U.S. Open Pool Championship

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

The U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships 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.

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

History[]

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 a male-only event, though it is otherwise a true "open" tournament, in that the only requirement is the payment of the entry fee, which was $1000 in 2015. The total purse for the tournament at that time was $200,000, where the winner was awarded $40,000.

Original U.S. Open promoter (right) with of (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 Sport, who moved it to Las Vegas.[4]

Format[]

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 2021, 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.

Past champions[]

Men[]

Year Winner Runner-up Venue
2021 Philippines Carlo Biado Singapore Aloysius Yapp Harrah’s Resort, Atlantic City, NJ
2020 not held
2019 Germany Joshua Filler China Wu Jia-qing Mandalay Bay Resort, Las Vegas, NA
2018 not held
Scotland Jayson Shaw Albania Eklent Kaci Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel, Norfolk, VA
2016 United States Shane Van Boening (5) Taiwan Chang Jung-Lin Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel, Norfolk, VA
2015 Chinese Taipei Cheng Yu-hsuan England Karl Boyes Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel, Norfolk, VA
United States Shane Van Boening (4) Philippines Dennis Orcollo Marriott Chesapeake, Norfolk, VA
United States Shane Van Boening (3) Philippines Lee Vann Corteza Marriott Chesapeake, Norfolk, VA
United States Shane Van Boening (2) Philippines Dennis Orcollo Holiday Inn Virginia Beach Norfolk, VA
England Darren Appleton (2) United States Chesapeake Conference Center, VA
2010 England Darren Appleton United States Corey Deuel Chesapeake Conference Center, VA
2009 Finland Mika Immonen (2) Germany Ralf Souquet Chesapeake Conference Center, VA
2008 Finland Mika Immonen Philippines Ronnie Alcano Chesapeake Conference Center, VA
2007 United States Shane Van Boening Philippines Ronnie Alcano Chesapeake Conference Center, VA
2006 United States John Schmidt Philippines Rodolfo Luat Chesapeake Conference Center, VA
2005 Canada Alex Pagulayan Philippines Jose Parica Chesapeake Conference Center, VA
2004 United States Germany Thorsten Hohmann Chesapeake Conference Center, VA
2003 United States Jeremy Jones Philippines Jose Parica Chesapeake Conference Center, VA
2002 Germany Ralf Souquet Canada Alex Pagulayan Chesapeake Conference Center, VA
2001 United States Corey Deuel Finland Mika Immonen Chesapeake Conference Center, VA
2000 United States Earl Strickland (5) Japan Takeshi Okumura Chesapeake Conference Center, VA
1999 United States Johnny Archer United States Jeremy Jones Chesapeake Conference Center, VA
1998 United States Buddy Hall (2) United States Chesapeake Conference Center, VA
1997 United States Earl Strickland (4) Philippines Efren Reyes Chesapeake Conference Center, VA
1996 United States Rodney Morris Philippines Efren Reyes Virginia Beach Convention Center, VA
1995 United States Reed Pierce Philippines Efren Reyes Holiday Inn, Chesapeake, VA
1994 Philippines Efren Reyes United States Nick Varner Holiday Inn, Chesapeake, VA
1993 United States Earl Strickland (3) United States Tony Ellin Holiday Inn, Chesapeake, VA
1992 United States United States Johnny Archer Holiday Inn, Chesapeake, VA
1991 United States Buddy Hall United States Holiday Inn, Chesapeake, VA
1990 United States Nick Varner (2) United States Johnny Archer Lake Wright Hotel, Norfolk, VA
1989 United States Nick Varner United States Kim Davenport Lake Wright Hotel, Norfolk, VA
1988 Puerto Rico Mike Lebrón United States Nick Varner Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA
1987 United States Earl Strickland (2) United States Jim Rempe Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA
1986 United States (2) United States Allen Hopkins Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA
1985 United States Jimmy Reid Puerto Rico Mike Lebrón Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA
1984 United States Earl Strickland United States Mike Sigel Lake Wright Hotel, Norfolk, VA
1983 United States Mike Sigel (3) United States Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA
1982 United States United States Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA
1981 United States Allen Hopkins (2) United States Mike Sigel Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA
1980 United States Mike Sigel (2) United States Ray Martin Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA
1979 United States United States Steve Mizerak Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA
1978 United States Steve Mizerak United States Jim Rempe Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA
1977 United States Allen Hopkins Unknown Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA
1976 United States Mike Sigel Unknown Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA

