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Sporthotel Alpina
Alpendorf 8
5600
Sankt Johann Im Pongau
Austria
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Friday - Monday 24-27 June 2022
Niels Feijen (Netherlands)
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Fantastic Feijen Claims 11th Euro Crown
Reporter: Luke Riches on behalf of the EPBF
Photography: ©EPBF
NIELS FEIJEN IS the 2022 Dynamic Billard St Johan im Pongau Open champion after a string of rock-solid performances, culminating in a superb 9-4 victory over Spain’s Francisco Sanchez Ruiz in the title match at the Alpina Sporthotel in the Austrian mountains. It is 21 years since the Terminator’s maiden Euro Tour win and six years since his last, and this victory was a testimony to Feijen’s endurance as one of pool’s premier players.
Said a delighted Feijen; “It's a great feeling! I was struggling for a long time on the Euro Tour, not getting any results. It's not that the level is better, there's just more really good players now. I love the game but it's more up and down now than when I was in my 20s and 30s. Sometimes I don't care and sometimes I really, really want to win and put the effort in like now, and that is super-rewarding when it pays off.”
Feijen had enjoyed some hard-fought wins as he progressed through the tournament, none more so than his come-from-behind 9-8 win over Wiktor Zielinski in the last eight but in Sanchez Ruiz he was facing, arguably the form player in the world currently.
After dropping the opener, Sanchez Ruiz reeled off the next three racks to open up an ominous lead before Feijen ran out from the break after leaving a very makeable table. In the next, they both had visits, trying to force the error from their opponent, before Feijen potted the pink 4 with some style and he cleared to level the match.
Feijen came with a marvellous table length bank to down the 6 in the next and set up a rack-winning opportunity. It was his third rack in a row and put him into a 4-3 lead. That became 5-3 after Feijen ran a difficult table following an illegal break from Sanchez Ruiz.
The unstoppable Dutchman took the next before a magical 3/9 kicked combo increased Feijen's lead to 7-3 and his reaction showed just how much he enjoyed that one. Sanchez Ruiz wasn’t done and a low percentage 1/9 combination table-length jump shot was executed magnificently.
However, it was the Spaniard’s last positive contribution as an unlucky scratch in the next gave Feijen ball in hand and he ran the table to put himself on the hill. With the break, Feijen delivered a solid one and was able to run out for a marvellous win.
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Feijen added, “It’s down to a bit more commitment, and more hard work. I haven't been really, really motivated these past four or five years. Then Corona came, I started some different projects so I'm extremely busy when I'm home. I felt I was playing really good the last couple of Euro Tours. I was breaking better, I won at the Europeans so that was a boost. Me and Marc (Bijsterbosch) played pretty well at the World Cup, I played good at the UK Open so I felt I was gaining some momentum and the more I play, the better I play; that's a fact.
“In the final I was 3-1 down but my focus was really good. I've always had good solid routines, I'm not on the phone all the time, I meditate, and I'm really good at building my focus up and that showed these past two days. I feel that's my weapon compared to the youngsters who are on the phone for eight hours a day.
“I've never been an up-and-down player, just very consistent and that's down to a solid work ethic. When you want to be a consistent professional for a long time, you have to make good choices,” added Feijen.
Sanchez Ruiz was the first to acknowledge Feijen’s stellar performance; “I’m not really that disappointed - I think I played good but Niels today played amazing, like perfect. I missed only one chance to go 4-2 but hats off to him because he played unbelievable. I'm happy because I played really good so let's see what happens in the next tournament.”
As well as the prize money, there are Tour ranking points on offer as well as world ranking points, 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 alternate break.
All the matches can be viewed live at www.kozoom.com
Results, live scoring and draw are available at www.epbf.com
Niels Feijen (Netherlands) in action
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Niels Feijen (Netherlands) with Francisco Sanches Ruiz (Spain)
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Dimitri Jungo (Switzerland)
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Dynamic Billard St. Johann im Pongau Open - Semi-Finals Set
Reporter: Luke Riches on behalf of the EPBF
Photography: ©EPBF
AFTER AN EXCITING’S days play, there are just eight players left in the quest to claim the title of 2022 Dynamic Billard St Johan im Pongau Open champion. Taking place in the picturesque mountain resort of the Alpina Sporthotel in the Austrian mountains, this is the third event of six on the 2022 Dynamic Billards Euro Tour.
There are no unexpected interlopers as the tournament reaches the business end. Solid favourites like Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, Joshua Filler and Wiktor Zielinski will all be vying for the title and having each won two of the last six Euro titles, no sensible person would back against them.
