Ouschan Out as Filler, Szewczyk Fall at Qatar World Cup 10-Ball
A treacherous double-elimination format and a $450,000 prize fund have already cut down some of the sport's biggest names in Doha.
The biggest payday of the 10-ball season is underway in Doha — and the $450,000 Qatar World Cup has already claimed a string of the game's biggest names.
The main stage at the Ezdan Palace Hotel opened Saturday with 128 players and a double-elimination format that leaves no room for a slow start: lose twice in the race-to-nine opening phase and the tournament is over. Within two days, several of the favorites had felt the trapdoor open beneath them.
Seeds tumble in the opening rounds
Second seed Joshua Filler was the highest-profile casualty on the winners' side, beaten 9-5 by Turkish Cypriot Mustafa Alnar in the opening round. The German remains alive but has dropped into the losers' side of the draw, where one more defeat ends his week.
Former world champion Albin Ouschan is not so fortunate. The Austrian — who won the world nine-ball title in this same city in 2016 — lost 9-6 to Walter Laikre in his opener and was then eliminated 9-5 by Raymund Faraon, one of four Filipinos who came through last week's Stage 1 qualifiers.
WPA world No. 1 and reigning world 10-ball champion Wojciech Szewczyk also stumbled, beaten 9-6 by Abu Dhabi-based Filipino Aivhan Maluto in the winners' qualification round, while Britain's Jayson Shaw fell 9-7 to Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Baabad. Both remain in the tournament on the losers' side.
Japan's Naoyuki Oi was edged 9-8 by Bosnia's Sanjin Pehlivanović, Poland's Wiktor Zielinski lost 9-6 to Ruslan Chinakhov, and veteran Ralf Souquet went down 9-5 to 19-year-old Bernie Regalario — the Filipino teenager fresh off a Philippines Open semifinal run in Manila. Thorsten Hohmann, who made headlines last week when he declined his Team USA Mosconi Cup spot, was edged 9-8 by Greece's Dimitrios Loukatos.
Sixteen already through to the last 64
Defending champion Jonas Magpantay has looked untroubled. The Filipino, who beat Poland's Szymon Kural in last year's final to collect $100,000, raced through Zein Eddin 9-0 before dispatching Jan Van Lierop 9-5 to book his place in the single-elimination phase.
Kural is through as well, joined by Eklent Kaci — a 9-8 winner over Hsu Jui An — and Kledio Kaci, who edged Hubert Lopotko by the same scoreline. Mario He, John Morra and home favorite Ali Alobaidli, a 9-2 winner over Juan Carlos Exposito, also secured winners-side passage.
What happens next
Sixteen more winners' qualification matches remain before the field is cut to 64. Fedor Gorst faces Jefrey Roda, Carlo Biado meets Hsieh Chia Chen, and Francisco Sanchez Ruiz takes on Habib El Hussein. Alnar's reward for beating Filler is a meeting with new Team Europe Mosconi Cup captain Niels Feijen, while Regalario plays Denis Grabe and Vietnam's Duong Quoc Hoang — a 9-6 winner over Bader Alawadhi — meets Filipino qualifier Marlon Caneda.
From the last 64 onward the format switches to single elimination with races to 11, building to a race-to-13 final on October 29. The champion collects $100,000 from the $450,000 fund, with every player reaching the knockout rounds guaranteed at least $3,000. Matches are being streamed on the Qatar Billiard Sports Federation's YouTube channel.
Scores via Rack 9's live draw; event details via the Qatar Billiard Sports Federation and the event's official invitation.