Predator EPBF European Pool Championships
Miracle Resort Hotel, Antalya, Türkiye
9th March 2026
2026 EUROS HEADING INTO FINAL DAY OF DRAMA
AFTER TEN DAYS of straight pool, 10, 8 and 9-ball, the 2026 Predator European Pool Championships goes into its last day with a final five sets of medals to be distributed. There are three divisions of 9-ball – men’s, women’s and Under 23 men – followed by the men’s and women’s team events. Germany sit on top of the medal table and will be hard pressed to be toppled with strong representation on the final day.
In the men’s division, Poland’s Daniel Maciol has a chance to add to his 10-ball gold after defeating Spain’s Diego Pedro Simon by 9-3 in the quarter-finals. He now faces the ever-dangerous Ronni Regli for a place in the final. In addition, Maciol’s Polish squad are contesting tomorrow’s team quarter-finals where they meet Germany.
He said, “He (Simon) started super solid, did two runouts and I missed a break so he was 3-0 up. I knew that he was breaking very well and also needed to improve my break. That happened and I started breaking better and finished almost every single rack when I had chance so I’m happy with my performance.
“I think I’m a very good performer lately and I was hoping for a title and I did that and now I’m looking for a second one tomorrow, why not? Germany, by far, is one of the strongest teams here so I’m pretty sure that will be a very tight match. I don’t know who’s going to play it but all of the Polish players will be ready for that quarter-final match,” he added.
Also in with a big shout on Tuesday is Spanish sharp-shooter Jonas Souto as he looks to join compatriot Juan Carlos Exposito in the winner’s enclosure. Souto extinguished Turkish hopes as he defeated Ferdi Ozdemir to set up a semi-final with tenacious German star Tobias Bongers.
Souto said, “I want to play good and want to feel good so if I feel good, I think it’s going to come but first I need to figure out first the way to feel good. I didn’t play the straight pool, I played 10-ball and 8-ball. 10- ball was OK, I lost hill-hill in a really good match and in 8-ball the same, I lost with one mistake.
“Sometimes with these kind of pockets, it’s a little big; everybody makes balls, also me. Players are shooting with more confidence and everybody runs. Before I came here, I knew it was going to be full of matches, a lot of time to play, so just try the same thing all the time and try and give your best level. For me to make a medal for my country, representing the country and the people from Spain, all the people who play pool in Spain, it’s an honour for me so I will try to take that medal to Spain.”
The women’s 9-ball semi-finals are both Germany v Austria clashes as Ina Kaplan goes up against Sandra Baumgartner and Johanna Indlekofer has a stiff test against Jasmin Ouschan. Both Kaplan and Ouschan will be hoping for another gold after their earlier successes, but Indlekofer, an emerging young player, will be hoping to do something about that.
Following on from her impressive quarter-final defeat of 8-ball silver medallist, Mayte Ropero, Indlekofer said, “It was very exciting and I played kind of good until I made a couple of stupid mistakes and then she got to 6-3 but I had another chance and I took it. I’m very excited as it was my goal to get a medal here. It’s only my third European Championship but I keep getting more confident and that was a little confidence booster.”
Following on from the 9-ball finals come the two team events. The men pick up at the quarter-final stage, with Poland v Germany probably the pick of the draw. In the women’s event, Poland face Portugal and defending champions Austria face Ukraine to see who plays France and Germany, respectively in the semi-finals. The rounds are at 12.30 and 14.30, culminating in the finals at 17.30.
Tables 1, 2 and 3 at the Predator European Championships will be streamed throughout on YouTube, via the Pro Billiard TV channel - https://www.youtube.com/@ProBilliardTV
For all results, live scoring and draw, visit www.epbf.com/tournaments/european-championships/
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