Hot on their heels are seasoned winners in Niels Feijen and David Alcaide while Dimitri Jungo, who has been enjoying a good renaissance, is still in the battle. Up-and-coming Hungarian Oliver Szolnoki will be making a bid for his first ET title as will solid Italian player Daniele Corrieri.
The quarter-finals commence at 10.00 on Monday morning, with the two semi-finals at 16.00 and then 17.30, followed by the championship match at 19.00.
Dimitri Jungo, who has twice won on the Euro Tour going back to 2000 and then 2011, is enjoying a new lease of life in pool and having missed a few events this year, will significantly improve on his current ranking of #112 come Monday night. He faces Daniele Corrieri tomorrow in the last eight and will be approaching the match with renewed vigour following wins over David Alcaide, Mateusz Sniegocki and Moritz Neuhausen.
Jungo attributes his success to a new found dedication to pool; “Since January I've played more pool than ever before and it's been unbelievable how fast my game has gone after six months. When I get up in the morning, I can focus on pool and I've been playing all the big tournaments now which is maybe why I come more focused and more fluid in my game.
“Of course, I've won twice before on the Euro Tour, but it's tough to win the tournament but there’s always a new match tomorrow and I can look forward with confidence,” he added.
Hungary’s Oliver Szolnoki is definitely a bright, young hope on the European pool scene, having made significant progress in the last 12 months. A semi-finalist in Klagenfurt in 2018, he was able to use the corona virus break to his advantage.
“Before Covid time, I was usually last 32 or last 16 but I used the enforced break for practicing a lot and working on my game and when the tournaments resumed, I could do some damage. I've been going far in tournaments and I'm hoping I can keep that going tomorrow.
“For me, it's always about going to the very top. I've been wanting to be World Champion since I was ten years old; I want to win everything and I have the potential. The last couple of months I've been making some changes in my game as I've looked at some videos and I didn't like my technique. I think I was making a lot of mistakes due to technical errors so I've been working on that and in the last few tournaments it seems like I'm going in a good direction.”
As well as the prize money, there are Tour ranking points on offer as well as world ranking points, 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 alternate break.
All the matches can be viewed live at www.kozoom.com
Results, live scoring and draw are available at www.epbf.com
Oliver Szolnoki (Hungary)
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Moritz Neuhausen (Germany)
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Dynamic Billard St. Johann im Pongau Open - Day Two Completes
Reporter: Luke Riches on behalf of the EPBF
Photography: ©EPBF
FOLLOWING SATURDAY’S play at the Alpina Sporthotel in St Johann im Pongau, Austria, there are now 128 players remaining at the Dynamic St Johan im Pongau Open as the third stop on the 2022 Dynamic Billards Euro Tour moves into day three.
Staying on the winners’ side of the draw is the name of the game as three wins can take a player through to the single elimination last 32. The losers’ side is a much more demanding experience as the matches come thick and fast as the double elimination part of the tournament reaches its conclusion.
Of the top ten players on the Euro Tour ranking, seven have comfortably made it through to the Winner’s Qualification round. Alex Kazakis, No.4, was a faller yesterday but has made it through to Round Four on the one-loss side where he faces Jakub Sawicki of Poland on Sunday morning.
Ronni Regli (Switzerland) lost in Winners’ Round Two as he went down 9-4 to Mustafa Alnar (Northern Cyprus). He too takes his place in Losers’ Round Four also on Sunday morning. Finally, Marc Bijsterbosch, ranked at No.10, was edged out 9-8 by Ramazan Akdag of Turkey but the Dutchman lives to fight another day on Sunday.
Klenti Kaci (Albania) enjoyed a comfortable 9-3 win over Germany’s Andre Wansner and can look forward to a Winners’ Qualification match against Sanjin Pehlivanovic (BIH).
Commented Kaci, “I don't really like playing Sanjin as he's a really good friend of mine but you've got to take it and we're going to play to win, both of us. When I come to the Euro Tour, I always feel like winning.
“I was first for like three years then stopped playing one or two of them but now I'm going to get back to No.1 very soon. When I have free time back home, I practice and prepare myself for the tournaments. Of course, tournaments are good practice to play and I just play everywhere,” he added.
Making his Euro Tour debut was quality Kuwaiti player Abdullah Alyousef, a recent semi-finalist at the WPA World 9 Ball Championship. He ran into Moritz Neuhausen, the 21-year-old former WPA World Junior Champion and was on the wrong end of a 9-2 scoreline. The impressive German youngster now faces Hungary’s Oliver Szolnoki for a place in the last 32.
The action resumes at 10.00am local time tomorrow with two more rounds of one-loss side matches, followed by winners’ qualification and then losers’ qualification. The single elimination round of 32 completes Sunday’s action at the Dynamic Billards St Johann in Pongau Open.
