Joshua Filler, Albin Ouschan and Wojciech Szewczyk are amongst a star-studded field for the upcoming European Open Pool Championship, returning to the World Nineball Tour despite fears of a ban from the WPA.
Filler, Ouschan and last year’s World Pool Championship semi-finalist Szewczyk were amongst those to opt against October’s Hanoi Open Championship, after which more than 200 players were banned by the sport’s governing body.
However, they have entered their names into the European Open alongside numerous other players who are currently not banned by the WPA, sparking speculation that a deal has been agreed for players to compete in Matchroom events without punishment.
Players were reluctant to compete at the Hanoi Open due to the detriment being sanctioned by the WPA could have, such as being banned from world championships and potentially losing funding from national federations.
Those who backed out of the Vietnamese staging will play in Bosnia and Herzegovina from March 11-16, despite it previously being believed that the WPA would sanction anyone who competes there and who isn’t already serving a ban.
Despite official comment or clarification still being awaited from the WPA, players who have been loyal to their national federations entering the European Open provides promising signs that some form of deal has been struck.
Other players who turned their back on the Hanoi Open but will compete in Bosnia include WPA number one Alex Kazakis, Denis Grabe, Niels Feijen, Mario He, Max Lechner, Naoyuki Oi and Daniel Maciol.
Meanwhile, world number one Fedor Gorst headlines the notable absentees, with the reigning world champion opting against travelling to Sarajevo due to personal reasons, therefore missing both the European Open and the Premier League.
Johann Chua and Carlo Biado are the only two Filipino players who have decided to travel, with Jefrey Roda, Bernie Regalario and Jeffrey Ignacio turning the event down, while the USA’s Skyler Woodward has also decided not to travel.
Francisco Sanchez Ruiz leads the field alongside the likes of Shane van Boening, Eklent Kaci, Jayson Shaw and the Ko brothers, with Denmark’s Mickey Krause heading to Bosnia and Herzegovina as the defending champion.