Records[]

  • Earl Strickland and Shane Van Boening, all from the U.S., share the record for winning the Men's U.S. Open the most times: five. Strickland in 1984, 1987, 1993, 1997, and 2000. Van Boening in 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2016.[5]
  • Van Boening holds the record for the most consecutive wins: three. (2012, 2013, 2014).
  • Van Boening is the winner of the largest first-place prize ever offered at the event, for the time, with a prize of $50,000, in 2007. Van Boening remained undefeated in the field of 233 players, beating Ronato Alcano 13–10 in the final.[6]
  • The oldest pool player to ever win the men's tournament to date is Mike Lebrón of Puerto Rico, 54 years old at the time of his victory. The youngest is Joshua Filler of Germany, aged 21 years old at the time of his victory.[7]

Top Performers[]

Rank Name Nationality Winner Runner-up Finals
1 Shane Van Boening  United States 5 0 5
Earl Strickland  United States 5 0 5
2 Mike Sigel  United States 3 2 5
3 Nick Varner  United States 2 1 3
Allen Hopkins  United States 2 1 3
 United States 2 1 3
Mika Immonen  Finland 2 1 3
4 Darren Appleton  United Kingdom 2 0 2
Buddy Hall  United States 2 0 2
5 Efren Reyes  Philippines 1 3 4
6 Johnny Archer  United States 1 2 3
7 Alex Pagulayan  Canada 1 1 2
Corey Deuel  United States 1 1 2
Jeremy Jones  United States 1 1 2
Ralf Souquet  Germany 1 1 2
Mike Lebrón  Puerto Rico 1 1 2
Steve Mizerak  United States 1 1 2
  • Active players are shown in bold.


Women[]

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, the professional women's billiards tour based in the United States, in order to compete in this annual event.

Year Winner
2016 South Korea Ga-young Kim (4)[8]
2012 England Allison Fisher (6)[9][10]
2011 England Allison Fisher[9][10]
2010 South Korea Ga-young Kim (3)[8]
2009 South Korea Ga-young Kim[8]
2008 England Kelly Fisher[11]
2007 England Allison Fisher[9][10]
2006 England Allison Fisher[9][10]
2005 England Allison Fisher[9][10]
2004 South Korea Ga-young Kim[8]
2003 Northern Ireland Karen Corr[12]
2002 Sweden
1999 England Allison Fisher[9][10]
1994 United States Jeanette Lee[13]
1992 United States
1991 Sweden Ewa Laurance[14]
1990 United States
1989 United States Loree Jon Jones
1988 Sweden Ewa Laurance (2)[14]

References[]

  1. ^ Barry Behrman (July 7, 2011). "Statement From Barry Behrman and Shannon Berhman Paschall-Exclusive to AZB". AzBilliards.com. Retrieved 2011-07-15.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "History". USOpen9BallChampionships.com. Norfolk, VA: Q-Master Billiards. 2009. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  3. ^ "Contact". USOpen9BallChampionships.com. op. cit. 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  4. ^ "History". USOpen9BallChampionships.com. Norfolk, VA: . 2009. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  5. ^ USOpen9BallChampionships.com Archived 2007-10-20 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 October 2007
  6. ^ "US Open Down to Final Four", BilliardsDigest.com, October 20, 2007. Retrieved October 21, 2007
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Player biographies (Ga Young Kim)". WPBA.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "WPBA's Top 5". Billiards Digest. Chicago, Illinois: Luby Publishing. 30 (3): 55. February 2008. ISSN 0164-761X.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Cuetec Cues US Open Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine, WPBA.com. Retrieved 21 October 2007.
  11. ^ "Player biographies (Kelly Fisher)". WPBA.com. Archived from the original on June 9, 2008. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
  12. ^ "Player biographies (Karen Corr)". WPBA.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2008. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
  13. ^ "Player biographies (Jeanette Lee)". WPBA.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b "Player biographies (Ewa Laurance)". WPBA.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved 2009-09-06.

External links[]

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