Wikipedia

U.S. Open Pool Championship

(Redirected from US Open 9-Ball Championship)

The U.S. Open Pool Championship, formerly the U.S. Open Nine-ball Championship, is an annual professional men's nine-ball pool tournament that began in its current form in 1976. The U.S. Open is one of the most sought-after titles in nine-ball and in pool generally. Traditionally, winners of the U.S. Open are given a green blazer and are awarded free entry fees to all future U.S. Open tournaments.

Chesapeake Conference Center, site of the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship from 1997 to 2011

The Women's U.S. Open is a separate event, sanctioned by the Women's Professional Billiard Association (WPBA).

History edit

In its first official edition in 1976, the U.S. Open was contested by just 16 players. Over the years, the number of participants steadily increased, reaching its current level of 256 players.[1]

The tournament is an open to men, women and wheelchair users, making it a true "open" tournament, in that the only requirement to play in the event is the payment of the entry fee. The total purse for the tournament is $300,000, where the winner is awarded $50,000.

 
Original U.S. Open promoter Barry Behrman (right) with Rob Sykora of Billiard Club Network (left) at the 2004 event.

The tournament's original venue was Q-Master Billiards pool hall, in Norfolk, Virginia, which hosted the event, other than one year, from 1976 until 1988.[2] From 1997 to 2011, the U.S. Open Men's Division was held at the Chesapeake Conference Center in Chesapeake, Virginia.[2] Q-Masters is still involved in the tournament.[3]

Original promoter Barry Behrman died on April 23, 2016. His children, Brady Behrman and Shannon Behrman Paschall, took over operating the tournament until 2018, when it was sold to Matchroom Pool.[2]

Format edit

The tournament format is essentially double-elimination (a player is out of the tournament after losing two matches) until two players remain. Most professional pool "double-elimination" events, however, are not true double-elimination formats, where the player who reaches the finals from the loser's side has to defeat the winner's side player twice for the title.

As of 2019, the tournament reverts to single-elimination from the last 16 onwards. At the U.S. Open, matches are played in races to 11, with the winner breaking. However, the final match, as is customary with most professional nine-ball tournaments today, is one extended race. At the U.S. Open, the extended race in the finals is 13 racks.

