World Pool Masters | Immonen and He replace Yu-Lung and Al-Shaheen

Chang Yu-Lung and Omar Al-Shaheen have both withdrawn from the upcoming World Pool Masters at the Europa Point Sports Complex, Gibraltar due to travel issues.

Former World Champion and Hall of Famer Mika Immonen and two-time World Cup of Pool winner Mario He will replace Yu-Lung and Al-Shaheen respectively when the world’s most prestigious invitational pool tournament gets underway May 5-8.

Immonen will meet Spain’s Francisco Sanchez Ruiz in the preliminary stage on Friday, 6 May to face Albin Ouschan in the Last 16.

He meanwhile takes on Switzerland’s Dimitri Jungo with the winner set to meet Nineball World No. 5 Max Lechner.

The top eight seeded players from the 2022 Nineball World Rankings enter at the last 16, where they are joined by the winners from the preliminary round, where players ranked 9-24 face-off.

The pick of the draw sees the Ko brothers, Ping Chung and Pin Yi go head-to-head to reach the Last 16 and take on two-time champion David Alcaide. Recently crowned champion of the world Shane Van Boening will meet one of Lo Ho Sum of Hong Kong, China, or Denis Grabe of Estonia. Masters rookie Oliver Szolnoki takes on America’s Skyler Woodward with Joshua Filler awaiting the winner.

US Open runner-up Aloysius Yapp faces the winner of Jayson Shaw and Mieszko Fortunski. Naoyuki Oi meanwhile faces one of Abdullah Alyousef and two-time winner Niels Feijen.

Fans will be treated to Szolnoki against Woodward and Shaw’s encounter with Fortunski in the opening session on Thursday, 5 May before the preliminary stage concludes on Friday afternoon with Ping Chung vs Pin Yi and Sanchez Ruiz against Immonen.