Harrah's Resort Atlantic City
777 Harrah's Blvd
Atlantic City
NJ 08401
United States
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Monday-Saturday 25-30 October 2023
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KO PING CHUNG PRODUCES FLAWLESS DISPLAY TO SET UP HUGE US OPEN FINAL WITH FEDOR GORST
Ko Ping Chung and Fedor Gorst will contest the 46th US Open Pool Championship final at Harrah's Resort, Atlantic City - live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom & Ireland and DAZN in the United States - after a history making afternoon in New Jersey.
Appearing in his first-ever Matchroom major semi-final, Aleksa Pecelj took the moment in before walking into the arena. Opposite him stood Fedor Gorst, arriving to a rapturous ovation from the American crowd.
There was clear indication as to who the crowd were rooting for, but Pecelj was able to brush off and focus by establishing an early lead. The Serb brought out the spectacular, showcased with a fantastic full-table jump shot when hooked on the 1-ball to allow him to clean up the table. 1-0 down quickly became 5-1 and the 23-year-old looked to have established control.
But the man in the opposite corner was no ordinary player. 2019 World 9-ball champion Gorst has a plethora of experience, despite his young age. In taking the seventh rack following a scratch from Pecelj, the ‘Ghost’ could settle into the match and find his rhythm on the grey baize.
What followed was domination, as he clicked into gear. Across the next 11 racks, Gorst won 10 of them, as Pecelj could barely feature at the table. Even by his standards, this was an exceptional display by Gorst to see out an 11-6 victory and reach his maiden US Open Pool Championship final.
The same script wasn’t followed in the second semi-final, where Shark’s International Open winner Ko Ping Chung met 2021 US Open runner-up Aloysius Yapp. Despite a range of top-level experience across the globe, Chinese Taipei’s World Cup of Pool star Ko had never reached the final after losing out to Max Lechner hill-hill in last year’s semi-final.
He wasn’t in the mood to repeat history, producing one of the most dominant performances in the history of the World Nineball Tour. Yapp could only sit and admire as Ko dictated proceedings throughout barely giving the Singaporean a sniff.
Making the one in the side pocket, in every single rack, the Chinese Taipei star produced seven break and runs – more than the total number of shots Yapp had in the entire match. From 11 racks, Ko Ping Chung has pocketed all 108 balls in this race to 11. Yapp had zero. One of the most one-sided clinics you will ever see on the World Nineball Tour.
Match Schedule
Sunday 30th September – 4:30pm Eastern
Final – Fedor Gorst v Ko Ping Chung (TPE) – Race to 13)
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GORST, PECELJ, KO PING CHUNG AND YAPP COMPLETE US OPEN FINAL FOUR
Fedor Gorst, Aleksa Pecelj, Ko Ping Chung and Aloysius Yapp will contest the semi-finals of the 46th US Open Pool Championship at Harrah’s Resort, Atlantic City, live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom & Ireland and DAZN in the United Sates.
• Fedor Gorst holds off strong Robbie Capito challenge
• Aleksa Pecelj wins eight of last nine racks to comeback against Jayson Shaw
• Ko Ping Chung reaches another US Open semi-final in 2022 rematch with Max Lechner
• Aloysius Yapp defeats Wiktor Zielinski for another spot in the US Open final four
Pecelj had never previously advanced past the quarter-finals of a Matchroom Major event, after heartbreakingly losing out to Joshua Filler hill-hill at the 2022 UK Open Pool Championship. 2017 US Open champion Jayson Shaw stood in his way in New Jersey, coming into the tie in exceptional form having dispatched American home favourite Skyler Woodward in the last 16.
Having won the lag and running out the first rack, Pecelj fell behind to a four-rack deficit as Shaw – cheered on by the crowd – looked to take control. From 6-2, Shaw was able to take just one more rack in the contest. The Serb Pecelj tied proceedings at seven-all and grew into ascendancy.
A spirited yell to the crowd followed as the 9-ball went in at 10-7 to see him into his first-ever major semi-final – with the winner of Table One’s early action to be his opponent. Despite being similar in age, Robbie Capito was featuring in his first quarter-final on the Matchroom major stage, whilst opponent Fedor Gorst has a plethora of late-tournament experience.
Before the tie, Capito had stated that this was Hong Kong’s time on the world stage, and in keeping pace with the former World 9-ball champion, he proved he can compete with the very best. Both men struggled to find margin, resulting in the match tied after 14 racks.
It was Gorst’s experience and quality that saw him break away from Capito to stretch to a 10-7 victory – a significant step in his charge towards an automatic Mosconi Cup place – with the next automatic spots for Team Europe and Team USA announced after the US Open Pool Championship.
The two latter semi-finals offered up intense affairs on both tables. 2022 US Open runner-up Max Lechner faced Sharks’ International Open Champion Ko Ping Chung on the main table – a blockbuster repeat of last year’s hill-hill semi-final clash.
