The US Open Pool Championship returns place from August 25-30 in Frisco, Texas as a combination of the world’s elite and amateur players compete in the 49th edition of the prestigious major.
Following on from the Florida Open and the Arizona Open, the third World Nineball Tour major of the month takes place, as 256 players set their sights on the $100,000 champion’s cheque in the Lone Star State.
US Open Pool Championship 2026 betting tips
- Moritz Neuhausen to win the US Open Championship – 25/1 E/W Ladbrokes 1/2
- Aleksa Pecelj to win the US Open Championship – 50/1 E/W Ladbrokes 1/2
- Wu Kun-Lin to win the US Open Championship – 80/1 E/W Ladbrokes 1/2
18+ | begambleaware.org
Becoming the US Open champion is arguably the meanest feat in the game. Whilst the field of 256 players creates plenty of scope for shocks, the recent roll of honour strongly suggests that the eventual winner is destined to emerge from the world’s elite rather than those outside of that bracket.
Soon-to-be world number one Aloysius Yapp conquered the prestigious tournament last year, beating Fedor Gorst in what was Gorst’s third consecutive final. Before Yapp were Ko Ping-Chung, Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, Carlo Biado and Joshua Filler – a succession of monsters and proof that the world’s very best players come alive when the words ‘US Open’ are muttered.
Ten years on from equalling Earl Strickland’s five US Open titles, Shane van Boening is the joint-favourite at 7/1 as he begins his latest quest for a record-breaking sixth success. Van Boening enjoyed a 14-match winning streak across the Florida Open and the Arizona Open earlier this month, notably reigning victorious at the former, but perhaps the amplified pressure that he puts on himself when the US Open comes around could unravel his chances.
If the US Open continues its recent trend of being won by a member of the world’s elite, Moritz Neuhausen deserves serious consideration at 25/1. The world number five is a European Open champion, a Premier League winner and someone squarely in the conversation when it comes to those most capable of winning this title.
Neuhausen’s European Open triumph back in March provides the evidence that the young German has what it takes to win a US Open in his locker. His route in Bosnia and Herzegovina involved dealing with adversity, being able to bounce back from behind and face opponents playing the match of their lives – all of which are attributes needed to etch his name onto the iconic Barry Behrman trophy.
Despite flattering to deceive somewhat in recent weeks in Florida and Arizona, Neuhausen is hitting the balls well enough to contend in Texas. His defeats to Joshua Filler, Nathan Childress and Alex Kazakis have been closely-contested affairs, and perhaps the fortune could instead swing in his favour this time around.
Moving on from someone who has struggled for results during August’s stateside swing to someone who is on a heater. Serbia’s Aleksa Pecelj (50/1) has shown his undeniable mettle as well as sheer grit and determination to produce comeback after comeback in a truly remarkable vein of form.
Having reeled off nine straight racks from 9-1 behind against Albert Januarta and fought back from 8-4 down to beat Shane van Boening in the Arizona Open semi-finals, Pecelj activated comeback mode once again on his way to winning the Phoenix Open. His courage to overturn seemingly unassailable deficits has been admirable.
Reaching three consecutive finals is virtually unheard of but Pecelj has acheived the improbable all too often of late. His characteristics will hold him in good stead in the Lone Star State, and the Serbian has US Open pedigree too, having reached the last four three years ago and fittingly overturned a four-rack deficit in the quarter-finals against Jayson Shaw.
Taiwanese ace Wu Kun-Lin (80/1), meanwhile, has not competed in a WNT major tournament since last year’s US Open, although he provides his country’s greatest hopes in the absence of the Ko brothers. He would become the third player from Taiwan to win the title following Cheng Yu-Hsuan in 2015 and Ko Ping-Chung in 2023.
Wu stunned the likes of Naoyuki Oi, Oliver Szolnoki and Eklent Kaci on his way to a Predator Pro Billiard Series final in Austria two months ago, while his run to last year’s Peri Open semi-finals in Vietnam included wins over Aloysius Yapp, Kaci and Wiktor Zielinski. He certainly knows how to overcome the biggest names.
