Defending champion Moritz Neuhausen endured an early exit from the Premier League Pool at Classic Billiards in Florida after finishing in the bottom six of the league standings.
Neuhausen, who whitewashed Francisco Sanchez Ruiz in last year’s final to seal the biggest title of his career, joined Justin Bergman, AJ Manas, John Morra, Thorsten Hohmann and Kledio Kaci in being eliminated after the first phase.
It was a far from ideal title defence for the young German, who managed a mere five victories from his 15 matches. His campaign did include a 5-2 win over US Open champion Aloysius Yapp, but that was an exception in a disappointing few days overall.
“It’s tough to go out this early, especially as defending champion,” Neuhausen told WNT TV following his elimination. “But that’s the nature of pool – the level is so high and the margins are so small.
“I didn’t find my best game this week and you get punished in this format for that. Now it’s about resetting, putting in the work and coming back stronger at the next event.”
Eklent Kaci topped the league standings following the initial phase of the marathon event, accumulating 14 points from his 15 matches and the Albanian enters phase two on an unassailable 13-match winning streak.
Kaci’s only defeat came on Wednesday at the hands of Spain’s Jonas Souto Comino in a tremendous campaign that has included deciding rack victories over Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, AJ Manas and his younger brother Kledio Kaci.
“I feel very confident right now,” Kaci expressed. “I’ve been putting in a lot of practice before this event and I can see the difference in my game. I feel more in control and more disciplined.
“Of course in a race to five anything can happen and you need a bit of luck at times, but I’m playing well and making good decisions. My focus is simple – keep winning, keep earning points.”
Jesus Atencio pulled off clutch victories over Justin Bergman, Neuhausen and John Morra on Friday to qualify for the second phase, with Bergman missing out on a solitary rack after a 5-0 defeat to the Venezuelan.
Vietnamese number one Duong Quoc Hoang sits in second place following notable wins over close rivals Robbie Capito and Aloysius Yapp on Friday.
All ten remaining players will face one another once more across Saturday and Sunday in a bid to qualify for the Premier League Pool play-offs, which are held on Sunday evening.
