Joshua Filler - 2023 Apex Wisconsin Open Champion Click the image to view the full size photograph - use "back" to return here.
Filler Crowned Champion at Wisconsin Open While Women Down to Four
Reporter: Predator Group
Photography: Predator Group
Playing on the final day of the Apex Wisconsin Open, the former World 9-Ball champion earned his first-ever Pro Billiard Series title, defeating Vitaly Patsura of Ukraine in the semifinals and taking down sentimental favorite Tyler Styer in the finals. The German was in control throughout most of the four day, 64-player event, winning seven straight matches and losing only one set throughout.
“Today I didn’t play as good as I did on the days before but when you’re in the semis you know you have to play well so it puts more pressure on you,” said Filler. “I was playing good and I was just happy to have won it.”
After Filler missed a 2 ball in the opening game, Styer appeared to be in position to take the first game but missed the 10 ball, allowing Filler to come back to the table and roll in the game winner. The American was able to snatch a game back in the next rack when Filler misplayed position on the 4 ball then left an opening after kicking at the ball but he lost his momentum in the next game when he misplayed a safety on the 2 ball which handed his opponent an open table and a 2-1 lead. Styer appeared to be in position to tie the match again in the fourth rack when his opponent miscued on the 8 ball but, with the 9 and 10 balls frozen, the American misplayed a safety and allowed his opponent to tack on another game. Styer had another chance to cut the deficit after forcing Filler into a foul in the fifth rack but missed the 3 ball in the corner pocket, then watched as the German closed out the set, 4-1.
Watch: Full Final Match - Joshua Filler (GER) vs Tyler Styer (USA)
Styer opened the second set with a break-and-run but couldn’t land a ball off the break in the next game, allowing his opponent to use a combination shot to run out the rack. The former world champion then took the lead for good with back-to-back breaks and runs. Styer had one last chance to climb back into the match but misplayed a bank of the 2 ball into the side pocket, leaving Filler an open table and routine run out for the victory.
In the first semifinal against Patsura, Filler broke and surprisingly missed the 1 ball but still managed to strike first after forcing his opponent into a scratch with a safety, then jumping in the 1 ball and running out in the next game to build a 2-0 lead. The Ukranian got on the board when his opponent missed a jump shot in the third game but Filler climbed onto the hill by winning the fourth rack. The Ukrainian pulled to within a game when his opponent scratched, but Filler was able to seal the set when Patsura committed an intentional foul attempting to tie up balls in the center of the table.
When Filler committed a foul in the opening game of the second set, it appeared Patsura would strike first until he misplayed shape on the 6 ball, then missed a safety attempt. Filler cleared the table, then added another rack after a victorious safety attempt in the next game with a jump shot on the 5 ball. The German broke and ran to take a commanding 3-0 lead and had a chance to close out the set but missed a combination shot on the 6 and 7 balls. The Ukrainian cleared the table to get on the scoreboard and broke and ran to pull within a game but missed a 2 ball in the side pocket in the sixth game which allowed filler back to table. The former China Open champion used a safety on the 2 ball to close out the rack and secure a trip to the finals.
In the second semifinal between Styer and Peru’s Gerson Martinez Boza, the American used a break-and-run to build a quick 2-0 advantage then used a safety exchange after the break to add another rack and climb onto the hill. Martinez was able to capitalize on a missed 4 ball by his opponent and narrow the deficit to 3-1 but allowed Styer to close out the set when he failed to pocket a ball on the break and left the American an open table.
Styer opened the second set by getting out of a safety on the 3 ball with a one-rail kick but Martinez tied the match when he forced Styer into a foul. Both players struggled to pocket balls on the break, as the American regained the lead when Martinez broke dry for the third time and added another win when Martinez missed the 2 ball in the side pocket. Playing in front of a supportive crowd in his home state, Styer closed out the match with a run out after forcing his opponent into a foul with a safety.
In the women’s division, the final four was set Saturday night, with Billiard Congress of America Hall of Famer Allison Fisher defeating Tyler’s wife, Margaret Styer, in straight sets.
