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Dynamic Billard St Johann Open - Soufi is Champ in Austria
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Posted on Saturday, May 25 2024 @ 17:30:12 UTCby admin
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Euro Tour Men / Dynamic Billard St Johann Open
Sporthotel Alpina
Alpendorf 8
St. Johann im Pongau
5600
Austria
www.epbf.com/tournaments/eurotour - facebook - live stream
www.sporthotel-alpina.com
Thursday 23 - Saturday 25 May 2024

Mohammad Soufi - Syria.
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Dynamic Billard St Johann Open - Soufi is Champ in Austria
Reporter: Luke Riches on behalf of the EPBF
Photography: ©EPBF
MOHAMMAD SOUFI, THE Germany-based Syrian, claimed his second DYNAMIC
BILLARD Euro Tour title as he got the better of Tobias Bongers by 9-6 to
take the Dynamic Billard St Pongau Open. Bongers had seemed to have done
the hard part earlier in the day as he ended Joshua Filler's long and
successful Euro Tour streak and then ousted Mieszko Fortunski from the
tournament.
However, Soufi's speedy all-out aggression and devil-may-care play won
the day for him as he entertained a sizeable crowd in the arena. Having
recently acquired new playing equipment, Soufi seemed to have adapted to
it in no time and what he occasionally lacked in positional play, he
more than made up for with unerring pocketing.
Commented Soufi, “I'm feeling very good about this event. This is the
second time for me but on the Thursday before the tournament started, I
had a call from my family that my father was taken to hospital. Today he
got out and I promised him I will give my best for him and I'm happy to
have won this tournament for my father.
“Before the match he was at home and said he would watch the game. THE
haven't seen my family for 11 years so it was good to win for them.”

"Read More..." for the details.

Mohammad Soufi - Syria.
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The Syrian won the lag and saw the one ball drop and he completed an
excellent runout to take the opener. Bongers, who struggled a little in
semi-final with his break, made no mistakes in the second game as three
balls dropped. A cut on the 2-ball, moving three rails for the 3,
enabled a runout to level things.
A 3/9 combination from Soufi took him back into the lead and they both
had visits in the fourth game before Soufi asserted himself after
Bongers safety escape left a little too much of the 1-ball showing. Heh
wrapped up the rack, albeit it with a touch of good fortune to take a
3-1 lead.
The Syrian shooter found himself blocked on the 1-ball after his break
and elected to push out, leaving the edge of the one available. They
both went back-and-forth on the 1-ball before finally. Soufi scratched
into the center pocket. Bongers was presented with a fairly messy table
and couldn't make precise position on the 2-ball.
Following a well-placed snooker, Soufi fouled again, making the jump, as
the white failed to clear the intervening 8-ball and with ball-in-hand
once again, Bongers cleared in what was a must-win rack for him.
An illegal break from the German left the cueball in a horrible spot,
squeezed between the 4 and 7. Soufi put him back in and he played a push
and again, Soufi sent him back to the table. His jump shot made him good
connection with the 1-ball but left it on for Soufi. The layout was
extremely tough but Soufi was magnificent in his clearance to restore
his two-rack advantage.
Despite seeing edge of the 1-ball, Soufi pushed out and Bongers gave it
back. Ultimately, Bongers fouled with a table length one-rail escape and
Soufi sets about the table in his aggressive style. It became his undoing
though, as he missed on the 4-ball and left it on. Bongers missed
though, trying to bank the 7-ball into the center pocket which
effectively handed the rack back to Soufi for a 5-2 lead.
Bongers made no mistakes in the next, running out from the break to
reduce the deficit to two racks but another fast rack from Soufi took
him into a 6-3 lead with Bongers now having it all to do. There were two
balls on the break for Bongers as well as a good cue ball but the rack
became a little messy. In the end, Bongers seemed to have done all the
hard work, but a miss on the 8-ball unraveled it and Soufi stepped up
to make it 7-3.
Three balls on the break but with no shot on the lowest ball and Soufi
decided to push out. This left Bongers with a couple of options and he
cut the 2-ball into the top right pocket, leaving perfect shape on the
3-ball. From there, he ran out to claw one back.
The German #24-ranked player took the next to keep his chances up but
I could ill afford any mistakes with Soufi two away from victory. Soufi
gave himself a slight chance off his next break with two balls down.
Riding his luck, he took the 2-ball on, made it and enjoyed some luck
gaining position on the 3-ball. From there, he dished up to reach the
hill at 8-5.
Bongers wasn't done just yet as he ran out from the break to make it 8-6
but it was now Soufi's to lose. He made no mistakes though as he got
himself over the line with an easy 3/9 combination.
Soufi added, “Tobias is my friend and I've known him for five or six
years we play in the same teams together. He's been playing very well –
his last tournament in the UK Open he finished eighth and he beat some
great players here. He's a good guy and starting to really play well.”
The Predator Euro Tour Women's St. Johann Im Pongau Open is well
underway, having played down to the final 16 from a starting line-up of
48 players. They will return on Sunday morning at 10.00 to play to a
finish. The final is scheduled for 4.00pm. All matches are a
race-to-seven with alternating breaks.
For viewers at home, Tables 1 & 2 will be streamed throughout on
YouTube. Table 1 will be on the Kozoom channel, while Table 2 will be
available throughout on the EPBF platform. All other tables can be
viewed on the Kozoom.com website, where there are a variety of
subscription options.
Table 1 link = https://www.youtube.com/@KozoomTV/streams
Table 2 link = https://www.youtube.com/@theepbf/streams
Tables 1-20 = https://home.kozoom.com/en/all-cue-sports
Results, live scoring, and draw are available at www.epbf.com

