World No.1 Aloysius Yapp suffered a shock exit on Day Two of the Arizona Open Pool Championship, while Shane Van Boening continued his remarkable run of form to reach another Matchroom Major Last 16, as several of the sport’s biggest names saw their title hopes come to an end in another dramatic day in Yuma.
The inaugural Arizona Open Pool Championship takes place at Quechan Casino Resort from 13–16 August, bringing four days of world-class nine-ball action as a 128-player field competes in a straight knockout format as part of the World Nineball Tour’s US Swing this August.
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World No.1 Aloysius Yapp suffered the biggest blow of the day as his Arizona Open campaign came to an end in the Last 32. After surviving a tense encounter with Indonesia’s Andri Januarta in the Last 64, the Singaporean was unable to overcome Estonia’s Denis Grabe, falling to a 10-5 defeat to bow out of the tournament.
Yapp said: “Today was tough. I didn’t feel my best and I’m still trying to adjust to my new equipment. It sucks to have days like this, especially when you feel like you’ve lost a bit of the luck you had before.
“After Florida Open didn’t go the way I wanted, I was hoping to make a difference here, but it wasn’t meant to be. That’s just how the game goes sometimes. I have to take it, learn from it and move forward.”
Yapp was not the only major name to depart, with Mosconi Cup MVP Moritz Neuhausen and former World Champion Francisco Sánchez Ruiz also falling in the Last 64. Neuhausen was defeated by America’s Nathan Childress, while Singaporean Nicholas Tan ended Sánchez Ruiz’s campaign in a dramatic 10-8 contest.
Sánchez Ruiz said: “I knew this was going to be a brutal tournament, and today I paid the price. I lost control of the match and made a few mistakes that I wouldn’t normally make.
“At 8-8, Nicholas played better when it mattered and deserved the win. It’s disappointing.”
Robbie Capito produced one of the performances of the day to reach the Last 16, overcoming AJ Manas before defeating Jayson Shaw 10-5 in a dramatic Last 32 encounter.
Capito appeared to be building an unassailable lead after a six-rack charge, only for a disputed soft-break call in the seventh rack to hand Shaw ball in hand and an opportunity to respond. Capito kept his composure, however, closing out the match to continue his run in Arizona.
Capito said: “It was a stupid decision from the referee. I hit the break a little thinner than usual, the balls didn’t spread and he called a foul. But you have to be prepared for moments like that and get over them if you want to survive.
“Some things are out of your control. I just had to forget about it, focus on what I could control.”
Meanwhile, Shane Van Boening continued his extraordinary run of form with two more decisive victories to book his place in the Last 16.
The reigning Florida Open champion first defeated Albin Ouschan 10-6 in the Last 64 — the same scoreline as their meeting in Van Boening’s run to the Florida crown last week — before dismantling 18-year-old Felix Vogel 10-1 in the Last 32.
Across his three matches in Arizona, Van Boening has dropped just seven racks, continuing the momentum that has carried him from his Florida Open triumph into another major campaign on home soil.
Van Boening said: “I feel good. Everything feels really natural on the table right now. I felt completely in control against both Albin and Felix, and I’ve felt that way over the past few weeks.
“I know I need to maintain that level if I want to win this title, and then hopefully carry it into the US Open at the end of the month. That’s the goal.”
Van Boening now faces another major test in the Last 16 as he meets reigning World Champion Carlo Biado, while David Alcaide takes on Eklent Kaçi and Jeffrey Roda faces recently crowned UK Open champion Joshua Filler in three of the other standout ties.
With just 16 players remaining, the Arizona Open enters its business end tomorrow as the contenders battle for a place in the final four and another step towards becoming the inaugural champion in Yuma.
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