Winners edit

Men edit

Year Winner Runner-up Final score Venue Winner's Prize Total Prize
1976[4]   Mike Sigel   Pete Margo 11–1 Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA $3,100 $8,975
1978[5]   Allen Hopkins   Steve Mizerak 15-11 Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA $5,000 $14,500
1979[6]   Louie Roberts   David Howard 15-11 Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA $3,000 $8,000
1979[7]   Steve Mizerak   Jim Rempe 11-10 Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA $3,600 $8,500
1980[8]   Mike Sigel (2)   Ray Martin 11-7 Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA $3,600 $8,500
1981[9]   Allen Hopkins (2)   Mike Sigel 11-7 Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA $4,000 $10,000
1982[10]   David Howard   Mike Zuglan 10-4 Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA $4,000 $10,000
1983[11]   Mike Sigel (3)   David Howard 11-10 Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA $5,000 $13,750
1984[12]   Earl Strickland   Mike Sigel 11-10 Lake Wright Hotel, Norfolk, VA $10,000 $25,900
1985[13]   Jimmy Reid   Mike Lebrón 11-5 Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA $7,800 $23,000
1986[14]   David Howard (2)   Allen Hopkins 11-9 Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA $7,000 $22,200
1987[15]   Earl Strickland (2)   Jim Rempe 11-7 Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA $7,000 $24,000
1988[16]   Mike Lebrón   Nick Varner 11-6 Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA $8,000 $30,000
1989[17]   Nick Varner   Kim Davenport 13-6 Lake Wright Hotel, Norfolk, VA $10,000 $35,000
1990   Nick Varner (2)   Johnny Archer 11-10 Lake Wright Hotel, Norfolk, VA $10,000 $41,000
1991   Buddy Hall   Dennis Hatch 9-8 Holiday Inn, Chesapeake, VA $15,000 $65,000
1992   Tommy Kennedy   Johnny Archer 9–1 Holiday Inn, Chesapeake, VA $15,000 $61,600
1993   Earl Strickland (3)   Tony Ellin 11–8 Holiday Inn, Chesapeake, VA $15,000 $58,400
1994   Efren Reyes   Nick Varner 9–6 Holiday Inn, Chesapeake, VA $15,000 $53,200
1995   Reed Pierce   Efren Reyes 11–6 Holiday Inn, Chesapeake, VA $20,000 $77,800
1996   Rodney Morris   Efren Reyes 11–6 Virginia Beach Convention Center, VA $25,000 $116,250
1997   Earl Strickland (4)   Efren Reyes 11–3 Chesapeake Conference Center, VA $25,000 $124,500
1998   Buddy Hall (2)   Tang Hoa 11–5 Chesapeake Conference Center, VA $25,000 $105,500
1999   Johnny Archer   Jeremy Jones 11–7 Chesapeake Conference Center, VA $30,000 $131,600
2000   Earl Strickland (5)   Takeshi Okumura 11–5 Chesapeake Conference Center, VA $50,000 $211,000
2001   Corey Deuel   Mika Immonen 11–0 Chesapeake Conference Center, VA $30,000 $148,200
2002   Ralf Souquet   Alex Pagulayan 13–11 Chesapeake Conference Center, VA $30,000 $150,000
2003   Jeremy Jones   Jose Parica 11–4 Chesapeake Conference Center, VA $30,000 $125,000
2004   Gabe Owen   Thorsten Hohmann 11–3 Chesapeake Conference Center, VA $30,000 $145,000
2005   Alex Pagulayan   Jose Parica 11–6 Chesapeake Conference Center, VA $40,000 $200,000
2006   John Schmidt   Rodolfo Luat 11–6 Chesapeake Conference Center, VA $40,000 $159,000
2007   Shane Van Boening   Ronnie Alcano 13–10 Chesapeake Conference Center, VA $50,000 $182,000
2008   Mika Immonen   Ronnie Alcano 13–7 Chesapeake Conference Center, VA $40,000 $212,000
2009   Mika Immonen (2)   Ralf Souquet 13–10 Chesapeake Conference Center, VA $40,000 $200,000
2010   Darren Appleton   Corey Deuel 15–13 Chesapeake Conference Center, VA $40,000 $180,000
2011   Darren Appleton (2)   Shawn Putnam 13–6 Chesapeake Conference Center, VA $30,000 $175,100
2012   Shane Van Boening (2)   Dennis Orcollo 13–7 Holiday Inn Virginia Beach Norfolk, VA $25,000 $170,000
2013   Shane Van Boening (3)   Lee Vann Corteza 13–10 Marriott Chesapeake, Norfolk, VA $30,000 $135,000
2014   Shane Van Boening (4)   Dennis Orcollo 13–10 Marriott Chesapeake, Norfolk, VA $30,000 $165,000
2015   Kevin Cheng   Karl Boyes 13–6 Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel, Norfolk, VA $40,000 $192,000
2016   Shane Van Boening (5)   Chang Jung-lin 13–9 Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel, Norfolk, VA $50,000 $200,000
2017   Jayson Shaw   Eklent Kaci 13–4 Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel, Norfolk, VA $40,000 $200,000
2019   Joshua Filler   Wu Jiaqing 13–10 Mandalay Bay Resort, Las Vegas, NV $50,000 $300,000
2021   Carlo Biado   Aloysius Yapp 13–8 Harrah's Resort, Atlantic City, NJ $50,000 $300,000
2022[18]   Francisco Sanchez Ruiz   Max Lechner 13–10 Harrah's Resort, Atlantic City, NJ $50,000 $300,000
2023   Ko Ping-chung   Fedor Gorst 13–6 Harrah's Resort, Atlantic City, NJ $50,000 $300,000

Records edit

  • Earl Strickland and Shane Van Boening, both from the U.S., share the record for winning the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship the most times: five. Strickland in (1984, 1987, 1993, 1997, 2000). Van Boening in (2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016).[19]
  • Van Boening holds the record for the most consecutive wins: three. (2012, 2013, 2014).
  • The oldest pool player to ever win the men's tournament to date is Mike Lebrón of Puerto Rico, at 54 years old. The youngest player to win to date is Joshua Filler of Germany, at 21 years old.[20]

Top Performers edit

[20]

