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In a way, Eklent Kaci’s biggest victory of 2021 was the fact that he made it to Las Vegas at all. 

The big Albanian had spent more time in his home country than he had hoped, missing a spring Matchroom event in England when his teammate couldn’t get a visa in time then missing a handful of additional events while waiting nearly three months for his “expedited” visa. Once he finally secured the proper credentials, Kaci was denied the opportunity to board his flight to the United States on August 29due to a reservation mix-up and was forced to skip the Diamond Las Vegas Open. 

Poland’s Wiktor Zielinski received the full U.S. Pro Billiard Series experience on Saturday night. 

Playing on the final day of the Alfa Las Vegas Open, he shut out Switzerland’s Dimitri Jungo 4-0 in the first set of the quarterfinals only to have Jungo defeat him by the same 4-0 score in the following frame. He survived back-to-back shootouts, first against Jungo and then against Billiard Congress of America Hall of Famer Mika Immonen in the semifinals. And in the finals against Aloysius Yapp, he looked like he’d miss his chance to snag the opening set only to have a fortunate roll toss it right back into his lap. 

Wu Kun-Lin had been close to the finish line in a handful of major events in recent years only to stumble when he reached the finish line. 

So, when he reached the last day of September’s Diamond Las Vegas Open, Wu was resolute to finish the job this time. So determined, that the 22-year-old found himself walking around the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino, host facility for the tournament, giving himself pep talks to try and remain composed. 

It only made sense that Alex Kazakis’s day end in the same way that it started. 

As he progressed through the brackets of the single-elimination phase of the Apex Wisconsin Open, the young Greek’s performance resembled that of a yo-yo. Just when it seemed he was gaining momentum or about to close out a set, a mistake would cost him. Conversely, when it seemed Kazakis’s championship hopes were starting to wane, an opponent would miss or commit a crucial tactical error. 

When spectators attend a concert, they’re usually treated to an opening act or two, hired to get the crowd engaged and set the tone for the night and the event’s main attraction. 

Wednesday morning’s starting match at the Apex Wisconsin Open was the equivalent of skipping the warm-up acts completely and heading straight into the hottest new bands, with former World 9-Ball champion Fedor Gorst facing reigning World 10-Ball champion Eklent Kaci in a first-round clash. The two opened play with a nip-and-tuck battle, with Gorst taking advantage of a crucial mistake by his opponent to come from behind and steal a straight-sets victory, 4-2, 4-3, at the Ho-Chunk Resort and Casino in the Wisconsin Dells. 

Last July, Fedor Gorst helped to kick off the first-ever Arcadia Arizona Open, the first of four events in the newly-created U.S. Pro Billiard Series, by posting an undefeated record and taking down eventual U.S. Pool champion Carlo Biado in the finals.

Reigning World Pool Champion Albin Ouschan and FargoRate Ohio Open winner Mario He are definitely familiar with not only each other but each other’s game, with both calling Austria home as well as competing and traveling together for the last dozen or so years.

CueSports International (CSI) and Predator Group are excited to announce that the 2022 US Pro Billiard Series will feature nearly a half-million dollars in added prize money and a total prize fund of approximately $775,000, representing more than a 300% increase in added money over the inaugural 2021 season. All six events will have more than $52,000 added each, upgrading them all to World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) Category 3 sanctioned events which secure the exclusive dates on the WPA calendar and allow players to earn more WPA ranking points from each event. The 2022 season will culminate with the 2023 Predator World 10-Ball Championship, boasting a quarter-million-dollar prize fund, held as part of the CueSports International Expo in Las Vegas, February 22 – March 4, 2023.

Team Europe has won the 2021 Cazoo Mosconi Cup at Alexandra Palace, London to retain the cup for a second year in an 11-6 victory over Team USA.

The FargoRate Ohio Open was the fourth and final stop of the U.S. Pro Billiard Series, which featured four open professional events between July and the end of the year. Created by Predator Group and amateur league operator CueSports International, these tournaments will run in tandem alongside CSI league amateur events being held throughout the country. The winner of each competition receives a guaranteed spot in the $130,000-added 2022 Predator World 10-Ball Championship, which will be held March 28 through April 1 in Las Vegas at the Rio Hotel and Casino.

It is the final day of Austria open in Klagenfurt, the first European event in the Probilliardseries. 4 women and 8 men left in the two respective tournaments, all 12 players with a chance to grab that 15K first prize and the honor of becoming the winner of the inaugural event on European soil.

Three World titles were to be won on this final day of the 2021 Predator World Junior 9-Ball Championships in Klagenfurt, Austria. In the morning, the faces of the youngsters warming up for their D-day showed the enormity of what could be achieved. To have their name added to the WPA hall of fame and to have their name cemented in 9-ball history.