World Pool Masters There Can Be Only One

By Keith Shaner

Every pool tournament is unique, and the World Pool Masters is no exception. It may not quite hold the prestige of the World Championship or have as deep a history as the US Open or the grind and multiple disciplines that the Derby City Classic Master of The Table offers it does offer what can only be every pool fan fantasy - every match is a finals level event.

Grown out of the European Nine-Ball Championships, this invitational event is well-named. It is a best-of-the-best tournament. A tournament where only the top players make it through to the final sixteen is a dream come true, and that’s what the World Pool Masters offers.

It is a single-elimination event. There is no B-side, and there is no tomorrow. This event means every great shot, every small miss, every smart play, and every error and fluke are amplified ten-fold on the match’s outcome. It can fray nerves, test your heart, and take the breath right out of you.

This year’s field may have been the strongest. Even though Fedor Gorst was absent due to an unfortunate visa issue, this was a star-studded field.

Day one saw Joshua Filler take on the legendary Terminator, Niels Feijen, and it was epic. An unfortunate miss in rack one after the break by Filler gave Niels an opportunity; he took full advantage of taking a 1-0 lead. Feijen then made a caromed three-ball after his successful break, only to scratch in the side and give Filler a chance to even the match 1-1. Then, with a 2-1 lead Joshua Filler had the first of what would be many golden breaks in this tournament, and it looked like all the momentum was on the Filler side. Joshua continued to build his lead to

5-1 in a race to 9. Suddenly though, Feijen took advantage of his next opportunity and worked his way through some difficult run-outs to not only even up the match at 5-5 but keep control and win 9-5! That’s starting off day one!

Max Lechner took on the World Championship runner-up Mohammad

Soufi. A golden break got things underway, and Lechner got out to an early 2-0 lead. Soufi returned to win rack three after Lechner’s scratch on the break. Some excellent offensive and defensive play and two more golden breaks saw Lechner take a 6-1 lead. Soufi, though is a player with no quit in him, and he fought back and got a golden break of his own, and cut the lead to just three. At 8-4, an unusual miss by Soufi on the two allowed Lechner to take the day one match and move to the quarterfinals.

Next up was Jayson Shaw taking on Ko Pin Yi. A tough kiss on a safe by Shaw in the opening rack put the momentum on the side of Ko Pin Yi. Ko took full advantage to go up 5-0. Jayson got one back but was unable to keep control of the table, and Big Ko kept rolling, winning 9-1. Ko Pin Yi sending a message that he is back in form and ready to win on the big stage again. Other first-round matches saw James Aranas, a wildcard pick taking on World Champion Francisco Sanchez Ruiz. FSR got off to a slow start with a foul in rack one and a miss in rack two giving Aranas the early opportunity to gain control of the match going up 3-0. Francisco took rack four, but a position error and poor safe moved the scales back to Aranas. Aranas on the hill at 8-7 closed out the match sending FSR to the sidelines.

The young sensation Wiktor Zielinski battled Zheng Xiao Huai right from the opening rack but managed to keep a slim lead until a miss and a golden break tied the match at 6-6. With both players struggling, Wiktor wins with a two-nine combination taking the match 9-6. Eklent Kaci stepped into the box against Albin Ouschan. After some setbacks and forth, Kaci found his rhythm first and got out to a 6-2 lead. Albin, however, was able to mount a comeback and take his first lead 7-6. A little more back and forth put Kaci on the hill first, and he closed out Albin at 9-7.

Next, in round one, Alex Kazakis faced Mario He. Mario was off to a tremendous start, quickly winning the first four games. An unforced error on the break let Kazakis see the table with a chance. At 5-2, another scratch by Mario on a jump shot gave Alexander another opportunity. He took full advantage and tied it up at 5-5. Mario He missed a tough cut on the five but left Kazakis hooked in the side pocket.

Alex tried to jump but gave ball in hand to Mario, who went on to get to the hill first and delicately ran out rack fourteen to win 8-5.

Shane Van Boening and the formidable David Alcaide locked horns in round one. Alcaide quickly won the first rack, but a little cat-and-mouse play in the second game made for some long play, with David getting a fluke nine off a terrible miss to go up 2-0. Then game three saw David scratch, and with ball in hand, Shane got himself on the board. Unfortunately, SVB saw himself scratch on the break in rack four, and it looked like David had an easy out, but coming up a little short on his position, Alcaide rattled the nine giving Shane a reprieve. SVB was first to the hill and defeated Alcaide 9-6.

The quarterfinals were a series of thrillers as the races moved to 11 with Eklent Kaci and Mario He matched momentum swings to arrive at 9-9. Kaci made a great shot with shape to run out and get to the hill ahead of Mario, but he missed a combination on the 9 in the next rack letting Mario back to the table with an awkward shot on the eight. Mario makes a tremendous shot, shooting off the rail, and slices the eight in to make it hill-hill. In the deciding rack a slight miss on position for the four led to being hooked on the five. Mario made a good hit, but Kaci was able to cut the five in and take the rest of the rack to win 11-5.

