Iulian Boiko defeated Oliver Sykes 5-4 within the remaining of the European Underneath-21 Championship in Antalya, Türkiye to earn a two-year World Snooker Tour (WST) tour card ranging from the 2025/26 season.
Organised by the European Billiards & Snooker Affiliation, the 2025 European Championships in Antalya characteristic Underneath-16, Underneath-18, Underneath-21 and Principal tournaments with the winners of the Underneath-21 and Principal occasions every incomes two-year tour playing cards.
The success for Boiko means the 19-year-old from Ukraine will return to the primary tour after a three-year absence having beforehand grow to be the youngest ever skilled participant on the age of 14 again in 2020.
Boiko had come inside touching distance of a tour card earlier within the week in Antalya when he competed within the WPBSA Q Tour Play-Offs, overcoming Alex Clenshaw and Vinnie Calabrese to achieve the ultimate spherical earlier than succumbing to Liam Highfield 10-3.
{The teenager} rapidly bounced again, nevertheless, to high his group with a clear sweep of victories and only a single body dropped earlier than defeating Maksim Kostov and Arsenii Korolev every by a 4-1 scoreline to achieve the quarter-finals.
Subsequent he confronted fellow countryman and Ukrainian nationwide champion Mykhailo Larkov.
Boiko rapidly fell 2-0 behind within the best-of-seven body contest however impressively rallied with contributions of 42, 51, 45 and 51 to recover from the road a 4-2 victor.
A 4-1 win over Northern Eire’s Joel Connolly then noticed the Ukrainian arrange a remaining assembly with England’s Oliver Sykes, who had whitewashed former skilled Anton Kazakov within the semi-finals to achieve the title match.
The 19-year-old Sykes had equally bounced again impressively to achieve the ultimate after shedding out within the penultimate spherical of the Q Tour Play-Offs on the identical venue to Andres Petrov.
The stress was on with each the distinguished title {and professional} standing on the road in a race to 5 frames nevertheless it was Boiko who began the strongest and raced right into a 3-1 lead on the mid-session interval with a high break of 66.
Sykes, who was aiming to affix the WST ranks for the primary time in his younger profession, hit back-to-back breaks of 58 for parity earlier than the 2 gamers shared the subsequent two frames to power a tense decider.
The all-important concluding body was an actual battle with each gamers displaying comprehensible indicators of rigidity because it got here right down to the ultimate few balls.
It was Boiko who was capable of pull himself over the road, nevertheless, to safe the title and finish a three-year wait to return to the skilled sport.
SZUBARCZYK DOES THE DOUBLE
Michal Szubarczyk has gained each the European Underneath-16 and Underneath-18 titles throughout an unforgettable week for the 14-year-old from Poland.
The Pole’s Championship started with the Underneath-16 occasion the place he topped his group earlier than dropping simply two frames within the knockout phases en path to the ultimate.
An all-Polish remaining noticed Szubarczyk face 14-year-old Krzysztof Czapnik within the title match and it was the eventual champion who made a blistering begin with breaks of 96 and 91 to storm into an early 2-0 lead.
Czapnik did maintain his personal within the contest, decreasing the deficit to only one on two events at 2-1 and 3-2, however Szubarczyk proved to be just too sturdy as he acquired over the road within the sixth body to safe the title with a 4-2 victory.
The enjoyment continued for the 14-year-old Pole because the Underneath-18 occasion acquired underway.
As soon as once more topping his group, this time with out dropping a body, he discovered his manner into the ultimate by final defeating Northern Eire’s Joel Connolly 4-2 within the semi-finals.
England’s Ethan Llewellyn was his opponent at this stage after he had fought previous defending champion Vladislav Gradinari in a remaining body decider within the final 4.
The primary two frames of the title match had been shared however, from there, Szubarczyk as soon as once more confirmed his class to race forward and in the end safe a 4-1 win and the title with a go to of 42 in body 5.
The Principal EBSA European Championship occasion is presently ongoing and the champion, who will earn a two-year WST tour card, will likely be topped on Saturday 22 March. Comply with by way of the EBSA web site.
