Francisco Sánchez Ruíz (born December 29, 1991 in

Murcia Murcia (, , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the seventh largest city in the country. It has a population of 460,349 inhabitants in 2021 (about one ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

) is a Spanish professional

pool Pool may refer to: Water pool * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a rocky pool ...

player and the reigning World champion in both eight-ball and nine-ball.

Career

Sánchez won the World Nine-ball Junior Championship in 2010, defeating Jesse Engel 11–6 in the final. In 2016, Sánchez won the 2016

European Pool Championship European Pool Championship (also called Dynamic European Championships) is a pool competition organized by the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF). The tournament is held annually since 1980. It should not be confused with the series of small ...

in nine-ball defeating

Joshua Filler Joshua Filler (born 2 October 1997) is a German pool player from Bönen, Germany. In 2018 Filler defeated Carlo Biado 13–10 to win the 2018 WPA World Nine-ball Championship. The same year he was the youngest player to win the China Open and ...

in the final, 9–3. He also reached the final of the eight-ball event, but lost 7–8 to Vitaly Pazura. Sánchez was the runner-up at the 2017 Austrian Open, defeated in the final 9-2 by Mario He. In 2022 Sánchez won the

U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship The U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship is an annual professional men's nine-ball pool tournament that began in its current form in 1976. The U.S. Open is one of the most sought-after titles in nine-ball and in pool generally. Traditionally, winners of ...

defeating Max Lechner in the final 13-10. He then won his first world title at the

WPA World Eight-ball Championship The WPA World Eight-ball Championship is a professional eight-ball pool tournament sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), initially contested from 2004 to 2012 in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. After not being held for several ...

over

Wiktor Zieliński Wiktor Zieliński (born 11 January 2001) is a Polish professional pool player. He is the youngest player to ever win a Euro Tour event, winning the 2017 Treviso Open at the age of 16. Career Zielinski began playing pool at aged 8 in 2009, and ...

in the same year. Sánchez won his second world title at the World Nine-ball Championship in 2023.

Titles and achievements

WPA World Nine-ball Championship The WPA World Nine-ball Championship is an annual professional nine-ball pool tournament contested since 1990. The championship is sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) and principally sponsored and organised by Matchroom Sport, ...

(2023) *

(2022) *

World Cup of Pool The World Cup of Pool is an annual international single-elimination tournament for doubles teams in nine-ball pool competition. The event has been dominated by the Philippines and China, with both nations winning the event on three occasions. His ...

(

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

) with

David Alcaide David Alcaide Bermúdez (born 14 December 1978) is a Spanish pool player. He is a two-time winner of the World Pool Masters, winning the 2017 event, defeating Jayson Shaw 8–7 in the final, and again in 2019 defeating Alexander Kazakis 9� ...

Mosconi Cup The Mosconi Cup is an annual nine-ball pool tournament contested since 1994 between teams representing Europe and the United States. Named after American pool player Willie Mosconi, the event is comparable to the Ryder Cup in golf and the Weber ...

(2022) *

Derby City Classic The Derby City Classic is an annual pool convention and tournament held every January at the Caesars Southern Indiana casino in Elizabeth, Indiana, near Louisville, Kentucky. It is eight days long and offers various disciplines of competition for p ...

9-Ball (2022) * PRP Nine-Ball Open (2022) * World Pool Series Cheqio Challenge (2017) *

Euro Tour The Euro Tour is a series of professional pool events set around Europe, founded in 1992, and created by the European Pocket Billiard Federation. The Tour's first event was the ''Belgium Open'', held on May 29 – 31, 1992. The event was won by M ...

Lasko Open (2021) *

Antalya Open (2021) *

Petrich Open (2022) *

Nine-Ball (2016) * Spanish Pool Championship Ten-Ball (2015) * Spanish Pool Championship Nine-Ball (2007, 2013, 2014, 2015) * Spanish Pool Championship Eight-ball (2008, 2012, 2014, 2015) * WPA World Nine-ball Junior Championship (2010) * Spanish Amateur Snooker Championship (2018, 2019) * Billiards Digest Player of the Year (2022)

References

External links

Spanish pool players Living people Sportspeople from Murcia 1991 births {{cue-sports-stub