Perfect week: Filler takes the Aramith Men’s Open
Joshua Filler didn’t lose a match in Bali. The German closed out the Predator Pro Billiard Series’ Aramith Men’s Open on Monday by beating China’s Mi Le 2–0 at the Bali International Convention Centre, and it was a lot tighter than the scoreline suggests.
The opening set went the full distance. Mi Le had his chance at double hill, 3–3, but went wrong on the eight ball, and Filler stepped in to take it 4–3. After that the fight drained out of the final: Filler blanked the second set 4–0 to wrap up the $42,000 first prize. Mi Le banks $20,000 from the $150,000 purse.
CueScore has Filler at eight matches won, none lost, with only three sets dropped all week. The only player to take a set off him once the field was cut to the last 32 was Fabio Rizzi, in a 4–1, 2–4, 4–1 last-16 scare. Filler then saw off Carlo Biado 4–2, 4–3 in the quarter-finals and was ruthless against close friend Francisco Sanchez Ruiz in the semis, winning 4–0, 4–1.
Mi Le got there the hard way. He beat Daniel Macioł 4–2, 4–3 in the quarters, then edged Robbie Capito in a semi-final that went to a third set and then a shootout, which Mi Le won 6–5 with a clutch final shot.
Final day in numbers
- Final: Joshua Filler (GER) 2–0 Mi Le (CHN), sets 4–3, 4–0
- Semi-finals: Filler 2–0 Francisco Sanchez Ruiz (4–0, 4–1); Mi Le 2–1 Robbie Capito (4–3, 3–4, third set level at 3–3 and settled 6–5 in a shootout)
- Format: Pro Billiard Series 10-ball, best of three sets, race to four; shootout if the third set reaches 3–3
- Prize money: Winner $42,000 · runner-up $20,000 · semi-finalists $10,000 · quarter-finalists $5,000
The win rounds off a long Bali swing for the Pro Billiard Series, which also staged the Women’s World 9-Ball Championship alongside the men’s event.
Where to watch: Replays of the main table are free on Pro Billiard TV (YouTube) and the Billiard TV website.
Commonwealth Cue Sports Championships: India’s first time as host
The international focus moves to Gujarat this week. The second Commonwealth Cue Sports Championships run from 7 to 10 October at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Naranpura, Ahmedabad. It’s the first time India has hosted, a year after the first edition in Mauritius.
Players arrive on Wednesday, with the athletes’ meeting and opening ceremony that evening. Competition runs from Thursday 8 to Saturday 10 October. Players from around 46 Commonwealth nations are expected across five disciplines, each with a men’s and a women’s event:
- Snooker: 16-player draws
- English billiards: eight-player draws, new to the programme this year
- 10-ball pool: 16-player draws
- Blackball: 16-player draws
- Heyball: 16-player draws
The Billiards & Snooker Federation of India hosts the event as part of its centenary year, with Apex Sports Promotion organising under the WCBS and Commonwealth Sport banner. India’s squad includes past Commonwealth medallists Vidya Pillai and Shivam Arora, so the home crowd will expect medals.
A breather on the main snooker tour
Wu Yize’s Shenzhen Open title is done, and the World Snooker Tour has no ranking event this week. The next big stop is the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open at Belfast’s Waterfront Hall, 18–25 October. In the meantime the amateur game carries on Down Under: the Bob Hawke AC Memorial Australian Open, event four on the Asia-Pacific Q Tour, is at Mounties in Sydney from 8 to 11 October.
On the radar
- Ahmedabad, India · 7–10 Oct: Commonwealth Cue Sports Championships (snooker, billiards, 10-ball, blackball, heyball)
- Sydney, Australia · 8–11 Oct: Asia-Pacific Q Tour event 4 (Australian Open), Mounties
- Laconia, New Hampshire, USA · 10–11 Oct: Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour stop 4, Winnipesaukee Bar & Billiards. $1,500 added to the main event, plus a $500-added second-chance event
- Makati, Philippines · 15–18 Oct: Reyes Cup, Makati Coliseum
- Belfast, Northern Ireland · 18–25 Oct: BetVictor Northern Ireland Open, Waterfront Hall
- Quezon City, Philippines · 20–24 Oct: Roobet Philippines Open Pool Championship (World Nineball Tour Major), Gateway Mall. David Alcaide defends; live on WNT TV
Playing in a league, a county ranking event or a weekend open we should know about? Post the details below and I’ll chase it up for a future roundup.
— Reggie Rutherford
Feature image: “Billiard Balls and Rack” by TagTeamDesign, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0.
Sources: Absolute Pool, CueScore / Pro Billiard Series, WCBS, WPA, BSFI, World Nineball Tour, Waterfront Hall, WPBSA, Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour.
