Souquet Out as Filler, Hohmann Survive Qatar World Cup Sudden Death
The German great fell 9-5 to Egypt's Abdelrahman Salama Nasr as Monday's sudden-death round set up 32 win-or-home matches to complete the last-64 lineup in Doha.
The $450,000 Qatar World Cup 10-Ball is down to its last doorway into the knockout rounds — and on Monday in Doha it all but closed on one of the game's most decorated careers.
Thirty of the 32 losers'-round-one ties at the Ezdan Palace Hotel were final by mid-afternoon, sending another group of players home and setting up a night of win-or-go-home losers' qualification matches that will complete the last-64 lineup.
Souquet heads the exits
Ralf Souquet, Germany's 1996 world 9-ball champion, was beaten 9-5 by Egypt's Abdelrahman Salama Nasr — a second straight defeat after his opening-round loss to teenager Bernie Regalario. Salama Nasr now meets Poland's Mieszko Fortunski for a place in the knockout.
The day's other departures included Japan's Keishin Kamihashi, Taiwan's Lu Hui Chan and Filipino veterans Abdulrauf Domrang and Mark Anthony — the latter edged 9-8 by Petr Urban. They join the 16 players already eliminated Sunday, a group headed by former world champion Albin Ouschan.
Filler, Hohmann and the fallen seeds fight on
Joshua Filler produced the afternoon's most emphatic answer. The second seed — stunned by Mustafa Alnar in his opener — whitewashed local qualifier Mohammed Albalushi 9-1 and faces the Netherlands' Jan Van Lierop in the evening session.
Thorsten Hohmann, who made headlines last week by declining his Team USA Mosconi Cup spot, beat Meshaal Turki 9-5 and meets Taiwan's Hsu Jui An. Aleksa Pecelj, fresh from qualifying for Team Europe, saw off Abdulaziz Alamoudi 9-6.
Five losers'-round-one matches went to a deciding rack: Zein Eddin, Mohammad Ali Berjaoui, Haider Ali Yaqoob, Petr Urban and Dominik Regieli all survived 9-8 — Regieli at the expense of Vietnam's Nguyen Phuc Long.
One match from the knockout
Each survivor now plays an opponent dropped from the winners' side, one victory from the last 64. The standout losers' qualification ties as the evening session began:
- Carlo Biado vs Mark Estiola — an all-Filipino elimination match
- Niels Feijen vs Zein Eddin
- David Alcaide vs Lazar Kostic
- Jayson Shaw vs Wisam Dakkak
- World No. 1 Wojciech Szewczyk vs Mi Le
- Alex Pagulayan vs Abdulla Juma
- Bernie Regalario vs Amr Rashad Abdeltouab
- Jefrey Roda vs Raymund Faraon — the qualifier who ended Ouschan's week
Two losers'-round-one matches were still playing at the cutoff — Alvaro Canoniga against Hassan Alnahari and Mohamed Gamal Emara against Roman Hybler, with Canoniga and Emara each a rack from victory — while Tobias Bongers and David Zalman await the winners.
What happens next
Once the 32 qualifiers are decided, the event becomes single elimination at race to 11, starting Tuesday in Doha and building to Thursday's race-to-13 final worth $100,000. Track the bracket on the Qatar World Cup 10-Ball results hub.
Scores as of 4 p.m. Doha time Monday, via Rack 9's live draw and Inside Spin's event tracker.