Van Boening Completes His Florida Redemption To Claim The Crown | 2026 Florida Open Pool Championship

Reflecting on his dominant display, Biado said: “I hope I can play the same way again tomorrow. I felt lucky to get through my first match this week with the way I was playing, so I knew I had to raise my level today, and I think I did that.

“I still want to spend some time practicing, especially my break, because every match gets tougher from here. I’d love to win this title, but this whole month is important. There are big ranking points available, and if I can have good results throughout all three events, I believe I can qualify for the Reyes Cup again. That’s a big motivation for me.”

Defending champion Aloysius Yapp continued his recovery from an opening-day defeat with an impressive 10-5 victory over Ukraine’s Vitaliy Patsura to keep both his title defence and World No.1 ranking firmly alive.

Yapp said: “I’m happy to get through because Vitaliy is a good player. I still don’t feel like I’m playing my best, but I’m finding ways to win, and that’s important.

“I still need to improve my game if I want to defend this title. I’ll keep working, keep practicing, and hopefully my best game is still to come.”

One of the standout matches of the day saw former Mosconi Cup rivals Eklent Kaçi and Billy Thorpe renew their rivalry in a thrilling contest. Thorpe looked set to force a deciding rack before a costly error on the 9-ball handed Kaçi the final rack and ended the American’s Florida Open campaign and secure his spot in the next round.

Kaçi commented: “It’s always a tough battle against Billy. He is a great opponent. In matches like that, it’s all about keeping your nerve, and thankfully I managed to do that today.

“I’m feeling more confident with every match. It’s been a while since I’ve won a title but I believe can win this week. The key now is to keep building and take it one match at a time.”

Elsewhere, a number of notable names exited the tournament, including this year’s European Open runner-up Mario He, Japan’s Naoyuki Oi and Spain’s Jonas Souto. Souto’s run was ended by former European Open champion Mickey Krause, who produced an impressive 10-7 victory to snub Souto’s title pursuit and continue his run in Orlando.

Krause said: “I haven’t been playing my best this week, so I’m happy with the win today. I had to come through the Losers’ Bracket just to get here, and when I saw I was playing Jonas, I knew I had to raise my level.

“We’ve played each other for many years, going back to the junior events, so I know how good he is. And I knew It would be a tough draw. So to get that win is a really satisfying.

Reflecting on the possibility of claiming the title in Orlando this week, Krause added: “It’s been two years since I won my first Open title, and I’d love to make this week my second. I know I am capable of doing it.”

With the field now reduced to 64 players, the Florida Open Pool Championship enters another crucial stage tomorrow as the remaining contenders battle through two knockout rounds for places in the Last 16.