Mohammad Soufi - Syria.
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DAY TWO

Szymon Kural - Poland.
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Dynamic Billard St Johann Open - 16 Left in St Johann
Reporter: Luke Riches on behalf of the EPBF
Photography: ©EPBF
WE ARE DOWN to the final 16 players in Austria as day two of the DYNAMIC
BILLARD St Johann Open concluded a fierce day's play. Nine of the top
ten ranked players were in competition this week and there are six of
those nine still in it as the tournament reaches its final day.
The last remaining Austrian hope left is Mario He who enjoyed three wins
today including a last 32 9-3 victory in the round of 32 over young
German Boris Ivanovski. He can look forward to a match against Mateusz
Sniegocki tomorrow morning.
Joshua Filler enjoyed two wins today in his quest for a sixth
consecutive Dynamic Billard Euro Tour title and he will be fancied as he
faces recent WPA World Junior Champion Szymon Kural in the round of 16.
Young Pole, Kural, battled back strongly after getting relegated to the
one loss side early in the day. He beat Germany's Sebastien Ludwig by
9-2 to secure his passage to the final day's play, where he does the
unenviable task of trying to derail Filler's imperious run on the Euro
Tours.
Kural, who is 19, said; “Joshua will be the toughest opponent I can play
tomorrow but after this day I don't mind. I started today with a hard
loss to Valentino Cordelli in Winners' Round 2 and I couldn't do much
and was a bit angry. I found my game, though, on the left side and
played four matches in a row so it was definitely a hard day and a
marathon but I'm happy that I'm playing tomorrow and will do my best as
always.
“I know that I can play very very good but I think in a match with
Joshua the most important thing will be the break. He has a very good
one but if I can break well then maybe I can win. We shall see, he
added.
Mohammad Soufi, the German-based Syrian, who won his maiden Euro Tour
title last year in Tallinn, Estonia, is on course for number two as he
defeated Dennis Grabe in a final rack decider on table one.
He said, “I played all the games well today but my break didn't really
work but I think positive and fight and as I have to win. Right now, I
don't feel I'm playing my best – my father is sick in hospital and that
is affecting me but I'll give it my best for him.
“I feel very good with my new cue. I've been playing with it for about
six weeks and each time it gets better. Because it's new and you have to
really practice to make the change.”
Soufi faces a tough one against Hungary's Oliver Szolnoki in the next
round.
The remaining competitors are back at 10.00 on Saturday morning for the
last 16 matches and play through the day with the championship match
getting underway at 5.00pm.
The Predator Euro Tour Women's St. Johann Im Pongau Open gets underway
on Saturday morning with the Round One matches starting at 9.00. There
is a strong field of 48 players and they play down to the last 16 which
reconvenes on Sunday morning to play to a finish. The final is scheduled
for 4.00pm. All matches are a race-to-seven with alternating breaks.
For viewers at home, Tables 1 & 2 will be streamed throughout on
YouTube. Table 1 will be on the Kozoom channel, while Table 2 will be
available throughout on the EPBF platform. All other tables can be
viewed on the Kozoom.com website, where there are a variety of
subscription options.
Table 1 link = https://www.youtube.com/@KozoomTV/streams
Table 2 link = https://www.youtube.com/@theepbf/streams
Tables 1-20 = https://home.kozoom.com/en/all-cue-sports
As well as the prize money, there are Tour ranking points on offer, so
there is everything to play for. All Euro Tour tournaments are 9-ball
and players compete in a double-elimination format, playing down to the
last 32 competitors, and then single elimination until the finish. All
matches are races to 9 racks with alternating breaks.
Results, live scoring, and draw are available at www.epbf.com

