The U.S. Open Pool Championship, formerly the U.S. Open Nine-ball Championship, is an annual professional men's nine-ball pool tournament that began in its current form in 1976. The U.S. Open is one of the most sought-after titles in nine-ball and in pool generally. Traditionally, winners of the U.S. Open are given a green blazer and are awarded free entry fees to all future U.S. Open tournaments.
In its first official edition in 1976, the U.S. Open was contested by just 16 players. Over the years, the number of participants steadily increased, reaching its current level of 256 players. [1]
The tournament is an open to men, women and wheelchair users, making it a true "open" tournament, in that the only requirement to play in the event is the payment of the entry fee. The total purse for the tournament is $300,000, where the winner is awarded $50,000.
The tournament's original venue was Q-Master Billiards pool hall, in Norfolk, Virginia, which hosted the event, other than one year, from 1976 until 1988. [2] From 1997 to 2011, the U.S. Open Men's Division was held at the Chesapeake Conference Center in Chesapeake, Virginia. [2] Q-Masters is still involved in the tournament. [3]
Original promoter Barry Behrman died on April 23, 2016. His children, Brady Behrman and Shannon Behrman Paschall, took over operating the tournament until 2018, when it was sold to Matchroom Pool. [2]
The tournament format is essentially double-elimination (a player is out of the tournament after losing two matches ) until two players remain. Most professional pool "double-elimination" events, however, are not true double-elimination formats, where the player who reaches the finals from the loser's side has to defeat the winner's side player twice for the title.
As of 2019, the tournament reverts to single-elimination from the last 16 onwards. At the U.S. Open, matches are played in races to 11, with the winner breaking. However, the final match, as is customary with most professional nine-ball tournaments today, is one extended race. At the U.S. Open, the extended race in the finals is 13 racks.
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Final score | Venue | Winner's Prize | Total Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 [4] |  Mike Sigel | Pete Margo | 11–1 | Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA | $3,100 | $8,975 |
| 1978 [5] | Allen Hopkins | Steve Mizerak | 15-11 | Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA | $5,000 | $14,500 |
| 1979 [6] | Louie Roberts | David Howard | 15-11 | Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA | $3,000 | $8,000 |
| 1979 [7] | Steve Mizerak | Jim Rempe | 11-10 | Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA | $3,600 | $8,500 |
| 1980 [8] | Mike Sigel (2) | Ray Martin | 11-7 | Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA | $3,600 | $8,500 |
| 1981 [9] | Allen Hopkins (2) | Mike Sigel | 11-7 | Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA | $4,000 | $10,000 |
| 1982 [10] | David Howard | Mike Zuglan | 10-4 | Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA | $4,000 | $10,000 |
| 1983 [11] | Mike Sigel (3) | David Howard | 11-10 | Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA | $5,000 | $13,750 |
| 1984 [12] | Earl Strickland | Mike Sigel | 11-10 | Lake Wright Hotel, Norfolk, VA | $10,000 | $25,900 |
| 1985 [13] | Jimmy Reid |  Mike Lebrón | 11-5 | Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA | $7,800 | $23,000 |
| 1986 [14] | David Howard (2) | Allen Hopkins | 11-9 | Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA | $7,000 | $22,200 |
| 1987 [15] | Earl Strickland (2) | Jim Rempe | 11-7 | Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA | $7,000 | $24,000 |
| 1988 [16] | Mike Lebrón | Nick Varner | 11-6 | Q-Master Billiards, Norfolk, VA | $8,000 | $30,000 |
| 1989 [17] | Nick Varner | Kim Davenport | 13-6 | Lake Wright Hotel, Norfolk, VA | $10,000 | $35,000 |
| 1990 | Nick Varner (2) | Johnny Archer | 11-10 | Lake Wright Hotel, Norfolk, VA | $10,000 | $41,000 |
