UK Open
JOSHUA FILLER Wins 2022 UK Open Pool Championship
Story by MATT LYNCH - Matchroom Multi Sport / Photos courtesy TAKA WU - Matchroom Multisport
JOSHUA FILLER 13-7 FRANCISCO SANCHEZ RUIZ
F
iller won the lag and won the opening rack in a sign of early nerves from Sanchez Ruiz. Sanchez Ruiz was left with a tricky jump over the eight to make the two, he proceeded to foul on the eight, and soon it was 1-0 to Filler. Routine break and runs in the second and third gave Filler a quick 3-0 lead inside 15 minutes. Filler
was on the hunt for his second title in as many weeks in the Nineball arena, but he let Sanchez Ruiz back in in the fourth after narrowly missing the middle pocket when jumping to make the seven. El Ferrari rallied from there to win the resulting three racks to level at 3-3. At 3-3, Filler had an opportunity at the table again on the one but couldn’t do much with an attempted cut. Sanchez Ruiz ran out from there with an
exquisite bank on the five ball the pick of the lot as he led for the first time at 4-3. A formulaic break and run in the eighth put El Ferrari ahead by two. As much as both love the exhibition shot, the game was often deep-rooted in technical safety battles. The pick of it in the ninth as both Filler and Sanchez Ruiz hid the cue ball on multiple occasions away from the two. Sanchez Ruiz blinked first though after Filler Joshua and Pia Filler
22 | Billiards Buzz • June 2022