Having inflicted a brutal whitewash on Neuhausen on his last US Open outing to reach the final 16, two-time World Championship semi-finalist Wu has the qualities required to go deep in Texas. Running racks is something that comes second nature to him and he is capable of blowing opponents out of the water.
US Open Pool Championship 2026 selected odds
Fedor Gorst 7/1
Shane Van Boening 7/1
Joshua Filler 8/1
Aloysius Yapp 12/1
Carlo Biado 12/1
Francisco Sánchez Ruiz 12/1
Eklent Kaci 16/1
Robbie Capito 16/1
Jayson Shaw 20/1
Jefrey Roda 25/1
Moritz Neuhausen 25/1
AJ Manas 28/1
David Alcaide 28/1
Mario He 28/1
Alexander Kazakis 33/1
Bernie Regalario 33/1
Denis Grabe 33/1
Harry Vergara 33/1
Albert Januarta 40/1
Albin Ouschan 40/1
Jesús Atencio 40/1
Marvin Asis 40/1
Aleksa Pecelj 50/1
Jeffrey De Luna 50/1
Jonás Souto 50/1
Kledio Kaci 50/1
Konrad Juszczyszyn 50/1
Michael Baoanan 50/1
Mickey Krause 50/1
Mieszko Fortunski 50/1
Naoyuki Oi 50/1
Skyler Woodward 50/1
Wiktor Zielinski 50/1
Wojciech Szewczyk 50/1
Alex Pagulayan 66/1
Chang Yu-Lung 66/1
Chris Melling 66/1
Duong Quoc Hoang 66/1
Hsieh Chia Chen 66/1
Lee Vann Corteza 66/1
Marc Bijsterbosch 66/1
Michael Feliciano 66/1
Niels Feijen 66/1
Pijus Labutis 66/1
Cristopher Tevez 80/1
Lo Ho Sum 80/1
Max Lechner 80/1
Mustafa Alnar 80/1
Oliver Szolnoki 80/1
Petri Makkonen 80/1
Roberto Gomez 80/1
Sanjin Pehlivanovic 80/1
Tyler Styer 80/1
Wu Kun-Lin 80/1
Darren Appleton 100/1
Emil Andre Gangfløt 100/1
Roland Garcia 100/1
Thorsten Hohmann 100/1
Andri Januarta 125/1
Arseni Sevastyanov 125/1
Casper Matikainen 125/1
Elliot Sanderson 125/1
Francesco Candela 125/1
Gerson Martinez Boza 125/1
John Morra 125/1
Lin Ta-Li 125/1
Lu Hui-Chan 125/1
Nicholas Tan 125/1
Phuong Nam Pham 125/1
Raymond Linares 125/1
Szymon Kural 125/1
Vitaliy Patsura 125/1
Walter Laikre 125/1
Yannick Pongers 125/1
Antonios Kakaris 150/1
Bader Alawadhi 150/1
Billy Thorpe 150/1
Chang Tzu Chien 150/1
Chris Reinhold 150/1
Corey Deuel 150/1
Dean Shields 150/1
Dimitris Loukatos 150/1
Felix Vogel 150/1
Georgi Georgiev 150/1
Hunter Lombardo 150/1
Jan Van Lierop 150/1
Marco Teutscher 150/1
Nicholas De Leon 150/1
Omar Al Shaheen 150/1
Ralf Souquet 150/1
Sullivan Clark 150/1
BJ Ussery 200/1
Boris Ivanovski 200/1
Earl Strickland 200/1
Fraser Patrick 200/1
George Antonakis 200/1
Hubert Lopotko 200/1
Joven Bustamante 200/1
Justin Bergman 200/1
Karl Gnadeberg 200/1
Max Eberle 200/1
Nathan Childress 200/1
Niklas Dohr 200/1
Oscar Dominguez 200/1
Jeremy Jones 300/1
Johnny Archer 300/1
Odds via Ladbrokes and correct at time of publishing
