OI DEFEATS FILLER, VAN BOENING MARCHES ON AT WORLD POOL CHAMPIONSHIP

Naoyuki Oi knocked Joshua Filler out of the World Pool Championship at the last 32 stage, while Americans Shane van Boening and Skyler Woodward won through to the last 16 at Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes.

Oi inflicted an 11-6 defeat on Germany’s Filler, a recent World Cup of Pool winner and the 2018 World Champion. That sets up the popular Japanese player with a last 16 match against Spain’s Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz, who ended the dreams of four-time Mosconi Cup winner Karl Boyes, who was beaten 11-3.

“I am really happy with the win, it was the best match I have played in the tournament and I am looking forward to the next round,” said Sanchez-Ruiz. “I knew it would be a tough match but I played perfect at the beginning of the match. This is the most important tournament of them all and it would be a dream to win it.”

Skyler Woodward defeated Bahram Lotfy 11-4 and will now meet Roberto Gomez, who beat Singapore’s Aloysius Yapp 11-7. Woodward’s Mosconi Cup USA teammate Van Boening continued his run of fine World Championship form with an 11-4 win over Lithuania’s Pijus Labutis.

Albin Ouschan registered an 11-7 success over Germany’s former World Champion Thorsten Hohmann, and Marc Bijsterbosch beat Billy Thorpe in a hill-hill thriller. Ouschan’s Austrian compatriot Max Lechner came from 9-5 down to Brit Elliot Sanderson to win 11-9.

There was a big win for Kuwait’s Omar Al Shaheen who beat Chris Melling 11-10 despite having missed an easy 9 to win a rack earlier.

The last 16 plays from midday on Wednesday, with Sanchez-Ruiz facing Oi on the TV table before Skyler Woodward plays Roberto Gomez, live on Sky Sports, DAZN and Matchroom.Live. The quarter-finals will then take place in the evening session from 6pm.

The full draw and brackets for the knockout stages can be found at matchroompool.com, along with live scoring throughout the event. For all the latest news and announcements follow Matchroom Pool on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.