Presented by the Turkish Billiard Federation
Venezia Palace Hotel Lara
Kundu Köyü
Aksu
Antalya 07110
Turkey
www.epbf.com/tournaments/eurotour/ - facebook - live stream
www.veneziapalace.com
Thursday-Saturday 28-30 October 2021
2021 Turkish Open Champion Francisco Sanchez Ruiz
Click the image to view the full size photograph - use "back" to return here.
Day Three – ET Title No.2 For Sanchez Ruiz
Reporter: Luke Riches on behalf of the EPBF
Photography: ©EPBF
FRANCISCO SANCHEZ RUIZ made it two-out-of-two Euro Tour titles as he took down the Dynamic Billiard Turkish Open presented by the Turkish Billiard Federation with a confident 9-5 victory over emerging young Serbian player Aleksa Pecelj.
The 29 year-old has been playing on the Euro Tour for the best part of a decade and may have been thinking that elusive title may never come but he won in August in Slovenia and followed it up today with a string of imposing performances to become the first man to win consecutive Euro Tour titles since Dennis Grabe in 2014.
Perhaps the confidence of winning his maiden title has elevated Sanchez Ruiz to a higher level and it certainly showed over the past three days here at the Venezia Palace Hotel on Turkey’s south coast. In tip-top form throughout, the Spaniard never conceded more than five racks in any of his matches.
Afterwards he said, “I feel very excited as I didn’t expect to win this tournament but I felt really good and played it round by round so I'm really happy.
“I'm going to try for a hat-trick in Treviso next month. I know it's going to be tough but I'll give it 100%. It's practice, practice, practice and if you believe in your dream, you can do it!”
Share this article on FaceBook - "Read More..." for the details.
21 year-old Aleksa Pecelj make have got second prize but his performances these last three days have made plenty of people sit up and take notice.
Afterwards he said, “I didn’t expect such a good result. I was fighting throughout the whole tournament. I was losing in every match 5-2, 5-3, but I managed to get to the final. Francisco played amazing pool so he deserved the win for sure.”
Sanchez Ruiz and Pecelj stepped into the championship match courtesy of solid semi-final wins over Marc Bijsterbosch and Mariusz Skoneczny respectively. However, it was the Spaniard who got the better of the opening exchanges to open up a 3-1 lead in the race to 9, alternate break final.
In the fifth game, the Serbian missed a bank on the 2 ball to leave an open table and Sanchez Ruiz made no mistakes to run out for 4-1. That became 5-1 as he laid a tight safety on the 1 ball which Pecelj made contact with but left on.
Pecelj stopped the rot in the seventh as he won against the break and made it 5-3 following a good safety on the 4 ball and a nerveless run out. Sanchez Ruiz took the next and then downed three off the break to set up an easy run out and take the score to 7-3.
Pecelj wasn’t done and fired back in the next with an excellent run out under pressure but Sanchez Ruiz reached the hill in the next game as he ran out from the break. The young Serbian wasn’t finished as he took the next to make it 8-5 but with Sanchez Ruiz breaking on the hill, the signs were ominous.
Another big break from the Spaniard saw four balls drop and the title was within his grasp. With no problem balls on the table, he composed himself and ran through them for his second title in a little over two months.
The next stop on the Dynamic Billiard Euro Tour is the Treviso Open in Italy, commencing on 25th November.
All the matches can be viewed live at www.kozoom.com
Results, live scoring and draw are available at www.epbf.com
Click the image to view the full size poster - use "back" to return here.
Oliwia Zalewska - Poland
Click the image to view the full size photograph - use "back" to return here.
Day Three – Zalewska Defends Title
Reporter: Luke Riches on behalf of the EPBF
Photography: ©EPBF
OLIWIA ZALEWSKA, the 26 year-old Polish player, successfully defended her Turkish Open title, defeating Ana Gradisnik (Slovenia) 7-5 in the championship match. It was Zalewska’s fourth Euro Tour title, adding to wins in Italy (2015), Austria and Turkey in 2019.
Hosted by the Venezia Palace Hotel in Antalya, Turkey, Zalewska got off to the worst possible start to the tournament as she lost her opening match against Elise Qiu (France) which relegated her to the loser’s side of the bracket.
She fought hard though, surviving a hill-hill battle with Veronika Ivanovskaia (Germany) before defeating home hope, Eyllul Kibaroglu in another hill-hill tussle to reach the last four. Another 7-6 win, this time over Kamila Khodjaeva saw her through to the final.
Gradisnik, going for her maiden Euro Tour title following three runners-up finishes, ran undefeated through the event, including a hard-fought win over Russia’s Kristina Tkach to reach the final. However, her unbeaten run came to a halt in the final as she lost 7-5 to the triumphant Oliwia Zalewska.
In addition to the title, the Polish former WPA World Junior Champion leapfrogs Kristina Tkach to take top spot on the Predator Women’s Euro Tour rankings.
Commented the champion, “I am very delighted about this victory. It's a pleasure to participate in a tournament in such beautiful place. It's making me more optimistic and maybe it's the reason why I took the title in Antalya twice!
“It's my first time to be classified as number one on the European Women’s Ranking. It's a big success for me for which I have worked for years.
“My family and friends make me believe in myself and I have big support from them. I have big experience in such tournaments too. So, I learn from match to match how to deal with the pressure”, she added.
The Predator Euro Tour Women reconvenes in Italy on the 27th November for the Treviso Open.
All the matches can be viewed live at www.kozoom.com
Results, live scoring and draw are available at www.epbf.com
Turkey Open. Women's semi finalists
Click the image to view the full size photograph - use "back" to return here.
