The 2025 US Open Pool Championship And The Future Of Nineball

The 2025 LiveSB.io US Open Pool Championship reached its thrilling conclusion on Saturday, August 23, at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City. In a final that kept spectators on the edge of their seats, Singapore’s Aloysius Yapp emerged victorious over defending champion and World No.1 Fedor Gorst 13-11 to claim the $100,000 top prize and his first U.S. Open crown.

As a marquee stop on the World Nineball Tour (WNT), the US Open brought together 256 of the world’s elite players, including 14 former champions, in a format designed to test both skill and endurance. Competitors battled through double elimination until the Last 64 before the tournament shifted to high-stakes single elimination.

The semifinal lineup reflected the global nature of the sport: Yapp (Singapore), Gorst (USA/Russia), Ko Ping Chung (Chinese Taipei), and Johann Chua (Philippines). The event reinforced its standing as the most international and fiercely contested showcase of nineball in the United States.

Guiding the US Open’s evolution is Emily Frazer, CEO of Matchroom Multi Sport and Director of Matchroom Sport. Under her leadership, the tournament has grown from a prestigious American championship into a centerpiece of Matchroom’s global strategy for the World Nineball Tour. Frazer spoke with Forbes about the championship, the challenges of building nineball in the United States, and her vision for the sport’s next chapter.

Building The Next Generation Of Nineball

For Frazer, the U.S. Open represents only the starting point. Her vision is to grow and further professionalize nineball across the United States, a sport whose origins date back to the 1920s.

“The U.S. is such a natural home for this sport,” she says. “You can walk into almost any bar here and find a pool table. But the challenge is professionalizing it. In countries like Vietnam, pool halls are open 24/7 with kids training seriously on nine-foot tables. In the U.S., it’s often more casual, friends playing for fun.”

To build a pipeline of future talent, Matchroom introduced the Shane Van Boening Junior Open, as a companion event. This year, 32 juniors, some as young as seven, competed in front of cameras, complete with jerseys, lanyards, and full WNT TV coverage, giving them a taste of professional tournament play from an early age.

“They’re fearless,” Frazer says. “And importantly, girls are always part of these junior events. Nineball is one of the few sports where men and women compete directly. As more young women gain confidence through these tournaments, I believe we’ll see greater representation at the very top.”

Frazer’s Vision For US Open Nineball

Frazer emphasizes that sustainable expansion depends on structure and consistency.

“For years, U.S. tournaments were scattered, no guaranteed prize funds, no consistency. We’ve worked hard to establish official WNT ranking events here. That means standardized rules, minimum prize guarantees, proper conditions, and visibility on our platforms.”

The effects are tangible. Venues like Miami’s Cue Ball Classic have upgraded facilities, invested in junior programs, and hosted official ranking events. “That’s the upward pressure we want, forcing the grassroots level to professionalize,” Frazer explains.

“Once people experience nineball live, the music, the crowd, the energy. They’re hooked. That’s how you grow the sport sustainably.”

The Future Of US Open Pool Championship

Frazer sees the US Open continuing to expand its footprint.

“The US Open is our crown jewel. Matchroom acquired it in 2009, and it’s grown massively, just look at the prize money and production values compared to then,” she says. “I’d love to freshen it up, maybe take it somewhere like Texas. I could see a six-day event with a Mosconi Cup style atmosphere: 2,000 fans in a packed arena, music between racks, a real show. The US Open has the history and prestige to support that kind of growth, and it could anchor even more major events in the U.S. calendar.”

From Yapp’s historic triumph to the junior players following in Shane Van Boening’s footsteps, the 2025 US Open highlighted nineball’s legacy and its future in America.

Under Frazer’s guidance, the tournament has become a global spectacle while reinforcing its roots on U.S. soil. “The US Open has always been special,” Frazer reflects. “But now it has the platform to not only honor its history but drive the future of the sport.”