The Chinese Taipei star set the pace throughout, but Lechner was trading blows back to keep himself within a chance of another final at Harrah’s Resort, Atlantic City. With the scores tied at six each, three consecutive break and runs saw Ko into another US Open semi-final.
Table One closed the day’s play in a tense battle between WNT Ranked #9 Wiktor Zielinski and 2021 US Open runner-up Aloysius Yapp – both looking to reach the final four of a World Nineball Tour major this calendar year.
At no point throughout did either extend their lead over the other by more than two racks, maintaining pace until the 19th rack whilst tied at 8-all. After a safety play on the 4-ball by the Pole, Yapp found an angle that allowed him to clear up the table to get onto the hill. From there, the Singaporean star broke and ran the final rack, setting up an all-Asian affair with Ko Ping Chung.
Match Schedule
• Semi-Final 1 – Fedor Gorst v Aleksa Pecelj (SRB)
• Semi-Final 2 – Ko Ping Chung (TPE) v Aloysius Yapp (SGP)
2023 US Open Pool Championship | Table One
2023 US Open Pool Championship | SVB Junior Open FINAL
DATES, SESSION TIMES, VENUE
All times are local (EDT)
26-28th September – from 10 am daily
29th September – 10 am – 2:30 pm / 4:30 pm – 9:00 pm
30th September – 10 am – 2:30 pm / 4:30 pm – 7:00 pm
BRACKET, MATCH SCHEDULE AND LIVE SCORES
Check out the Bracket, Match Schedule, and Live Scoring here
WHERE TO WATCH
Fans in territories not listed below can watch Days 2-4 (September 26-28th) on the Matchroom Pool and Multi Sport YouTube channels as well as on Matchroom.Live
Days 2-4 (25-28th September)
• DAZN – USA, Brazil & Spain
• Viaplay – Baltics, Scandinavia, Poland, Netherlands
• Nova – Czech Republic, Slovakia
• Sportklub – Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia
• TAP – Philippines
• VCT – Vietnam
• Starhub – Singapore
• Supersport – South Africa & Sub-Saharan Africa
• Matchroom.Live – Rest of the World
• Matchroom Pool and Multi Sport YouTube – Rest of the World
Days 5-6 only (29-30th September) – Last 16 to Winner on the below broadcasters
Friday 29th September – 10:00 am to 2:30 pm / 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Saturday, 30th September August – 10:00 am to 2:30 pm / 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm
• Sky Sports Arena – United Kingdom and Ireland
• AMC – Hungary
• Fox Sports – Australia
• Reddentes – Indonesia & Chinese Taipei
• Matchroom.Live for the rest of the world.
TICKETS
Limited tickets are still available for the US Open Pool Championship. Secure yours now here.
For help with any event issues or queries, please contact us through @MatchroomPool social media channels, or email pool@matchroom.com.
2023 US OPEN POOL CHAMPIONSHIP | ||||
ATLANTIC CITY - USA | ||||
THE WINNER'S LIST | ||||
 | Mike Sigel |  | USA | |
| Allen Hopkins | | USA | |
| Steve Mizerak | | USA | |
| Louie Roberts | | USA | |
| Mike Sigel | | USA | |
| Allen Hopkins | | USA | |
| David Howard | | USA | |
| Mike Sigel | | USA | |
| Earl Strickland | | USA | |
| Jimmy Reid | | USA | |
| David Howard | | USA | |
| Earl Strickland | | USA | |
| Mike Lebron |  | PUR | |
| Nick Varner | | USA | |
| Nick Varner | | USA | |
| Buddy Hall | | USA | |
| Tommy Kennedy | | USA | |
| Earl Strickland | | USA | |
| Efren Reyes |  | PHI | |
| Reed Pierce | | USA | |
| Rodney Morris | | USA | |
| Earl Strickland | | USA | |
| Buddy Hall | | USA | |
| Johnny Archer | | USA | |
| Earl Strickland | | USA | |
| Corey Deuel | | USA | |
| Ralf Souquet |  | GER | |
| Jeremy Jones | | USA | |
| Gabe Owen | | USA | |
| Alex Pagulayan | | PHI | |
| John Schmidt | | USA | |
| Shane Van Boening | | USA | |
| Mika Immonen |  | FIN | |
| Mika Immonen | | FIN | |
| Darren Appleton |  | GBR | |
| Darren Appleton | | GBR | |
| Shane Van Boening | | USA | |
| Shane Van Boening | | USA | |
| Shane Van Boening | | USA | |
| Kevin (Cheng Yu Hsuan) |  | TWN | |
| Shane Van Boening | | USA | |
| Jayson Shaw |  | SCO | |
| Not held. |  | --- | |
| Joshua Filler | | GER | |
| Not held. | | --- | |
| Carlo Biado | | PHI | |
| Francisco Sanchez Ruiz |  | ESP | |
| --- | | --- | |
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