After splitting the first four racks, Styer was in position to take the lead but missed the 6 ball in the corner pocket. Fisher cleared the table to take the lead then capitalized on a scratch by her opponent to finish off the set, 4-2.
The beginning of the second set mimicked the first, with the players battling to a 2-2 tie until Fisher grabbed the lead off of a victorious safety. After Fisher broke dry in the sixth game, Styer worked her way through the rack but misplayed position on the 8 ball then lost a safety exchange on the ball, as her opponent cleared the table to snag the set and secure a spot in the semifinals.
In other quarterfinals matches, reigning World 10-Ball champion Chieh-Yu Chou defeated Seo Seoa, 4-3, 4-3, Bulgaria’s Kristina Zlateva took down Tzu-Chien Wei, 4-2, 4-3 and Kristina Tkach survived Wan-Ling Wang, 4-3, 2-4, 4-1.
Action resumes Sunday morning at 10 a.m. local time, with Zlateva facing Chou and the second semifinal will get under way at 1 p.m. local time with Fisher taking on Tkach.
Matches can be watched on Billiard.TV and on World Billiard TV, the official YouTube channel of CueSports International. A schedule of televised matches will be posted daily on the Pro Billiard Series and CSI Facebook and Instagram pages.
The Apex Wisconsin Open is the second tournament of the season for this year’s Predator Pro Billiards Series schedule. The Pro Billiard Series is a series of open, professional events held around the world to provide more opportunities for professional and aspiring pool players to compete in high-quality events, earn more income, sharpen their skills, and earn their way into the Predator World 10-Ball Championship held in Las Vegas each year as part of the CueSports International Expo.
Defending Champion Kazakis and Gorst Out at Wisconsin Open
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Defending Champion Kazakis and Gorst Out at Wisconsin Open
Reporter: Predator Group
Photography: Predator Group
Alex Kazakis’s hopes of winning a second straight Wisconsin Open ended Friday night as the former World Pool Masters champion was defeated in three sets by Germany’s Joshua Filler in the quarterfinals at Ho Chunk Gaming in the Wisconsin Dells.
The defeat ended a rollercoaster day of play in which the young Greek displayed stellar command at times while getting a fortunate roll during others, winning three straight matches before falling to the former World 9-Ball champion.
Kazakis, who suffered a shootout defeat in the second round to Vietnam’s Nguyen Tuan Anh, began the day with a morning match against Joven Bustamante, losing the first set 4-3 before rallying to clinch the second frame,4-2, and forcing a shootout. The two competitors were perfect in the early stages of the extra frame, each depositing their first three consecutive spot shots into the corner pocket. In the fourth inning, Kazakis rifled another shot into the pocket then watched as his opponent did the same only to scratch in the opposite corner pocket to hand the Greek the win.
Now facing Canadian John Morra in the next round, Kazakis had an easier time as he capitalized on a handful of unforced errors by his opponent to coast to a 4-0, 4-1 victory. Facing Robbie Capito in the round-of-16, the Greek had a bit more of a fight on his hands but still managed to win in straight sets, 4-2, 4-3, to advance to the quarterfinals and meet an undefeated Filler.
“I’ve had some ups and downs in the event,” said Kazakis. “Thankfully, today I qualified for the last 16. I’m feeling good and feeling lucky and we’ll see what’s going to happen. There are many good players in this tournament. I don’t want to think about being a defending champion because it gives me a lot of pressure. I’m just taking it one match per time.””
The former United States Open 9-Ball champion took control of the opening set from the beginning, breaking and running, taking advantage of a missed shot by his opponent in the next game then executing a successful combination shot in the following rack to take 3-0 lead.
When Filler missed the 3 ball in the corner pocket in the fourth rack, the Greek seemed like he was on his way to climbing onto the scoreboard until he overran position on the 9 ball, then lost a safety exchange, as the German banked in the ball on his way to a 4-0 shutout.
Kazakis opened the second set with a break-and-run but allowed his opponent to tie the score when he failed to pocket a ball in the second game. The Greek regained the lead on a victorious safety in the third game but again allowed Filler back to the table when he couldn’t land a ball on the break. Kazakis used a jump in of the 3 ball after a safety to take 3-2 lead landed a combination shot on the 10 ball to clinch the second set, 4-2.
