Mosconi Cup: Dominant Europe need just four more points to beat USA after opening up 7-1 lead

Europe lead USA 7-1 following at halfway point of Mosconi Cup after winning three of four matches at Alexandra Palace on Thursday; Albin Ouschan sweeps Tyler Styer 5-0 in final game of one-sided night – watch day three on Sky Sports Arena from 6.30pm, Friday

Francisco Sanchez Ruiz helped Europe into a 7-1 lead at the halfway point of the 2023 Mosconi Cup

Team Europe need just four more points to win the 2023 Mosconi Cup after another dominant display against Team USA at Alexandra Palace.

The home side swept the opening night 4-0 in London and extended their advantage on the second evening to 7-1 in the race to 11 as they look for a fourth tournament victory in a row.

Albin Ouschan’s 5-0 sweep of Tyler Styer in Thursday’s final fixture means Europe hold a record-equalling six-point advantage heading into the third night of four, which is live on Sky Sports Arena from 6.30pm on Friday.

USA’s Russia-born cueist Fedor Gorst lost his opening two matches on Thursday – 5-2 to Josh Filler and 5-4 to reigning world champion Franciso Sanchez Ruiz – as Europe moved 6-0 ahead.

The visitors finally chalked up their first point at the seventh time of asking when Gorst and Shane Van Boening pipped Filler and Sanchez Ruiz 5-4 in doubles but Ouschan then breezed past Styer in rapid time.

Team USA still have a slim chance of triumphing for the first time since the 2019 edition – they lost in Coventry in 2020 and at Alexandra Palace in 2021 before being beaten in Las Vegas last year – but will need a monumental comeback over the remaining two evenings.

How night two transpired

Filler raced into a 4-0 lead over Gorst and although his opponent cut his arrears to 4-2, Filler then clinched victory in the next rack.

Gorst was back out immediately for the away side, taking on Sanchez Ruiz in a nip-and-tuck affair, and appeared to be on the brink of securing a belated first point for USA in the deciding rack only to then miss the seven-ball, allowing Sanchez Ruiz to clear up.

USA’s first point arrived in the next match through the combination of Gorst and Van Boening but Europe swelled their advantage to 7-1 as Ouschan made light work of Styer.

Day two at the Mosconi Cup – Europe 7-1 USA

• Match One: Joshua Filler 5-2 Fedor Gorst
• Match Two: Francisco Sanchez Ruiz 5-4 Fedor Gorst
• Match Three: Joshua Filler/Francisco Sanchez 4-5 Shane van Boening/Fedor Gorst
• Match Four: Albin Ouschan 5-0 Tyler Styer

Day one at the Mosconi Cup – Europe 4-0 USA

• Match One: Team Europe 5-4 Team USA
• Match Two: Jayson Shaw & Albin Ouschan 5-2 Shane Van Boening & Tyler Styer
• Match Three: Joshua Filler 5-0 Skyler Woodward
• Match Four: Francisco Sanchez Ruiz & David Alcaide 5-3 Fedor Gorst & Shane Wolford

What’s next at the Mosconi Cup?

Three singles and two doubles matches follow on Friday, with up to five singles matches on the final day on Saturday.

Watch every match live on Sky Sports Arena from 6.30pm each day – or stream with NOW.