Hotel Esperanto Fulda
Esperantopl. 1
36037
Fulda
Germany
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www.hotel-esperanto.de
Tuesday - Sunday 9-14 August 2022
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Albin Ouschan Wins Inaugural European Open Title
Albin Ouschan has won the inaugural European Open Pool Championship at Hotel Esperanto, Fulda in Germany beating Shane Van Boening in the final 13-11 live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, DAZN in the USA, Canada, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, and Switzerland as well as on Viaplay in Scandinavia, Poland, and the Baltics and various other broadcasters worldwide including Matchroom.Live in relevant countries.
Shane Van Boening 11-13 Albin Ouschan
Albin Ouschan wins the first-ever European Open Pool Championship
It was a cagey early affair as Ouschan won the lag only to miss a cut on the two ball to put Van Boening at the table to take a 1-0 lead. Van Boening is usually on form with his break but the new break rule seems to be impacting him more than most and it showed in the next rack as he scratched to give Ouschan ball in hand who duly levelled at 1-1. In the third, it was Ouschan's turn to scratch, and Van Boening lead again at 2-1.
Ouschan was quick to turn it around at the break to soon lead at 3-2 taking advantage of Van Boening's clear misfortune and disbelief. Much like the World Pool Championship final in April, it was nip and tuck as Van Boening leveled. Van Boening then scratched again in the seventh off the break meaning of his last ten breaks in the tournament he'd either broken dry or scratched. Ouschan looked like he was due to lead at 4-3 but lost position forcing him to go airborne on the three and scratch in the middle pocket to give his American counterpart the lead once again.
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Van Boening had a wry smile for the first time in the match at 4-3 as he kept the cue ball on the table after the break and made two balls much to the satisfaction of the Fulda crowd. The South Dakota kid was finding his mojo with effortless cue ball control for the first time in the match to lead by two at 5-3 with a break and run. The mojo mentioned was continued as one break and runs turned into two for a three-rack advantage in the favour of Van Boening at 6-3.
A cagey following rack saw Van Boening lose ground on the eight to leave an awkward angle, Ouschan gratefully cleared up to cut the deficit to 6-4. A few exchanges later saw Van Boening establish a three rack buffer again only for Ouschan to bite back. Two mistakes from Van Boening on postional movement saw Ouschan get back in after 13 racks at 7-6. It was far from over.
Ouschan is used to being behind in big moments and he was soon turning the contest on its head to lead for the at 8-7 after Van Boening failed to make the two when airborne. The Austrian was looking imperious and back to his best as he won his fifth rack in a row to lead at 9-7. With momentum gathering in Ouschan's favour, he broke dry at 9-7 for Van Boening to get back to the table and cut the lead to one. Van Boening broke and run in the next rack and it was 9-9. Ouschan soon had the lead for a fourth time in the match at 10-9 after a dry break from Van Boening.
The woe of the break was the downfall of Van Boening truly, another dry break in the 21st rack lead to Ouschan putting away the table to be two away from victory and history. Ouschan chose to break down the middle in the 22nd rack but it was another dry one and Van Boening swept in to level again.
The best was being saved until last between Van Boening and Ouschan as they went at each other in a deep safety battle which saw Ouschan leave the two hanging over the pocket. Van Boening made it before a 3-6 combo and a safety on the three. Eventually, it was left open by Ouschan but Van Boening's safety lead to him scratching to give Ouschan ball in hand but perhaps key, the 4-9 were locked together. Ouschan had disrupted the four but he was glued behind it, a neat safety later and Van Boening was in a heap of trouble behind the seven. Van Boening hit the four full contact to open the table up and put Ouschan on the hill at 12-11.
Into the final rack of the match and Ouschan looked to have sacrificed his time at the table after the 3-8 were locked up. Van Boening made an excellent bank to make the three but a costly error on the five gave Ouschan his chance to seal victory at 13-11.
Ouschan said: "I am done after the match with Mario and Shane. You couldn't tell who was going to win it. I think overall it was a good and exciting match to watch. I am so glad it's over and I had some sweet revenge over Shane. Of course, it goes through your mind that you are playing against Shane in a final again. THe last one you played and he smashed you. It gets in your head. When the match went tight at 10-10, I thought please dear lord give me a break and I finally had one. Then I screwed up on the three ball. Then I am glad he felt some pressure on the five ball, and now it's over and I can go home with another title."
Ouschan's win sees the two-time World Champion move up to third in the Live Nineball World Rankings with a difference of over $10,000 between him and fourth-placed Francisco Sanchez Ruiz in the vital race for an automatic spot in the 2022 Mosconi Cup.
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All photography courtesy of ©Taka G.Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport.
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All photography courtesy of ©Taka G.Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport.
Click the image to view the full size photograph (use "back" to return here).