Filler opened the deciding set with a break-and-run and looked like he was about to increase his lead in the next rack but missed the 2 ball, allowing the Greek to again tie the match. The two players continued to be plagued by breaking issues, with Kazakis failing to land a ball on the break in the third rack and allowing Filler to regain the lead then watching filler break dry in the following game. The Greek had a chance to tie the match but scratched after pocketing the 2 ball in the side pocket. Filler cleared the table to take a commanding 3-1 lead then ended any hope for a Kazakis comeback when he broke and ran to close out the set, 4-1.
“I came out of the gate pretty good,” said Filler. “I was unlucky a couple of times in the second set but he made some great shots. In the end, it was a classic match.”
Filler will open the final day of play on the men’s side at 10:30 a.m. local time when he faces Ukraine’s Vitaly Patsura, who survived a three-set nail biter against American Sam Henderson, 4-2, 3-4, 4-2.
Another top player who is heading home after a Friday defeat is Russia’s Fedor Gorst, who was shut down by local favorite Tyler Styer in straight sets in the round-of-16.
After the Russian won the opening set, Styer took control, taking advantage of a misplayed safety by his opponent and using back-to-back breaks and runs to win four straight games and claim the opening set.
“Your expectation is to just see Fedor do what he does,” said Styer after the match. “He’s done it so many times so you just have to try and keep him in his chair.”
After splitting the first four games of the second set, Styer took advantage of a misplaced safety on the 3 ball by his opponent to clear the table and climb to within a rack of closing out the set. Both players failed to pocket balls on the break down the stretch, with Gorst snagging the sixth game to tie the set and the American closing out the match with a run out of his own after the Russian couldn’t land a ball in the deciding rack and left an open table.
Later in the evening, Styer advanced to the semifinals with a three-set victory over Kuwait’s Bader Alawadhi. He will face undefeated Gerson Martinez Bosa of Peru in the second semifinal match on Saturday, which is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. local time.
One the women’s side, Billiard Congress of America Hall of Famer Kelly Fisher was sent to the one-loss side of the event when she was defeated by Chinese Taipei’s Wan-Ling Wang in straight sets, 4-2, 4-3.
Saturday promises to be one of the most action-packed days at the Open, as the men’s division crowns a new champion and the women’s bracket whittles 24 players down to four in preparation for Sunday’s semifinals and finals.
Matches can be watched on Billiard.TV and on World Billiard TV, the official YouTube channel of CueSports International. A schedule of televised matches will be posted daily on the Pro Billiard Series and CSI Facebook and Instagram pages.
The Apex Wisconsin Open is the second tournament of the season for this year’s Predator Pro Billiards Series schedule. The Pro Billiard Series is a series of open, professional events held around the world to provide more opportunities for professional and aspiring pool players to compete in high-quality events, earn more income, sharpen their skills, and earn their way into the Predator World 10-Ball Championship held in Las Vegas each year as part of the CueSports International Expo.
World Champion Chou Escapes at Wisconsin Open
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World Champion Chou Escapes at Wisconsin Open
Reporter: Predator Group
Photography: Predator Group
Reigning women’s World 10-Ball Champion Chieh-Yu Chou and fellow countrywoman Shui Ching Chiang took turns stealing defeat from the jaws of victory Thursday night.
Playing in their first-round, winner’s bracket match in the women’s Apex Wisconsin Open, each player seemed to make a costly mistake almost immediately after gaining an advantage – only to watch their opponent hand the match right back to them. In the end, Chou prevailed in a straight sets victory, defeating Chiang 4-3, 4-3 at Ho-Chunk Gaming in the Wisconsin Dells.
Chou built an early 3-1 advantage then missed a pair of shots in consecutive games that allowed Chiang to tie the score. After trading safeties in the deciding rack, Chiang appeared to be in position to close out the set but lost control of the cue ball and missed the 5 ball in the corner pocket, allowing Chou to return to the table and clear the remaining balls to seal a 4-3 victory.
