German professional pool player Moritz Neuhausen at Impulse Snooker & Billiards in Oud Metha, Dubai. EXPAT MEDIA

At just 21 years old, Moritz Neuhausen has already cemented his place among the world’s elite pool players. The German prodigy—currently ranked World No. 15 in the World Nineball Tour (WNT)—is turning heads on the global stage, and his rapid rise is anything but ordinary. “I didn’t want to play pool, but rather snooker,” Neuhausen shared in an exclusive interview with Expat Media in Dubai at the Knight Shot Open-WNT Nineball Tournament. Ironically, it was a pool table—purchased by his father on a whim—that redirected Neuhausen’s love for cue sports. What started as backyard curiosity turned into a full-blown passion. “My mom brought me to a professional pool club… I quickly realized that I liked the game and did have some talent,” he recalled. “The coaches said, ‘Why don’t you give it a try and play some tournaments?’ I did, and now I’m here, 13 years later.”

A career breakthrough

Neuhausen is currently competing in Dubai’s Knight Shot Open – WNT Nineball Tournament at Impulse Snooker & Billiards in Oud Metha, where he’s soaking in the experience of playing alongside the best players in the world. “It’s something special to be here and to play in high-level tournaments and playing with the best of the best,” he said. “It’s amazing. I’m very fortunate.” Earlier this year marked a career-defining moment for Neuhausen. He dominated the finals of the Premier League Pool, defeating Spain’s Francisco Sánchez Ruiz with a jaw-dropping 7-0 whitewash victory, capturing his first-ever Matchroom Major title. In 2022, he clinched the European Under-23 9-Ball Championship. The following year, he grabbed international attention by winning the 2023 Connecticut Open and finishing runner-up at the 2023 World Cup of Pool. By 2024, he added another major win to his résumé: the Medellin Open title in Mexico City. Behind the trophies is a player with relentless discipline. Neuhausen trains up to five or six days a week, clocking in four to five hours a day of solo practice. “Then a couple times a week I play with whoever is in the pool room. That takes up most of the time,” he said. The young German also spends a considerable amount of time traveling the globe to compete. From Europe to the Americas to the UAE, Neuhausen knows that every flight and every frame is part of a much bigger dream. “It’s beautiful to travel the world doing something you love,” he said with a smile. And while he may have once dreamed of playing snooker, it’s safe to say that Neuhausen has found his true calling in pool—rising faster than most and playing harder than many. PIA/Expat Media
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