Name Nationality Winner Runner-up Finals Semi-final
or better 		Final stage
appearances
Earl Strickland   United States 5 0 5 8 16
Shane Van Boening   United States 5 9
Mike Sigel   United States 3 2 12 16
Nick Varner   United States 2 4 6 9
David Howard   United States 4 10
Mika Immonen   Finland 1 3 5 8
Allen Hopkins   United States 3 12
Buddy Hall   United States 0 2 4 11
Darren Appleton   England 2 6
Efren Reyes   Philippines 1 3 4 6 9
Johnny Archer   United States 2 3 7 15
Steve Mizerak   United States 1 2 5 12
Ralf Souquet   Germany 4 9
Alex Pagulayan   Canada 7
Corey Deuel   United States 3 8
Mike Lebron   Puerto Rico 2 5
Jeremy Jones   United States 3
Rodney Morris   United States 0 1 3 8
Jayson Shaw   Scotland 7
Jimmy Reid   United States 2 6
Francisco Sanchez Ruiz   Spain 4
Louie Roberts   United States
Ko Ping-chung   Taiwan 3
Tommy Kennedy   United States
Carlo Biado   Philippines
Gabe Owen   United States 2
Joshua Filler   Germany 1 4
Reed Pierce   United States 2
John Schmidt   United States 1
Kevin Cheng   Taiwan
Jose Parica   Philippines 0 2 2 5 12
Jim Rempe   United States 11
Dennis Orcollo   Philippines 6
Ronnie Alcano   Philippines 2 5
Rodolfo Luat   Philippines 1 1 4 6
Chang Jung-lin   Taiwan 3 5
Kim Davenport   United States 2 7
Lee Vann Corteza   Philippines 3
Aloysius Yapp   Singapore 2
Tony Ellin   United States
Thorsten Hohmann   Germany 1 5
Karl Boyes   England 4
Dennis Hatch   United States 3
Max Lechner   Austria
Ray Martin   United States
Tang Hoa   United States
Takeshi Okumura   Japan
Eklent Kaci   Albania 2
Fedor Gorst   Russia
Pete Margo   United States
Mike Zuglan   United States 1
Shawn Putnam   United States
Wu Jiaqing   China
  • Active participants are shown in bold.
  • Only players who reached the final are included.
  • Final stage appearances relates to players who reach the last 12 players of the event. As of 2019, final stages include last 16 players, due to format change.
  • In the event of identical records, players are sorted in alphabetical order by first name.

Women edit

Unlike the men's tournament, the U.S. Open is not a true "open" event. Each female player must qualify through the Women's Professional Billiard Association (WPBA), the professional women's billiards tour based in the United States, in order to compete in this annual event..

Year Winner
1984   Jean Balukas
1985   Belinda Bearden
1986   Jean Balukas (2)
1987   Jean Balukas (3)
1988   Ewa Mataya
1989   LoreeJon Jones
1990   JoAnn Mason
1991   Ewa Mataya (2)
1992   Robin Bell
1994   Jeanette Lee
1999   Allison Fisher
2002   Helena Thornfeldt
2003   Karen Corr
2004   Kim Ga-young
2005   Allison Fisher (2)
2006   Allison Fisher (3)
2007   Allison Fisher (4)
2008   Kelly Fisher
2009   Kim Ga-young (2)
2010   Kim Ga-young (3)
2011   Allison Fisher (5)
2012   Allison Fisher (6)
2016   Kim Ga-young (4)
2017   Karen Corr (2)

References edit

  1. ^ Barry Behrman (July 7, 2011). "Statement From Barry Behrman and Shannon Berhman Paschall-Exclusive to AZB". AzBilliards.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2011-07-15.
  2. ^ a b c "History". USOpen9BallChampionships.com. Norfolk, VA: Q-Master Billiards. 2009. Archived from the original on July 24, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  3. ^ "Contact". USOpen9BallChampionships.com. op. cit. 2010. Archived from the original on March 17, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  4. ^ "American Billiard Review Nov 1976". American Billiard Review. No. Nov 1976. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  5. ^ "National Billiards News Aug 1978". National Billards News. No. Aug 1978. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  6. ^ "Billiards Digest Mar 1979". Billiards Digest. No. Mar 1979. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  7. ^ "National Billiards News Dec 1979". National Billiards News. No. Dec 1979. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  8. ^ "National Billiards News Jan 1981". National Billiards News. No. Jan 1981. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  9. ^ "National Billiards News Feb 1982". National Billiards News. No. Feb 1982. Archived from the original on 2021-11-26. Retrieved 2021-11-26.
  10. ^ "National Billiards News Jan 1983". National Billiards News. No. Jan 1983. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  11. ^ "National Billiards News Feb 1984". National Billiards News. No. Feb 1984. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  12. ^ "National Billiards News Dec 1984". National Billiards News. No. Dec 1984. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  13. ^ "National Billiards News Dec 1985". National Billiards News. No. Dec 1985. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  14. ^ "Billiards Digest Jan 1987". Billiards Digest. No. Jan 1987. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  15. ^ "National Billiards News Feb 1988". National Billiards News. No. Feb 1988. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  16. ^ "Billiards Digest Feb 1989". Billiards Digest. No. Feb 1989. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  17. ^ "National Billiards News Jan 1990". National Billiards News. No. Jan 1990. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  18. ^ "US Open Pool Championship 2022". Archived from the original on 2022-10-16. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  19. ^ USOpen9BallChampionships.com Archived 2007-10-20 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 October 2007
  20. ^ a b "History of The U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships". U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships. Archived from the original on 2004-04-10. Retrieved 2017-02-19.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=U.S._Open_Pool_Championship&oldid=1218571403"