After splitting the first two racks of the next set, Chou was on her way to taking a 2-1 lead but scratched after pocketing the 10 ball. Chiang had a chance to steal the following rack and increase the lead when her opponent missed the 6 ball but missed a makable 10 ball in the corner pocket. Chiang had another chance to grab the lead in the fifth rack when her opponent could not land a ball on the break but she missed the 4 ball, handing her opponent a one game lead instead.
Standing at the table with a chance to close out the match, Chou misplayed position on the 3 ball and left a wide-open table after a jump shot attempt, allowing her opponent to tie the match. In the deciding rack, Chiang had an opportunity to clinch the set and send the match to a shootout until she missed the 4 ball in the corner pocket, handing her opponent another 4-3 win.
Russia’s Kristina Tkach also survived an opening-round scare against Spain’s Mayte Ropero to advance in straight sets.
Ropero jumped out to an early 3-1 advantage thanks in part to a couple of missed shots by her opponent, who clawed back to tie the match in the second half of the set. The Russian then used lengthy safety exchanges on the 2 and 6 balls along with the navigation of a tough table layout to claim the deciding rack and win the set, 4-3.
In other notable matches on the winner’s side, Billiard Congress of America Hall of Famer Allison Fisher defeated Canada’s Brittany Bryant in straight sets, 4-3, 4-0.
The Spaniard was able to snag the opening rack of the second set when Tkach misplayed position on the 7 ball but allowed the Russian to tie the match when she failed to pocket a ball on the break in the next game. Tkach had a chance to grab her first of the set in the third rack but misplayed position on the 10 ball, watching the cue ball drift into the jaws of the side pocket yet stay on the table. She kicked at the ball and pocketed it into the corner pocket but failed to call the pocket, allowing Ropero take ball-in-hand and the lead. Tkach snagged a rack back to tie the set, then took advantage of a missed 10 ball by her opponent to break the deadlock, then broke and ran to close out the match.
On the winner’s side of the men’s bracket, Fedor Gorst survived a scare from American Jesse Engel to remain unbeaten and advance to the single-elimination stage.
After splitting the first two games, Engel used a foul by his opponent take the lead but a dry break in the next game allowed Gorst to tie the score. After using a safety exchange to take a 3-2 lead, Gorst had a chance to close out the set but missed a bank shot on the 2 ball into the side pocket, enabling Engel to run out to tie the score. With a chance to take the set, the American missed a long shot on the 1 ball and left a sharp cut on the ball which Gorst deposited into the corner pocket and ran out to win the frame, 4-3.
After splitting the first two racks of the second set, Gorst used successful safety exchanges on the 1 ball in back-to-back games to build a 3-1 lead then capitalized on a missed shot by his opponent in the next rack to seal the victory.
Action resumes Friday morning at 9 a.m. local time with one-loss side competition on the men’s side, including defending champion Alex Kazakis looking to stay alive against Joven Bustamante and Billiard Congress of America Hall of Famer Mika Immonen facing American Paul Song.
Matches can be watched on Billiard.TV and on World Billiard TV, the official YouTube channel of CueSports International. A schedule of televised matches will be posted daily on the Pro Billiard Series and CSI Facebook and Instagram pages.
The Apex Wisconsin Open is the second tournament of the season for this year’s Predator Pro Billiards Series schedule. The Pro Billiard Series is a series of open, professional events held around the world to provide more opportunities for professional and aspiring pool players to compete in high-quality events, earn more income, sharpen their skills, and earn their way into the Predator World 10-Ball Championship held in Las Vegas each year as part of the CueSports International Expo.
Immonen Hangs On and Defending Champ Kazakis Defeated at Apex Wisconsin Open
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Immonen Hangs On and Defending Champ Kazakis Defeated at Apex Wisconsin Open
Reporter: Predator Group
Photography: Predator Group
Billiard Congress of America Hall of Famer Mika Immonen certainly didn’t make things easy on himself.
Playing in his first match of the Apex Wisconsin Open, Immonen was upset by rising young American Sam Henderson in a shootout. After Henderson won the first set, 4-2, the former two-time United States Open 9-Ball champion stormed back to win the second set, 4-1, and force a shootout. Henderson held the steadier hand in the extra-frame spot shot contest, pocketing three balls while Immonen could only manage two.