Ronnie Regli- Switzerland
Click the image to view the full size photograph - use "back" to return here.
Day Two - Big Names Fall as Field Reduces to 16
Reporter: Luke Riches on behalf of the EPBF
Photography: ©EPBF
THE FIELD IS down to the last 16 at the Dynamic Billiard Turkish Open with some of the heavyweight favourites for the title suffering shock losses in the round of 32. Played out at the Venezia Palace Hotel on the Antalyan coast in Turkey, this is the third stop on the Euro Tour in 2021.
With some names absent from the event this time around, it was a terrific opportunity for others to climb the rankings but for No.2 ranked Eklent Kaci, WPA World No.2 David Alcaide, and veteran champion Niels Feijen it was all over in the last 32.
Kaci (Albania) who recently triumphed in the WPA World 10 Ball Championship in Las Vegas, went out 9-6 to Finland’s Kim Laaksonen while Feijen departed 9-5 to Mariusz Skoneczny, another in a very long line of strong Polish players.
David Alcaide had the misfortune to run into Switzerland’s ever-dangerous Ronnie Regli who prevailed via a 9-6 scoreline.
Francisco Sanchez Ruiz - Spain
Click the image to view the full size photograph - use "back" to return here.
There are some exciting matches set for tomorrow (Saturday) as the event concludes with four more rounds to find a champion. The picks of the round of 16 are the talented Pole Wojciech Szewczyk against Czech/German veteran Roman Hybler, dangerman Ronnie Regli against up-and-coming Dane Mickey Krause and Norway’s Matt Schnetje v Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz as the Spaniard hunts back-to-back Euro Tour victories.
Play gets underway at midday local time with the championship match scheduled for 17.30.
Meanwhile, alongside the men’s’ event is the Antalya Open on the Predator Euro Tour Women.
Starting with 32 runners, the event is now down to the final four who play off tomorrow (Saturday) at 10.00 local time, with the final following at midday.
Russia’s Kristina Tkach looks to be the favourite following an intensive summer competing in men’s events with some success, but she will need to overcome Ana Gradisnik (Slovenia) first. In the other semi-final, Kamila Khodjaeva, who had the unenviable job of beating her sister Diana in the quarter finals, takes on Poland’s Oliwia Zalewska, who is the defending champion following her win here in 2019.
All the matches can be viewed live at www.kozoom.com
Results, live scoring and draw are available at www.epbf.com
Kristina Tkach - Russia
Click the image to view the full size photograph - use "back" to return here.
Oliwia Zalewska - Poland
Click the image to view the full size photograph - use "back" to return here.
Klenti Kaci - Albania
Click the image to view the full size photograph - use "back" to return here.
Dynamic Billiard Turkish Open 2021 - Day One Completes
Reporter: Luke Riches on behalf of the EPBF
Photography: ©EPBF
ACTION GOT UNDERWAY today at the Dynamic Billiard Turkish Open with 161 matches completing in Round One, one round of Winners and two rounds on the Losers side. Taking place at the beautiful Venezia Palace Hotel on Turkey’s glittering South Coast, this is the third Euro Tour event of 2021.
There were no slip ups in Round One for some of the big guns in attendance including No.2 ranked player Klenti Kaci (Albania), ten-time Euro Tour champion Niels Feijen of Holland and the Spanish pair of David Alcaide and Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz who won his maiden Euro Tour title last time out in Slovenia. They all compete in Winners Round 2 on Friday morning.
One early name on his way home is former European 9 Ball champion, Spain’s Francisco Diaz-Pizarro who went two and out at the hands of Greece’s Nick Chatoupis and latterly Gert Maimre of Estonia. Matjaz Erculj, the Slovenian veteran also succumbed with two defeats.
There is plenty more action tomorrow as they play down to the last 16. Play commences tomorrow Friday 29th at 9am local time.
You can watch all the matches live at www.kozoom.com with the results and schedule found at www.epbf.com/tournaments/eurotour/
Radoslaw Babica - Poland
Click the image to view the full size photograph - use "back" to return here.
David Alcaide - Spain
Click the image to view the full size photograph - use "back" to return here.
Fabio Petroni - Italy
Click the image to view the full size photograph - use "back" to return here.
Click the image to view the full size poster - use "back" to return here.
Euro Tour - Dynamic Antalya Open Preview
Reporter: Luke Riches on behalf of the EPBF
Photography: ©EPBF
With the Euro Tour getting back on its feet following the prolonged hiatus due to Covid 19, the third event of 2021 takes place amongst the lush surroundings of the Venezia Palace Hotel in Aksu, southern Turkey, along the coast from Antalya.
165 players are registered with 35 countries represented. A strong local showing will be in attendance with 38 local players competing in the usual strong field.
The game is 9 ball and follows the Tour’s tried and tested format of double elimination, playing down to the last 32 and then single elimination till the finish. All matches are races to 9 racks.
Action commences at 9am local time on Thursday 28th October and plays to a conclusion on Saturday evening.
In addition, and running alongside the men’s event is the Predator Antalya Open on the Women’s Euro Tour. 32 of the continent’s finest female players will be battling it out in the quest for ranking points as well as the prestigious title. 20 countries are represented.
All the matches can be viewed live at www.kozoom.com
Results, live scoring and draws are available at www.epbf.com
Click the image to view the full size poster - use "back" to return here.
View Pro9's front page!
Chat about this article in our forums.
Visit The Pro Shop to see new cues and gadgets.
Check out the Pro9.co.uk calendar for details of more events.