Mohammad Soufi - Syria.
Click the image to view the full size photograph - use "back" to return here.
DAY ONE
Dynamic Billard St Johann Open - Euro Tour Gets Underway to Austria
Reporter: Luke Riches on behalf of the EPBF
Photography: ©EPBF
DAY ONE WRAPPED up in St Johann im Pongau at the second event of the
season on the Dynamic Billard Euro Tour. With 243 players in attendance,
there were plenty of matches as three rounds completed. With the Tour's
strongest field contesting, there are plenty of intriguing matches set
for tomorrow as the field reduces down to just 16.
Many of the starting Austrian line-up of 35 players made good progress
with big name Mario He defeating Matjaz Erculj of Slovenia by 9-2 and
then winning a final rack decide against Dietmar Pitz (Germany) to make
his way into Winners' Round 2 where he faces off against another German
in Tobias Hoiss. Other Austrians to advance on the winners' side include
Mirzet Pandur, Gerhard Koch and Patrick Pomberger.
Joshua Filler (Germany) was gunning for his incredible sixth consecutive
Dynamic Billard Euro Tour title in six starts, following consecutive
wins starting at the Lasko Open in 2022 and taking in victories in St
Johann, PodÄŤetrtek, Lasko again and then Treviso. He opened his account
today with a 9-3 victory over Poland's Jegor Michejenko and now faces
Alvaro Canoniga (Spain) in Winners' Round 2 at midday on Friday.
Commented Filler; “Of course when you look at the stats and the chance
to win six in a row, there's pressure but I've had that before the event
because I know, most likely, I'm the favorite to win it every time. The
the way I break, the way I play and the way I feel about the Euro Tour is
always positive.
“When I played my very first one, I was 13 and I had the chance to play
Oliver (Ortmann) and Dimitri Jungo and also beat them so I always have
good memories when I look back on the Euro Tour so every time I come
here, I'm enjoying the event, the table is playing good and it's also mine
favorite place here, St Johann. I played my first final here, against
Niels in 2015 so coming back there's always pressure and this is what I
like about sports, having pressure and having the chance to make records
so I always look at the positive things.
“When I look back to when I was 17 or so and I looked to Albin who he was
winning the China Open and his first world title and he was 25 or 26 and
I though 'damn, he's already that old' and now I'm 26 myself but I know
you can do this sport on the high level until you're 45 so I still have
a long way to go.
“Seeing all the new young players is also good because it shows you, we
always bring up good people and the younger generation enjoys the sports
which is always positive and this is what the future will bring. When
you play these youngsters, they're going to pick up many, many things
from you. We have players like Felix Vogel from Germany who's already
been to a final then Walter Laikre and many more. I keep an eye on them
and it's good to see,” he concluded.
Another player fancied to do well this week is the in-form Pole, Mieszko
Fortunski, who is starting to make a real name for himself in a national
squad that is very deep in talent. Fortunski came through with a 9-6 win
over Kostas Connaris (Turkish North Cyprus) and goes up against Sajan
Schroter (Germany) tomorrow.
Sitting at No.2 on the ranking and having enjoyed his second Euro Tour
victory in Tampere last year, Fortunski has emerged as arguably the
strongest player in the Polish pack.
He said, “I won for the first time in a long time on the Euro Tour last
year, so now I focus on every single tournament and I just want to win
one of them this year. I just want to focus on my game. It's really
tough to win here as there are a lot of really good players in Europe
and every match is tough so you have to keep that focus on every single