| 1991 | Buddy Hall | Dennis Hatch | 9-8 | Holiday Inn, Chesapeake, VA | $15,000 | $65,000 |
| 1992 | Tommy Kennedy | Johnny Archer | 9–1 | Holiday Inn, Chesapeake, VA | $15,000 | $61,600 |
| 1993 | Earl Strickland (3) | Tony Ellin | 11–8 | Holiday Inn, Chesapeake, VA | $15,000 | $58,400 |
| 1994 |  Efren Reyes | Nick Varner | 9–6 | Holiday Inn, Chesapeake, VA | $15,000 | $53,200 |
| 1995 | Reed Pierce | Efren Reyes | 11–6 | Holiday Inn, Chesapeake, VA | $20,000 | $77,800 |
| 1996 | Rodney Morris | Efren Reyes | 11–6 | Virginia Beach Convention Center, VA | $25,000 | $116,250 |
| 1997 | Earl Strickland (4) | Efren Reyes | 11–3 | Chesapeake Conference Center, VA | $25,000 | $124,500 |
| 1998 | Buddy Hall (2) | Tang Hoa | 11–5 | Chesapeake Conference Center, VA | $25,000 | $105,500 |
| 1999 | Johnny Archer | Jeremy Jones | 11–7 | Chesapeake Conference Center, VA | $30,000 | $131,600 |
| 2000 | Earl Strickland (5) |  Takeshi Okumura | 11–5 | Chesapeake Conference Center, VA | $50,000 | $211,000 |
| 2001 | Corey Deuel |  Mika Immonen | 11–0 | Chesapeake Conference Center, VA | $30,000 | $148,200 |
| 2002 |  Ralf Souquet | Alex Pagulayan | 13–11 | Chesapeake Conference Center, VA | $30,000 | $150,000 |
| 2003 | Jeremy Jones | Jose Parica | 11–4 | Chesapeake Conference Center, VA | $30,000 | $125,000 |
| 2004 | Gabe Owen | Thorsten Hohmann | 11–3 | Chesapeake Conference Center, VA | $30,000 | $145,000 |
| 2005 | Alex Pagulayan | Jose Parica | 11–6 | Chesapeake Conference Center, VA | $40,000 | $200,000 |
| 2006 | John Schmidt | Rodolfo Luat | 11–6 | Chesapeake Conference Center, VA | $40,000 | $159,000 |
| 2007 | Shane Van Boening | Ronnie Alcano | 13–10 | Chesapeake Conference Center, VA | $50,000 | $182,000 |
| 2008 | Mika Immonen | Ronnie Alcano | 13–7 | Chesapeake Conference Center, VA | $40,000 | $212,000 |
| 2009 | Mika Immonen (2) | Ralf Souquet | 13–10 | Chesapeake Conference Center, VA | $40,000 | $200,000 |
| 2010 |  Darren Appleton | Corey Deuel | 15–13 | Chesapeake Conference Center, VA | $40,000 | $180,000 |
| 2011 | Darren Appleton (2) | Shawn Putnam | 13–6 | Chesapeake Conference Center, VA | $30,000 | $175,100 |
| 2012 | Shane Van Boening (2) | Dennis Orcollo | 13–7 | Holiday Inn Virginia Beach Norfolk, VA | $25,000 | $170,000 |
| 2013 | Shane Van Boening (3) | Lee Vann Corteza | 13–10 | Marriott Chesapeake, Norfolk, VA | $30,000 | $135,000 |
| 2014 | Shane Van Boening (4) | Dennis Orcollo | 13–10 | Marriott Chesapeake, Norfolk, VA | $30,000 | $165,000 |
| 2015 |  Kevin Cheng | Karl Boyes | 13–6 | Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel, Norfolk, VA | $40,000 | $192,000 |
| 2016 | Shane Van Boening (5) | Chang Jung-lin | 13–9 | Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel, Norfolk, VA | $50,000 | $200,000 |
| 2017 |  Jayson Shaw |  Eklent Kaci | 13–4 | Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel, Norfolk, VA | $40,000 | $200,000 |
| 2019 | Joshua Filler |  Wu Jiaqing | 13–10 | Mandalay Bay Resort, Las Vegas, NV | $50,000 | $300,000 |
| 2021 | Carlo Biado |  Aloysius Yapp | 13–8 | Harrah's Resort, Atlantic City, NJ | $50,000 | $300,000 |
| 2022 [18] |  Francisco Sanchez Ruiz |  Max Lechner | 13–10 | Harrah's Resort, Atlantic City, NJ | $50,000 | $300,000 |
| 2023 | Ko Ping-chung |  Fedor Gorst | 13–6 | Harrah's Resort, Atlantic City, NJ | $50,000 | $300,000 |
| 2024 | Fedor Gorst | Shane Van Boening | 13-10 | Harrah's Resort, Atlantic City, NJ | $50,000 | $300,000 |
| 2025 | TBD | TBD | TBD | Harrah's Resort, Atlantic City, NJ | $100,000[ citation needed ] | $500,000 |
Nine-ball is a discipline of the cue sport pool. The game's origins are traceable to the 1920s in the United States. It is played on a rectangular billiard table with pockets at each of the four corners and in the middle of each long side. Using a cue stick, players must strike the white cue ball to pocket nine colored billiard balls, hitting them in ascending numerical order. An individual game is won by the player pocketing the 9 ball. Matches are usually played as a race to a set number of racks, with the player who reaches the set number winning the match.
