Major Upsets Mark Conclusion of Preliminary Rounds at World Pool Championship

The preliminary rounds of the 2025 World Pool Championship concluded yesterday evening in Jeddah, which is hosting the tournament for the second consecutive year. The event features 128 top players from over 40 countries and continues through July 26 at the Green Halls.
A total of 64 matches were held across two brackets (winners and losers), resulting in 64 players advancing to the second round. On Thursday, the round of 64 and round of 32 matches will be held in a race-to-11 format, with the first match set to begin at 1:00 p.m.
The qualifiers delivered several major upsets, most notably the elimination of world number 2 Aloysius Yapp of Singapore, who was defeated by the Philippines’ AJ Manas with a score of 9–6. Meanwhile, reigning world champion Fedor Gorst of the United States maintained his dominance by defeating Italy’s Francesco Candela 9–5.
Saudi player Mohammed Baabbad lost to Austria’s Max Lechner 9–1, while 2017 world champion Carlo Biado of the Philippines beat compatriot Lee Van Corteza 9–4. Saudi Arabia’s Fahad Al-Dhayan secured a spot in the round of 64 after defeating fellow countryman Khalid Al-Ghamdi 9–6.
Germany’s Joshua Filler, the 2018 world champion, exited the tournament after losing 9–5 to Finland’s Jani Uski. Poland’s Wojciech Szewczyk defeated German veteran and two-time world champion Thorsten Hohmann 9–3. Surprises continued as Taiwan’s two-time world champion Ko Pin-Yi was eliminated by Filipino player Bernie Regalario, who added to the Philippines’ streak of upsets in the championship.

According to the WAS agency with modifications