Team Europe got off to the perfect start after an enthralling start to the Mosconi Cup as they took a 4-0 lead over Team USA at the Alexandra Palace in London on a night which included a golden break.
Jayson Shaw, Albin Ouschan and Joshua Filler were the stars for Europe, who have won the last three editions of the Mosconi Cup – which is pool’s version of the Ryder Cup.
The first team to 11 match wins over the four days of action will win the event and USA have left themselves with a mammoth task on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
It’s just the fourth time a team has won every match on the opening night of the Mosconi Cup, which began in 1994. On each occasion, the losing side has never come back to win the event.
As has become Mosconi Cup tradition, the team match kicked off the event where each of the five players on each team go head to head in singles racks in a best of nine match – all matches at the Mosconi Cup are first to five racks.
Shaw faced Shane Van Boening in the first match of the night and the American looked like he was going to clear the table off the break but missed the nine ball. A raucous crowd urged Shaw on and he downed the ball to get Europe up and running.
USA’s Skyler Woodward and Tyler Styer won their racks to put the away side 2-1 up in the first match before Ouschan hit a golden break which got the crowd on their feet.
David Alcaide edged Europe 3-2 ahead, then Van Boening missed a crucial ball against Shaw again, this time the penultimate ball and the Scotsman punished him.
Woodward and Styer got USA back in it to set up a deciding rack between Ouschan and Fedor Gorst, who is a Russian-born player that is representing USA at the Mosconi Cup after recently being granted permanent residency in America.
Ouschan held his nerve to give Europe their first opening match victory since 2018.
Europe domination continues
The partnership of Shaw and Ouschan visibly oozed on confidence in the first doubles match as a frustrated Van Boening continued to make mistakes, alongside compatriot Styer.
Shaw and Ouschan were ahead all match as they cruised to a 5-2 win.
Next up was a singles match between Filler and Woodward – both players had won their racks in the team event.
However, it was one-way traffic in this encounter as Filler stormed to a 5-0 victory, which included an incredible plant shot in the penultimate rack.
Coincidentally, it was the first singles whitewash at the Mosconi Cup in three years when Filler also thumped Woodward on that occasion.
Spanish duo Francisco Sanchez Ruiz and Alcaide raced into a 2-0 lead in the final doubles match of the night before USA’s Shane Wolford and Gorst rallied to draw level by winning the next to racks.
Sanchez and Alcaide tactically restored their two-rack advantage, then USA pulled one back only for the Spaniards to win 5-3 to complete a Europe clean sweep on day one.
“An amazing day for team Europe. I’m really, really happy. It’s my first time here in Ally Pally and I can feel all the crowd. It’s amazing,” said Sanchez, who is nine-ball pool’s world No 1.
“It’s only the first day so we have to continue tomorrow [Thursday] and let’s see what happens.”
What’s next at the Mosconi Cup?
Three doubles and three singles matches follow on each of Thursday and Friday, with up to five singles matches on the final day on Saturday at the Alexandra Palace.
You can watch every match live on Sky Sports Arena from 6.30pm on each day of action. Stream the Mosconi Cup and more with NOW