Seo Seoa stuns two-time champion Ouschan

JEDDAH: Seo Seoa produced the shock of the tournament, so far, eliminating two-time World Champion Albin Ouschan to reach the last 64. As the only female competitor in the field, she now stands just one victory away from making history as the first woman ever to reach the last 32 of the event.

In collaboration with the Saudi Arabia Billiard & Snooker Federation and under the supervision of the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Sport, the 2025 World Pool Championship — the crown jewel of the World Nineball Tour — returns to the iconic Green Halls in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from 21–26 July.

Seo Seoa dismantled the two-time World Champion Albin Ouschan with a dominant 9-2 victory — an extraordinary result that brings the Korean star within one win of making history.

Reflecting on her landmark performance, Seoa said: “I just enjoy my game so I’m not nervous and I feel my confidence is good. I really respect Albin’s game, he’s a two-time champion. But because of that respect I feel comfortable when up against him.

My goal is to break the record of the first woman player to reach the last 32 stage. I’m now only one step away.”

Defending champion Fedor Gorst continued his strong title defence with a 9–5 victory over Italy’s Francesco Candela, building momentum ahead of the single-elimination rounds. While still fine-tuning his break, the Russian looked more settled at the table.

“I think this match went better than the first one. I felt more confident at the table, and the things I worked on after the first round were definitely working during this one. The shots that gave me trouble before were much more under control now. I made a few solid decisions and shots that I was happy with.

That being said, my break still