Niels Feijen matched up with Max Lechner. His quarterfinal match. A series of tough opening racks did not lend itself to either player finding their early rhythm. Lechner did manage to find himself up 3-0, but Niels took rack four and four more to go up 5-4. Feijen continued to slowly build his lead up to 9-5. At 10-6, Lechner scratches on a near-golden break, and with ball in hand, The Terminator makes the two-nine combination to move to the semifinals.

James Aranas was up against Wiktor Zielinski next, and again we saw some tough racks, tough shots, and struggles to start the match, with Wiktor getting the early lead, but Aranas came right back to tie things up 3-3. Nerves lost, and nerves held on both sides finally saw us get to James Aranas leading 9-5, with the man from the Philippines seemingly getting some momentum and control back. Mistakes again on both sides gave the next game to Zielinski, who came back with a golden break, another win, and another nine on the break to pull even at nine all. In rack nineteen, Wiktor fails to lock up the cue ball, and James makes a good shot on the five and runs out to get to the hill first. Wiktor showing no quit takes the next game for a hill-hill finish. The final rack was a safety battle that Aranas came out on top of, and he locked in his focus and ran out the final rack for the win.

Ko Pin Yi faced Shane Ban Boening in his quarterfinal match. Shane, a two-time winner of the event, took the opening rack but scratched, kicking in the next rack, and Ko Pin Yi evened it up at 1-1. A golden break saw him quickly go up 2-1. SVB, however, took advantage of his own on a Ko miss and retook the lead at 3-2. In the next rack, Ko answered a safe by

Shane with a tough bank that he missed, but he fluked in the four-ball and lined the two up for an easy combination leading to another lead change. SVB made an early nine to tie it up again 4-4. Ko refused to lose the lead and won the next three racks. Shane tied it again but couldn’t hold the advantage, and Ko went back up getting to the hill leading 10-7. SVB had a chance to mount another charge, but a miss on the four gave the table back to Big Ko, and we saw Shane exit in the quarterfinals.

The semifinals shaped up with Ko Pin Yi facing James Aranas and Neil’s Feijen up against Eklent Kaci.

Kaci and Feijen were up first, and again this was an exciting match. With the Terminator being the sentimental favorite, he got out to a 6-0 lead. Kaci, however, was not ready to concede, and he slowly worked himself back into the match one game at a time and tied Feijen at 6-6. He went in to go up 9-6. A miss by Kaci in rack sixteen let Niels back in and closed to within two games. Kaci got to the hill first at 10 seven but scratched on his final break. Feijen showed why he is an all-time great to win three in a row to go hillhill. An unfortunate dry break by The Terminator left a look at the one-ball on an open table, and Kaci takes the rack and the match to move into the finals.

Ko versus Aranas was up next, and it started off with a safety battle that Ko could control, and he kept control to go up 2-0. Aranas came right back to tie it up at 2-2. Ko took game five, but Aranas shot with a great eye and a clean stroke to keep pace. They stayed even again in the next two racks then Ko took two in a row to make it 6-4. Aranas then turned it on and took the lead at 8-6. A missed kick shot by James allowed Ko to take one back and cut the lead to one. Aranas took the next rack, but Ko playing with his usual calm focus, tied the match at 9-9 and went on to get to the hill first. In the next game, Ko missed a very tough long cut on the two-ball, but a fortunate roll left

James hooked for his first since he had the lead. A valiant try, but the ball in hand went to Ko, who, with poise and confidence, ran the table to close out the match and open the door to the finals against Kaci.

The final match was a race to thirteen, and both players were there for the first time. Kaci won the lag and broke the first rack, and dropped the one-ball but had a long shot on the two and not an easy path to the three-ball. Kaci shot it as well as could be and opened the three up. He drew first blood by taking the opening rack. In game two, the tight side pocket got him on the four, and Big Ko came to the table for the first time and evened the match at one all with an early six-nine combination. Ko then proceeded to get a four-nine combination in the next rack to take the lead. Kaci took advantage of a Ko miss, and even though he came up short on the nine, he sliced it in the corner for the win. The close back-and-forth battle continued until Ko broke away to win four in a row and go up 9-4. Kaci was finally given a look when Ko overcut the two-ball, and he was able to cut the lead to four games, but he scratched on the break in the very next rack. Ko capitalized and won this rack and the next three to win his first World Pool Masters title 13-5.

Ko Pin Yi has been an exciting player since he won his first Junior World Championship, and with a slowdown in play due to Covid-19, it is terrific to see him back in top form against the best in the world. There can be only one, and this time Big Ko was the one left standing among the masters.

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