shot and get the luck every now and again.”
Play continues at 9.00 on Friday with the conclusion of Losers' Round 2
and plays all the way down to the last 16 with a total of eight rounds.
For viewers at home, Tables 1 & 2 will be streamed throughout on
YouTube. Table 1 will be on the Kozoom channel, while Table 2 will be
available throughout on the EPBF platform. All other tables can be
viewed on the Kozoom.com website, where there are a variety of
subscription options.
Table 1 link = https://www.youtube.com/@KozoomTV/streams
Table 2 link = https://www.youtube.com/@theepbf/streams
Tables 1-20 = https://home.kozoom.com/en/all-cue-sports
As well as the prize money, there are Tour ranking points on offer, so
there is everything to play for. All Euro Tour tournaments are 9-ball
and players compete in a double-elimination format, playing down to the
last 32 competitors, and then single elimination until the finish. All
matches are races to 9 racks with alternating breaks.
Results, live scoring, and draw are available at www.epbf.com
PREVIEW
Dynamic Billard Euro Tour Men & Predator Women's Euro Tour
Reporter: Luke Riches on behalf of the EPBF
Photography: ©EPBF
THE DYNAMIC BILLARD Euro Tour has returned once again to the magnificent
Alpine resort of St Johann im Pongau as a whopping 243 players have
arrived to contest the second Euro Tour stop of the year. Always at
popular venue with its never-ending mountain views, the tournament gets
underway at 9am local time and plays to a conclusion on the evening of
Saturday 25th, with the final at 5.00pm.
A solid Austrian showing sees 35 players in the line-up with Mario He
and Daniel Guttenberger being the stand-out names. Of the top ten
ranked players on Tour, nine of the top ten are cueing it up this week,
with only recent father Wojciech Szewczyk an absentee.
That means Joshua Filler, who has rampaged through the Euro Tour over
the past 18 months will be gunning for his ninth title and it would take
a brave man to back against him. That said, the event has the strongest
field for some time and players like Mieszko Fortunski, who has hit a
rich vein of form, will do everything to stop him.
Fellow Pole, Daniel Maciol, who was a first-time Euro Tour winner last
time out in Tallinn, will also surely have something to say on the
matter. In addition, a host of medal-winning junior stars are competing
as they look to advance their careers into the senior ranks.
With such a large field, there are a lot of matches on the opening day
with Round 1, Winners' Round 1, and Losers' Round 1 completing.
In addition, the Predator Ladies Euro Tour also takes place this week,
getting underway on Saturday 26th and playing down to the final which
takes place this Sunday. 49 players have signed on to compete which is
another deep field for the ladies tour.
The defending champion is Veronika Ivanovskaia (Germany) while her
compatriot, Pia Filler was a winner last time out in Tallinn.
For viewers at home, Tables 1 & 2 will be streamed throughout on
YouTube. Table 1 will be on the Kozoom channel, while Table 2 will be
available throughout on the EPBF platform. All other tables can be
viewed on the Kozoom.com website, where there are a variety of
subscription options.
Table 1 link = https://www.youtube.com/@KozoomTV/streams
Table 2 link = https://www.youtube.com/@theepbf/streams
Tables 1-20 = https://home.kozoom.com/en/all-cue-sports
As well as the prize money, there are Tour ranking points on offer, so
there is everything to play for. All Euro Tour tournaments are 9-ball
and players compete in a double-elimination format, playing down to the
last 32 competitors, and then single elimination until the finish. All
matches are races to 9 racks with alternating breaks.
Results, live scoring, and draw are available at www.epbf.com

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