As well as the prize money, there are Tour ranking points on offer as well as world ranking points, 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 alternate break.
All the matches can be viewed live at www.kozoom.com
Results, live scoring and draw are available at www.epbf.com
Ralf Souquet - Germany
St Johann Arena
Dynamic Billard Euro Tour Men - Opening Day Concludes at St Johann Open
Reporter: Luke Riches on behalf of the EPBF
Photography: ©EPBF
THERE WAS A full day’s play at the Alpina Sporthotel as the opening sessions of the Dynamic St Johan im Pongau concluded in the charming Austrian town. In all there were 203 matches played across 22 tables and a total of 20 players were eliminated on first day of play, leaving 232 left going into day two. For the tour’s main contenders, the opening day is about staying on the winners’ side of the draw while for journeymen and up-and-comers the goal is to spring a surprise and try and stay in the tournament for as long as possible. Of the current top ten ranked players competing this week, all stayed on the winners’ side with the exception of No.4, Alex Kazakis of Greece. He fell to a 9-7 defeat at the hands of Belgium’s capable Cliff Castelein who was making one of his rare visits to the Euro Tour. The Belgian goes on to play Petr Urban in Winners’ Round Two, while Kazakis, scraps it out in the losers’ bracket where he plays Elio Sammarini (Italy). In among the dozens of games, the draw threw up possibly the youngest pairing in Euro Tour history as two players with a combined age of 26 faced off on the winners’ side. Slovenia’s Maks Benko (12) had earlier disposed of Volker Kemeter (Germany) by a 9-3 scoreline and he faced Riku Romppanen, the 14-year-old Finnish player, who had earlier defeated Poland’s Pawel Boguszewski 9-7. Romppanen made the early running as he moved into a 4-1 lead, before the Slovenian got it back to 4-4 after some high-quality safeties. Neither of the players lacked self-confidence and their all-round games were startling, given their respective ages. The Finn got back in the lead again at 6-4 but a missed 9 ball, cueing off the rail, kept it close. In the end it was Romppanen who took the win by 9-5 and he goes on to face Tobias Bongers in Winners’ Round Two tomorrow. Benko’s opponent on the one-loss side will be determined tomorrow. Ultimately, the match was a terrific advert for the strength of junior pool across Europe. As well as the prize money, there are Tour ranking points on offer as well as world ranking points, 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 alternate break.
All the matches can be viewed live at www.kozoom.com
Results, live scoring and draw are available at www.epbf.com
Maks Benko (Slovenia)
Riku Romppanen (Finland)
Dynamic Billard Euro Tour Men - St Johann Open preview
Reporter: Luke Riches on behalf of the EPBF
Photography: ©EPBF
THE THIRD EVENT of the Dynamic Billard Euro Tour takes place this weekend in the beautiful Austrian mountain town of St Johann in Pongau as 252 players from across Europe convene to do battle. The tournament is lengthened to four days and concludes on Monday 27th June with the final stages broadcast live to ten countries across Europe. For all other territories, play is available throughout via Kozoom.tv
Fresh from their epic success at the recent World Cup of Pool, the Spanish pair of Francisco Sanchez Ruiz (European ranked #1) and David Alcaide (#6) will be looking to consolidate their positions although as ever they will need to come with their best to reach the closing stages.
Challenging Sanchez Ruiz for the top spot is Poland’s Wiktor Zielinski who is 120 points behind, and Joshua Filler, a further 75 points back. In fact, the top three players have between them won the last six Euro Tour tournaments, which is an incredible achievement, given the strength of the competing fields.
Commented Filler, “It doesn’t matter where or when, I’m always ready to play because I love the sport, I love the game and I’m passionate.”
Filler, along with Zielinski and Sanchez Ruiz are creating a gap at the top of the Euro Tour rankings having dominated the tour for the past 12 months.
Continued Filler, “They’re always there and always playing consistent and always performing in international events. Francisco won at Derby City, he was with me in the final of the UK Open and he’s always there. Wiktor too. He was in the Predator final and they’re always my biggest rivals but it doesn’t matter really as when you play them you need the luck on your side to beat them.
“And then, obviously you have Kazakis and all the other guys like Alcaide who is hard to beat so it’s going to be interesting this week! When you look back on my results in St Johann, I was finishing first, second, second, third, third here in this venue so it’s my favourite Euro Tour to be honest.”
Whilst the ‘big three’ have owned the Euro Tour this past year, there are plenty of other players in with a realistic chance this week. Winning a Euro Tour stop is never easy and play commences at 9.00am local time on Friday morning.
As well as the prize money, there are Tour ranking points on offer as well as world ranking points, 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 alternate break.
All the matches can be viewed live at
Results, live scoring and draw are available at www.epbf.com
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