KIELCE: Mohammad Soufi’s dream run in the nine-ball World Pool Championship 2023 came to a disappointing seizure in the final as Spaniard Francisco Sanchez Ruiz edged the Syrian 13-10 on Sunday.

Soufi’s dream of stretching his astounding run to becoming the world champion for the first time came to a frustrating end after a dominating display from Sanchez Ruiz denied him a shot at glory.

Sanchez Ruiz, who made it to the final after a nervy thriller against Mario He, started the decider on a high as he led Soufi 6-4 in the Race of 13 but a miss on the four in the 11th rack allowed the latter to make a comeback and cut the deficit to one.

However, a couple of blunders from Soufi resulted in Sanchez Ruiz amassing the double figures and a buffer of two racks as he moved three racks within the title.

Soufi then looked to comeback by winning two more racks with Sanchez Ruiz at the hill, who then pounced on as he left the one and eight locked together to seal a memorable victory.

Following this victory, Sanchez Ruiz now holds the US Open Pool Championship, World Cup of Pool, and World Pool Championship titles in the nine-ball arena.

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