Defending champion Denkha to take on Alsultani for 2026 crown
filed Tuesday, September 8, 2026. 1:14pm PT/USA
Renat Denkha will take on first-time finalist Hasanain Alsultani for the 2026 United States National Snooker Championship title, after the pair breeze through their semifinal ties at the PABSA Academy in Santa Clara, California.
In what was anticipated to be two very closely fought semifinals between four seeded players, Denkha totally dominated his opponent from Arizona who could not find any of the form which helped him capture the title in 2023 and make the final again the following year.
While the first frame went down to the final colored balls, the defending champion clinched it and then proceeded to reel off a comprehensive 4-0 victory which included a break of 71 in frame three.
The other semifinal was contested by both of last year's losing semifinalists, with players who were considered to be very evenly matched.
Holoyda took the first shot at the respotted black, though he left Denkha an opportunity to pot it and he duly took it much to his great relief.
The number four seed Andy McCloskey faced number eight seed Alsultani. In what was a less one-sided affair than Denkha's semifinal, the result however was the same as Alsultani stroked in a break of 57 in the first frame and then just got the measure of his opponent in the following three frames to seal a 4-0 success
The final will get underway at 2pm local time, with the winner picking up that coveted The Tom Kollins Trophy, names after the late five-times former champion.
The knockout draw, match schedule and results can all be followed in real time by visiting the 2026 United States National Snooker Championship tournament page on Cloud Snooker, which is the USSA's official tournament running and scoring system platform.
