Europe lead USA 7-1 following at halfway point of Mosconi Cup after winning three of four matches at Alexandra Palace on Thursday; Albin Ouschan sweeps Tyler Styer 5-0 in final game of one-sided night – watch day three on Sky Sports Arena from 6.30pm, Friday
Last Updated: 07/12/23 11:58pm
Francisco Sanchez Ruiz helped Europe into a 7-1 lead at the halfway point of the 2023 Mosconi Cup
Team Europe need just four more points to win the 2023 Mosconi Cup after another dominant display against Team USA at Alexandra Palace.
The home side swept the opening night 4-0 in London and extended their advantage on the second evening to 7-1 in the race to 11 as they look for a fourth tournament victory in a row and a 16th overall.
Albin Ouschan’s 5-0 sweep of Tyler Styer in Thursday’s final fixture means Europe hold a record-equalling six-point advantage heading into the third night of four, which is live on Sky Sports Arena from 6.30pm on Friday.
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USA’s Russia-born cueist Fedor Gorst lost his opening two matches on Thursday – 5-2 to Josh Filler and 5-4 to reigning world champion Franciso Sanchez Ruiz – as Europe moved 6-0 ahead.
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The visitors finally chalked up their first point at the seventh time of asking when Gorst and Shane Van Boening pipped Filler and Sanchez Ruiz 5-4 in doubles but Ouschan then breezed past Styer in rapid time.
Team USA still have a slim chance of triumphing for the first time since the 2019 edition – they lost in Coventry in 2020 and at Alexandra Palace in 2021 before being beaten in Las Vegas last year – but will need a monumental comeback over the remaining two evenings.
How night two transpired
Filler raced into a 4-0 lead over Gorst and although his opponent cut his arrears to 4-2, Filler then clinched victory in the next rack.
Gorst was back out immediately for the away side, taking on Sanchez Ruiz in a nip-and-tuck affair, and appeared to be on the brink of securing a belated first point for USA in the deciding rack only to then miss the seven-ball, allowing Sanchez Ruiz to clear up.
USA’s first point arrived in the next match through the combination of Gorst and Van Boening but Europe swelled their advantage to 7-1 as Ouschan made light work of Styer.
In the last rack of the night, Styer potted four balls off his break but drained the cueball in the process and Ouschan duly knocked in the remaining balls.
Day two at the Mosconi Cup – Europe 7-1 USA
Match One: Joshua Filler 5-2 Fedor GorstMatch Two: Francisco Sanchez Ruiz 5-4 Fedor GorstMatch Three: Joshua Filler/Francisco Sanchez 4-5 Shane van Boening/Fedor GorstMatch Four: Albin Ouschan 5-0 Tyler Styer
Day one at the Mosconi Cup – Europe 4-0 USA
Match One: Team Europe 5-4 Team USAMatch Two: Jayson Shaw & Albin Ouschan 5-2 Shane Van Boening & Tyler StyerMatch Three: Joshua Filler 5-0 Skyler WoodwardMatch Four: Francisco Sanchez Ruiz & David Alcaide 5-3 Fedor Gorst & Shane Wolford
What’s next at the Mosconi Cup?
Three singles and two doubles matches follow on Friday, with up to five singles matches on the final day on Saturday.
Watch every match live on Sky Sports Arena from 6.30pm each day – or stream with NOW.
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