International 9-Ball Open
Recap
Published April 13, 2026
Scotland’s Jayson Shaw won the 2019 International 9-Ball Open, defeating Austria’s Maximilian Lechner in the final at the Sheraton Waterside Hotel in Norfolk, Virginia. The victory added another prestigious title to Shaw’s resume and reinforced his position among the world’s top 9-ball players.
Lechner reached the final as the tournament’s breakthrough story, advancing through the winner’s side. The Austrian defeated several notable champions including Skyler Woodward, Shane Van Boening, Dennis Orcollo, Ko Ping-Chung, and world #1 ranked Joshua Filler. His advancement to the final demonstrated his competitive capability against veteran professionals.
Shaw’s path to the championship included a setback on day four. Shaw lost 11-5 to Ko Ping-Chung, which moved him to the one-loss bracket. Shaw then won consecutive matches against Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz, James Aranas, Alex Kazakis, Justin Bergman, and Joshua Filler to advance to the final.
In the championship match, Shaw began with difficulty, missing a 4-ball in the opening rack and remaining without a shot until rack three. Shaw gradually worked back into contention, reaching 2-2 and 3-3 through strong defensive play and positional control. He took his first lead at 4-3 and extended it to 6-3. Lechner then rallied with back-to-back 9-balls to tie the match at 6-6. Shaw prevailed in the closing racks to secure the title.
This International 9-Ball Open victory reinforced Shaw’s standing as a top performer in professional pool. Shaw previously won the 2017 U.S. Open Pool Championship and multiple Mosconi Cup titles. Lechner’s strong finish in the final established him as a rising competitor on the international circuit.
Sources: Wikipedia – Jayson Shaw
This recap was compiled from public tournament records and tournament organizer communications. ForceFollow is not affiliated with the tournament organizer.