Ralf Souquet and Earl Strickland rolled back the years to produce a hill-hill classic at the US Open Pool Championship - live on the main streaming table on DAZN.
'The Kaiser' Souquet ran a five-rack lead on 'the Pearl' to assert dominance early in the tie - a display of the form showcased at each Matchroom event so far in 2023. Trading blows in the rounds to follow, a packed crowd around table one were treated to a vintage Earl Strickland performance, who came back to ultimately force a deciding rack with a brilliant 2-9 combo.
Six-time World Pool Master Souquet has reached Winners' Qualification at every Matchroom Major so far this campaign, and kept tradition with victory over five-time US Open champion Strickland in a brilliant contest.
With double-elimination in effect in Atlantic City, Strickland's victory over Leo C. Ott sees him return to the table on Wednesday in a quest to reach the single-elimination knockouts.
European Open runner-up Anton Raga arrived in New Jersey as one of the tournament favourites after a remarkable run in Fulda, Germany. Spaniard Manuel Montejo Fernández, previously unranked on the World Nineball Tour rankings, stunned the Filipino star in-front of the on-watching WNT ranked No.1 and defending US Open champion Francisco Sanchez Ruiz.
Skyler Woodward - showcasing his all-new Cuetec AVID Proof Series of cues - was a comfortable 9-2 victor over both American opponents in Charles Carlisle and Robert Czupryniak. Alex Pagulayan awaits in the third round.
Fresh from hosting the CueLee's Connecticut 9-ball Open - the latest WNT Ranking Event - Eagle Eye Jayson Shaw's full attention turned to the US Open Pool Championship with comfortable wins in both matches.
Darren Appleton and Niels Feijen continued the trend of strong veteran performances to seal their spots in the next round - setting up a mouthwatering clash against one another.
On the outer tables as play wrapped up, drama ensued in the all-American clash between Scott Frost and Hunter Lombardo. At hill-hill, Lombardo accused Frost of touching the 6-ball with his shirt. Eventually with ball-in-hand, Lombardo ran out to win 9-8.
DATES, SESSION TIMES, VENUE
All times are local (EDT)
27-28th 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
WHERE TO WATCH
Fans in territories not listed below can watch Days 3-4 (September 27-28th) on the Matchroom Pool and Multi Sport YouTube channels as well as on Matchroom.Live
Days 3-4 (26-28th 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
Reddentes - Chinese Taipei
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
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.
Adam Clapham Matchroom Multi Sport
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