Team Europe opened Day One of the 2025 Sportsbet.io Mosconi Cup in perfect fashion, producing a dominant 4–0 whitewash over Team USA to launch their fifth consecutive title defence.
In partnership with Sportsbet.io, the 32nd edition of Mosconi Cup takes place at the iconic Alexandra Palace from 3-6 December, where Team Europe are set to defend their title on home soil against Team USA, with coverage live on Sky Sports in the UK and WNT TV in the USA.
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Day One Result
Team Europe 4 – 0 Team USA
Speaking after Europe’s flawless start, Jayson Shaw said: “It was a great start for us tonight. That was the goal—go out, put the pressure on straight away, and we delivered. It feels great playing in front of this crowd. The atmosphere is amazing, and by Friday and Saturday the place will be absolutely full. Then these guys will experience what the Mosconi Cup is really about.”
USA Captain Skyler Woodward reflected on a tough opening session: “I feel like I started with the best lineup I could to try and get points, and it didn’t happen. It is what it is. Going into tomorrow I’ve got my lineup set. It’s 4–0—they still have to beat us seven more times to get to 11, so I’m not sweating. It’s my job to keep the guys grounded and ready.”
Match One
Team Europe 5 – 1 Team USA
Shaw broke and ran the opener, before rookie Neuhausen captured the second after a tight safety exchange with Van Boening. Woodward responded by capitalising on Filler’s push-out, but Alcaide restored Europe’s momentum with a composed clearance over Styer.
A costly miss on the 9-ball from Thorpe allowed Labutis to push Europe to the hill, and a scratch from Gorst in the last rack handed Shaw the chance to close out the first point of the tournament.
Match Two:
Josh Filler & David Alcaide 5 – 3 Fedor Gorst & Shane Van Boening
Despite Team USA taking the first two racks, Filler and Alcaide—playing their first doubles match together—quickly levelled. Alcaide then produced a superb 4–9 combination to edge Europe ahead, though the Americans struck back immediately. The European duo broke and ran the seventh to extend their lead, and a failed safety escape from Gorst gifted the Europeans their second point of the day in the following rack.
Filler said afterwards: “We played our best doubles possible against Team USA, and when you start like this it shows how strong Europe really is. Being 2–0 up after the first two games couldn’t be any better. We took our chances—it was close, but we handled the pressure. Let’s see what happens next.”
Match Three:
Jayson Shaw 5 – 2 Skyler Woodward
Shaw edged the first rack with an impressive jump escape before breaking and running for 2–0. Woodward clawed one back, but Shaw maintained control with clinical potting to reach 3–1.
Both players traded push-outs, with Shaw converting his opportunity to reach the hill at 4–1. Woodward hit back to 4–2, but Shaw was unshakeable, closing out the win to secure Europe’s third point—and backing up his pre-event confidence after telling Woodward in the press conference that their match would be “easy.”
Match Four:
Moritz Neuhausen & Pijus Labutis 5 – 2 Tyler Styer & Billy Thorpe
Europe’s rookies made a confident start, taking the first two racks. A strong jump shot from Labutis was undone by a miss from Neuhausen, allowing USA onto the board, but an error from Styer soon restored Europe’s cushion. The Americans responded again, but another mistake from the German rookie appeared to give USA the chance to level—only for Styer to repeat the error, gifting Europe the hill.
A final miss from Styer on the 9-ball handed Neuhausen and Labutis the opportunity they needed, completing the day one whitewash and announcing themselves as genuine contenders on the Mosconi Cup stage.
Reflecting on his debut, Pijus Labutis said: “It gives us a little confidence, but we’re not relaxed—the job is not done. Now we have even more height to fall from. Who knows? They played bad today but could play great tomorrow. We have to play as good or better to keep the lead.”
Team Europe head into Day Two with a commanding advantage and momentum firmly on their side, while Team USA face the challenge of mounting a crucial comeback to keep their pursuit of redemption alive.
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