Now playing on the one-loss side against Evan Lunda and trying to avoid early elimination, the former World 9-Ball champion again split the sets and headed to a shootout. This time, however, the Hall of Famer was able to preserve, defeating the American in the penalty shot frame to remain in the hunt at the 64-player, double-elimination event at Ho-Chunk Gaming in the Wisconsin Dells. Immonen will now face American Nakia Guyton Thursday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. local time.
After he took an early lead in the opening rack, Lunda appeared to be in position to tie the score but misplayed position on the 7 ball and was forced to kick, leaving an opening for his opponent to clear the table. After adding another rack to build a 3-0 lead, Lunda climbed onto the scoreboard with a combination shot on the 10 ball but failed to pocket a ball on the break in the following game, allowing Immonen to clear the table and claim the opening set, 4-1.
Lunda drew first blood in the second set when his opponent missed the 4 ball but allowed Immonen to tie the set when he missed the 2 ball in the corner pocket in the next game. Lunda gutted out the third rack to reclaim the lead, then took advantages back-to-back successful safeties to close out the set, 4-1, and send the match to a shootout.
In the extra frame, Immonen pocketed three straight spot shots while Lunda could only manage to land one.
Meanwhile, defending champion Alex Kazakis of Greece stumbled in the next round against Vietnam’s Anh Nguyen Tuan, losing the first set 4-3, then rallying to claim the second set, 4-1, before falling in a sudden-death shootout, 4-3. The Greek, who easily defeated American Guido Joost in straight sets in his opening match, now moves to the one-loss side of the bracket, where he will face Kyrgyzstan’s Iliyas Adamov at 2:30 p.m. local time.
On the winner’s side of the bracket, Canada’s John Morra went the distance in each set of his second-round match against Jeremy Sossei to defeat American, 4-3, 4-3.
After Morra jumped out to an early 2-1 advantage, Sossei tied the score with a successful combination shot on the 10 ball, then took the lead with a victorious safety exchange after the break. The American had a chance to clinch the set but failed to pocket a ball on the break in the sixth rack, allowing Morra to use a safety exchange and a break-and-run to steal the opening set.
Morra was plagued with positional problems throughout the next frame, allowing his opponent to grab a commanding 3-0 lead before a scratch on the break allowed him to climb on the scoreboard. Now leading 3-1 with a chance to close out the set and send the match to a shootout, Sossei missed a sharp cut on the 3 ball into the side pocket that allowed the Canadian to pull to within a single rack. He then used safety exchanges in consecutive games to come from behind and steal the second set and remain undefeated.
In other notable matches, former World 9-Ball champion Joshua Filler cruised by Donald Adams, 4-2, 4-0, then defeated LJ Briesath, 4-0, 4-2. Reigning Derby City Classic Master of the Table Fedor Gorst also took down American Jeffrey Jandrt, 4-1, 4-1, in the first round and took down Tarek Hamdan, 4-0, 4-2 in the following round.
The second day of competition for the men continues at 2:30 p.m. local time for the men and the women’s Apex Wisconsin Open starts at 9 a.m. local time, with Kristina Tkach of Russia matching up against Mayte Ropero of Spain, Canada’s Brittany Bryant taking on Veronika Ivanovskaia of Germany and reigning Alfa Las Vegas Open champion Seo Seoa meeting American upstart Kennedy Meyman. Later in the evening, the competitors who were granted opening-round byes – including Hall of Famers Kelly and Allison Fisher and reigning World Women’s 9-Ball champion Chieh-Yu Chou – begin play.
The Apex Wisconsin Open is the second tournament of the season for this year’s Predator Pro Billiards Series schedule. The Pro Billiard Series is a series of open, professional events held around the world to provide more opportunities for professional and aspiring pool players to compete in high-quality events, earn more income, sharpen their skills, and earn their way into the Predator World 10-Ball Championship held in Las Vegas each year as part of the CueSports International Expo.
Watch Live on World Billiard TV YouTube channel, Billiard TV and at tv.kozoom.com
Brackets and scores can be found at https://probilliardseries.com/
Follow @probilliardseries on Facebook, @probilliardseries on Instagram or @PBilliardSeries on Twitter.
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