The final stop of the Predator Pro Billiard Series brings the world’s best pool players to Battle Creek, Michigan, as the series returns to Kellogg Arena for the third Michigan Open presented by Samsung TV Plus, which begins on the 20th. september.
Played in conjunction with the CSI Leagues’ Michigan State Championships, the Michigan Open presented by Samsung TV plus features a 64-player Men’s Open through September 24 and a 48-player Women’s Open that concludes on September 23.
DRAW Open Men
In the Men’s Open, Aloysius Yapp of Singapore, a series winner at Kellogg Arena, looks to extend his run to three from three in Battle Creek, Michigan. He beat Filipino Roberto Gomez 4-0, 4-2 in the first stage of the event two years ago and regained his title last year, beating Hong Kong’s Robbie Capito 4-2, 4- 1 in the final.
The event is symbolic of the rapid growth of the Predator Pro Billiard series. Just two years ago, Yapp won $12,000 for his victory at the inaugural Michigan Open. This prize increased to $20,000 12 months later when the Singaporean received his second Battle Creek check. This year, the winner stands to win $22,500 out of a total prize pool of $75,000 (plus nearly $50,000).
As Yapp looks to complete an unprecedented Predator Pro Billiard Series hat-trick, he will face tough competition from an international field of world-class competitors, including Fedor Gorst, who hopes to add to his previous three titles PBS – a record that could be equaled by Yapp if the 27-year-old completes his hat-trick in the Great Lakes State.
Other previous title winners competing in Michigan include Poland’s Witkor Zielinski and Alex Kazakis and Dimitris Loukatos, both from Greece.
Women’s open draw
At the Women’s Open, Great Britain’s Kelly Fisher will look to defend her title while reaffirming her dominance in the Predator Pro Billiard Series.
Fisher, a multiple world champion in billiards and snooker, has won three of the first four Pro Billiard Series Women’s Opens. However, since her victory in Michigan last September completed Fisher’s dominance of the first 12 months of the series, some of Asia’s best players have come to the fore.
Wei Tzu-Chien won the Puerto Rico Open last November, and the first two legs of 2023 were won by Seo Seoa in Las Vegas and Chieh-Yu Chou in Wisconsin. All three will compete at Michigan. Also registered are German Pia Filler, who recently won bronze at the China Open, Austrian Jasmin Ouschan and the Duchess of Destiny, Allison Fisher.
The 48-player Women’s Open will take place September 20-23 and has a total prize pool of $60,000, with the champion expected to win $18,000.
Both Opens have a double elimination format in Stage 1 and a single elimination format for Stage 2 (last 16 players). Stage 1 matches are best-of-two sets, with a 4-way race in each set, with a shootout to determine the winner when the score in the sets is tied 1-1. A third set is played during Stage 2, with a shootout determining the winner when the set score is tied 1-1 and the third set score is tied 3-3.
Fans can watch Table 1 matches live and free on the World Billiard TV YouTube channel. Fans can also watch live on Billiard TV, available on many platforms including Samsung TV Plus.
The Michigan Open presented by Samsung TV Plus is the third stop of the year for the Predator Pro Billiard Series. The series will host three WPA World Championship events in Austria in October; The Predator WPA Men’s 8-Ball World Championship, the Predator WPA Women’s 10-Ball World Championship and the Predator WPA Junior 10-Ball World Championships. The year ends in San Juan, Puerto Rico with the Medalla Light Puerto Rico Men’s and Women’s Opens and the WPA World Team Championship.
The Michigan Open presented by Samsung TV Plus is played in conjunction with the CSI Leagues Michigan State Championships. The tournament will be played on 9-foot Predator Apex pool tables with Predator Arcadia Reserve Performance Cloth and Predator Arcos II balls.
The Predator Pro Billiard Series is hosted in partnership with CSI, BCA Pool Leagues, Kamui, Medalla Light and Rums of Puerto Rico.
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