Efren Manalang Reyes, popularly known by the nicknames "Bata" and "the Magician", is a Filipino professional pool player, who is widely regarded as the greatest pool player of all time, and especially famed for his skill at the challenging one-pocket discipline. In 2003, he was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame.
Jeanette Lee is an American professional pool player. She was nicknamed the Black Widow because, in spite of her sweet demeanor, she would "eat people alive" when she got to a pool table and always wear black when playing pool.
Kelly Teresa Fisher is an English professional pool, snooker and English billiards player.
Earl Strickland is an American professional pool player who is considered one of the best nine-ball players of all time. He has won over 100 championship titles and three world titles. In 2006 he was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame. In 1996, Strickland won the largest cash prize to date winning the PCA $1,000,000 Challenge by being the first player to run 10 consecutive racks in a tournament.
Allison Fisher is an English American professional pool and former professional snooker player. She is consider one of the greatest female snooker players & widely regarded as the greatest female pool player of all time.
Alejandro Salvador "Alex" Pagulayan is a Filipino-born Canadian professional pool player. His nickname is "the Lion", given to him by the great Cliff Thorburn, former World Snooker champion. Pagulayan was born in Cabagan, Isabela, Philippines and was raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2012, Pagulayan became a citizen of Canada and now resides in Toronto.
Dennis Orcollo, sometimes called Dennis Orcullo, is a Filipino professional pool player, nicknamed "Surigao" and "RoboCop". He has been called "The Money-Game King".
Michael Sigel is an American professional pool player nicknamed "Captain Hook." He earned the nickname from his ability to hook his opponents with safety plays. Sigel was dominant during the 1980s in 9-Ball and Straight Pool and has a high run of 339 balls in Straight Pool. Mike Sigel is widely considered one of the greatest pool players of all time. In the year 2000, Sigel was voted "Greatest Living Player of the Century" by Billiards Digest Magazine.
Lee Vann Corteza, also spelled Lee Van Corteza, is a Filipino professional pool player. He is nicknamed "The Slayer", and started playing pool in 1993.
Allen Hopkins is an American professional pocket billiards (pool) player, professional billiards color commentator and BCA Hall of Fame inductee. He promotes multiple annual pool events and still competes as a professional contender.
Shane Van Boening is an American professional pool player from Rapid City, South Dakota. Van Boening is considered one of the best players of all time. Van Boening has won the WPA World Nine-ball Championship and has won the US Open Nine-ball Championship on 5 occasions, along with over 100 other professional titles.
Kim Ga-young is a South Korean female professional pool player who plays on the Women's Professional Billiard Association Tour. Her father began teaching her to play three-cushion billiards when she was about twelve years old. After playing three-cushion for about three years, she started playing nine-ball pool and turned pro at the 2003 BCA Open.
Darren Appleton is an English professional pool player, best known for playing Eight-ball, Nine-ball and Ten-ball pool.
Ko Pin-yi is a Taiwanese professional pool player. He became multiple World Champion in the disciplines of Nine-ball and Ten-ball in 2015.
John Schmidt is an American pool player, born in Keokuk, Iowa. Nicknamed "Mr. 600", specialising in straight pool, Schmidt held the record for the highest run made (626), until Jayson Shaw broke that record with a high run of 669 in January 2022. Schmidt won the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships in 2006 defeating Rodolfo Luat in the final. He was also part of the American team at two Mosconi Cups in 2006 and 2014.
Alexander Kazakis is a Greek professional pool player. Kazakis is a former European 10-ball champion, and regular 9-ball player. In 2018, he was the number one ranked player by the World Pool-Billiard Association.
Han Yu is a Chinese professional pool player. She is a three time WPA World Nine-ball Championship women's champion, winning the event in 2013, 2016 and 2018. Han is also a semi-finalist in three further world championships, in 2017 in the nine-ball event, and 2011 and 2014 in ten-ball.
The 2014 US Open 9-Ball Championship was the 39th edition the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships. The event took place between 12-18 October 2014 in Marriott Chesapeake in Chesapeake, Virginia, USA.
Aloysius Yapp is a Singaporean professional pool player. He was the world junior champion in nine-ball in 2014 and runner-up in the 2021. In 2023, Yapp defeated David Alcaide of Spain in the final, 13-7, to win the International Open 9-Ball Championship in Norfolk Virginia, USA.
| Pool games |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Carom billiards | ||
| Snooker | ||
| Other games | ||
| Resources | ||
| Major international tournaments |
| |
| Other events | ||
| Governing bodies | ||
| Categories | ||
 Cue sportsportal The rules of games in italics are standardized by international sanctioning bodies. | ||
