledio Kaci 100/1
Jonas Souto Comino 100/1
Billy Thorpe 100/1
Joao Grilo 150/1
Elliott Sanderson 150/1
John Morra 150/1
Jan van Lierop 150/1
Georgi Georgiev 150/1
Petri Makkonen 150/1
Tobias Bongers 150/1
Riku Romppanen 150/1
Dean Shields 200/1
Marco Teutscher 200/1
Miguel Silva 200/1
Yannick Pongers 250/1
All odds via either Bet365 or Ladbrokes and correct at time of publishing
