Stage Two of the 2025 IFX Payments Premier League Pool kicked off with Johann Chua closing in on frontrunner Robbie Capito in a bid to reclaim the top spot, while defending champion Shane Van Boening tumbled out of the top six.
In partnership with the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Sarajevo Canton, the Premier League Pool is being hosted for the first time at Hills Hotel in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The tournament runs from March 20-27, bringing thrilling nine-ball action to the heart of the Balkans, live on WNT TV along with other major broadcasters.
Capito barely held onto his lead after securing early wins against Kledio Kaçi and Moritz Neuhausen. However, his momentum was cut short by Reyes Cup MVP Aloysius Yapp, who handed him a 5-3 defeat, followed by a hill-hill loss to home favourite Sanjin Pehlivanovic.
Johann Chua took full advantage of Capito’s slip, delivering dominant wins over Kaçi, Neuhausen, and Jayson Shaw to draw level in match victories. However, his push for the top faltered in a 5-2 loss to former PLP champion Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, leaving the Filipino second in the standings, trailing Capito by just three racks.
Day Six also saw a heated clash between Mosconi Cup rivals, as last year’s MVP Jayson Shaw dismantled defending champion Shane Van Boening in a ruthless whitewash. Despite this explosive start, Shaw’s momentum quickly fizzled, as he suffered three hard-fought defeats to Pehlivanovic, Chua, and Yapp.
Later, Shaw faced Mosconi Cup teammate Ruiz in a rematch of the 2023 PLP final, with both players battling to leapfrog each other in the standings. In another hill-hill thriller, Shaw fell short once more, allowing Ruiz to climb into third place.
Meanwhile, Van Boening’s struggles continued. Despite an early 5-2 win over Ruiz, he endured a punishing day, following his loss to Shaw with further defeats to Pehlivanovic and Neuhausen. The defending champion’s slide down the leaderboard saw him drop out of the top six into seventh place.
Pehlivanovic produced two crucial hill-hill wins over Shaw and Van Boening, boosting his position in the standings. However, losses to Yapp and Kaçi kept him just short of overtaking Van Boening in eighth on the table.
At the bottom of the table, Kledio Kaçi endured a tough day, losing four of his five matches to Chua, Capito, Ruiz, and Duong Quoc Hoang. While he salvaged a win in his final match against Pehlivanovic, it wasn’t enough to lift him from the bottom. Duong fared slightly better, edging ahead of Kaçi with two vital wins over the Albanian and Neuhausen. However, heavy 5-1 defeats to Ruiz and Yapp left the Vietnamese cueist cemented in ninth place.
Tomorrow, all ten players return to battle, but by the end of Day Seven in Sarajevo, only the top six will advance to the next stage.
The 2025 IFX Premier League Pool returns on Wednesday, 26 March, from 12 CEST on WNT TV, along with Viaplay, Rigour, and Nova. Find where you can watch in your country here.
Don’t miss the chance to catch the action as the 2025 IFX Premier League Pool unfolds in Sarajevo – Spectator tickets available here!
You can track the action on all 183 matches at Premier League Pool via the WNT Live Scores website here.
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