The United States' Daniel Holoyda has been defeated by home player Noel Morreira in the final of the 2026 Pan American Open Snooker Championship at the Mampituba Country Club in Criciúma, Brazil.
Runner-up Daniel Holoyda (left) pictured with the 2026 Pan American Open Snooker Champion, Noel Morreira
27-year-old Holoyda was the only United States player who made it to the quarterfinals, after round of 16 defeats for the six-times former United States National Snooker Champion Ahmed Aly Elsayed and this year's United States National Snooker Championship runner-up Hasanain Alsultani, who both qualified from their respective groups undefeated.
Holoyda finished in second place in his group though then proceeded with respective knockout stage victories over last year's runner-up Brazil's Fabio Luersen 3-2, Brazil's Hiago Mendes 4-1, and in the semifinals Canada's Jason Williams 4-1 to secure his final berth.
The first four frames were shared between the American and Brazilian, which was a fair reflection of the match. However Holoyda came back after the mid-session interval very strongly as he compiled a break of 74 to take a 3-2 advantage.
The momentum of the match then swayed back in favor of Morreira as he hit back by decisively sealing the following two frames for a 4-3 lead, only for then Holoyda to take the eighth frame to set up a final frame shootout for a coveted opportunity to play as a professional for at least two seasons on the World Snooker Tour (WST).
Holoyda looked to be in pole position to turn professional when he was 49-7 up in points in that final frame and was presented with a wonderful opportunity to pot a long red, however he missed and Morreira stepped in to clear the table with a tremendously steely break of 53 to win the final 5-4.
Alan Morris, the Executive Director of the United States Snooker Association (USSA), commented: "It is an incredibly disappointing loss for Daniel whose dream it is to finally turn professional, and it would have been exciting for snooker in the United States to have had another player competing on the World Snooker Tour after Ahmed Aly Elsayed. I feel quite sure however that Daniel will have further opportunities to realize his snooker ambitions, and I wish him all the very best."
Watch the whole of the final of the 2026 Pan American Open Snooker Championship final on the Pan American Billiards and Snooker Association YouTube channel
Organized by the Brazilian Billiards and Snooker Confederation (Confederasção Brasileira de Bilhar e Sinuca - CBBS) under the auspices of the Pan American Billiards & Snooker Association (PABSA), the Championships included a Seniors Championship which was won by home player Igor Figueiredo.
The 2026 Pan American Seniors Snooker Champion, Igor Figueiredo
Photo courtesy of CBBS
Figueiredo defeated his fellow countryman Fabio Luersen in the final 5-1 to successfully defend the title he won last year in Sacramento, California.
For all results from the 2025 Pan American Snooker Championships, please visit www.cloudsnooker.com, with video available to watch matches on the PABSA YouTube Channel