Ouschan & Van Boening To Contest 2022 European Open Final
Albin Ouschan and Shane Van Boening will contest the inaugural European Open Pool Championship final in a repeat of the 2022 World Pool Championship final for the $30,000 first place prize at Hotel Esperanto, Fulda in Germany live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, DAZN in the USA, Canada, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, and Switzerland as well as on Viaplay in Scandinavia, Poland, and the Baltics and various other broadcasters worldwide including Matchroom.Live in relevant countries.
WHERE TO WATCH
Ouschan was looking to reach another Matchroom final on his birthday whilst his opponent and close friend Mario He was making his first semi-final appearance. Ouschan won the lag and came up dry in the first rack to allow He in to take the initial lead. A dry break from He in the following rack wasn't enough for Ouschan to get on the board just yet as He made it 2-0 after a brief safety battle. On his birthday, Ouschan was being left no presents be He who soon rose up to a 4-0 lead with the first break and run of the match in the fourth rack.
At 5-3, He missed the two leaving it over the pocket for Ouschan only for the two-time World Champion to scratch when screwing back for position on the three to put He back at the table to establish a three rack buffer aided by an expert double kiss on the four ball to loosen it free of the eight. At 6-3 up, it was He's turn to scratch in the middle pocket when coming back for position on the eight, it was a gift that Ouschan needed to get back in at 6-4.
Ouschan was struggling on the break but got it going in the 11th to be one away thanks to a break and run as he crunched the balls. The Austrian duo know each other's game better than most around thanks to their winning World Cup of Pool partnership and it was He taking the upper hand making four balls on the break in the 13th rack to establish a three rack lead again at 8-5 with Ouschan faltering on a 1-8 combo to open the table up.
In the following rack, He made his own error overcooking the cue ball when trying to tuck it safe at the opposite end of the table. Ouschan from there had a routine run out to get the break back. The break was becoming easy for Ouschan but it came to his downfall in the 15th rack as the 9-ball looked destined to go in off the break after being kicked by the two only for it to hang over the pocket and leave He and easy combination to be two away.
Ouschan was pinpoint in his quarter-final win over Konrad Juszczyszyn but it wasn't so true in this encounter as he missed the five ball to leave what seemed to be a routine runout for He only for the Panda to lose position moving from the seven to eight. He opted to cut it only to miss it and leave Ouschan an easy eight and nine ball to be back in it.
The contest ebbed and flowed but ultimately it was He edging it at 9-8 as the closing racks approached. Ouschan left a golden chance for He to get to the hill after breaking but it was the latter who scratched to allow Ouschan in to reach the hill first and lead for the first time. In the final rack, Ouschan broke dry but He pushed out left the man who had led for the most part back at the table only to leave Ouschan in the prime position to complete a nervy victory with four racks in a row.
World Champion Shane Van Boening met with rising Spanish star Jose Alberto Delgado and it was the former who looked to have control of the opening rack after a dry break from Delgado. The dry break wasn't the whole story of the opener though as Van Boening misjudged his route on the five to miss it and hand Delgado an easy table to lead 1-0.
It was a nervy opening affair as they shared the opening four. Into the fifth and Delgado played a brilliant kick behind the one but totally messed up the table speed on the two to leave it hanging in the jaws to bring SVB back to the table to lead at 3-2 and soon 4-2. In the seventh, Van Boening scratched off the break to allow Delgado back to the table and it looked like he'd close the deficit again only to scratch himself with the nine left.
Van Boening's break was causing a whole heap of problems for the American great and he scratched again at 5-2 up. Delgado pulled another back to 5-3. At 6-3 up, Van Boening scratched on the break again and from there Delgado got another on the board at 6-4, it was the case of the five-time US Open champion being his own worst enemy.
Despite his issues on the break, Van Boening has been in this situation far more often than most and Delgado was hooked on the break to leave his opponent in the optimum position to lead 7-4. Delgado stole another rack at 7-5 to be right behind the USA man.
The new break box was causing both players and at 9-5, Van Boening scratched for the fourth time much to his despair as Delgado got within three again. Delgado made three balls on the next break but he couldn't close the table out meaning Van Boening got to the hill at 10-6. It was brought back alive after another scratch from Van Boening gave Delgado another rack. Breaking at 10-7, Delgado left on a 1-9 combo to narrow the gap to two again.
In the end, Van Boening did see it out 11-8 in the end thanks to another dry break from Delgado to meet Ouschan in the first-ever European Open Pool Championship final.
All photography courtesy of ©Taka G.Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport.
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Shane Van Boening (USA) vs Albin Ouschan (AUT)
Sunday, action is available on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, DAZN in the USA, Canada, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, and Switzerland as well as on Viaplay in Scandinavia, Poland, and the Baltics and various other broadcasters worldwide including Matchroom.Live in relevant countries.
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