Moritz Neuhausen claimed his first-ever Matchroom title in emphatic fashion, delivering a flawless 7-0 victory over former champion Francisco Sanchez Ruiz to be crowned the 2025 IFX Payments Premier League Pool winner.
Hosted for the first time at Hills Hotel in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in partnership with the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Sarajevo Canton, the Premier League Pool showcased eight days of high-level competition, culminating in a dominant performance from the young German star.
Stage Three
Robbie Capito reclaimed the top spot in Stage Three with crucial victories over Neuhausen, Shaw, and Chua, finishing level with Chua in match wins but edging ahead with a superior rack difference of 14. Chua and Ruiz followed closely behind, with the Spaniard securing third place with 19 match wins.
The battle for the final semi-final spot was fiercely contested between Jayson Shaw, Aloysius Yapp, and Neuhausen, with Yapp leading the race at the start of the day. However, a dramatic hill-hill showdown between Neuhausen and Yapp saw the German reignite his chances, securing a vital win. Neuhausen then faced Shaw in his final Stage Three match, delivering a crucial 5-2 victory to clinch the last spot in the semi-finals.
Semi-Finals
Francisco Sanchez Ruiz was the first to book his place in the final, producing a commanding 7-2 victory over Johann Chua. The pair had met earlier in Stage Three, where Ruiz narrowly edged out the Filipino, but this time, the Spaniard dominated from start to finish, moving one step closer to reclaiming the title.
In the second semi-final matchup, Neuhausen faced group frontrunner Capito. The Hong Kong star raced to a 5-3 lead, but a missed bank shot on the 6-ball proved costly, giving Neuhausen an opening. The German capitalised with a relentless charge, levelling the match at 5-5 before producing a clinical rack run to reach the hill. With momentum on his side, Neuhausen closed out the match with another flawless clearance, securing his first-ever Premier League Pool
final appearance.
Final
Ruiz won the lag and broke first, but an unfortunate scratch off the 3-ball handed Neuhausen an early advantage. The German wasted no time, sinking a golden break in the second rack to surge ahead 2-0. By the fourth rack, he had extended his lead to 4-0, though a positional error on the 4-ball momentarily gave Ruiz a chance to respond.
However, the Spaniard's stay at the table was brief, as he failed to pot the 7-ball, allowing Neuhausen to stretch his lead to 5-0. A tense safety battle followed in the sixth rack, but Neuhausen remained composed, methodically clearing the table to reach the hill.
With victory in sight, Neuhausen executed a brilliant safety on the 2-ball, forcing Ruiz into a difficult response. When the Spaniard failed to make a pot, the German seized the opportunity, completing a flawless clearance to seal a stunning 7-0 triumph.
Across the past eight days, Neuhausen racked up an impressive 127 match wins, and in his final showdown against a former champion, he not only claimed the Premier League Pool title but also etched his name into Matchroom history with his first-ever major title.
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