Alex Lely facts for kids
Alex Lely at the 2008 Mosconi Cup, held in Malta
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| Born | 30 June 1973 The Hague, Netherlands |
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| Sport country |  Netherlands |
| Nickname | "The Plague From The Hague" |
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Alex Lely (born June 30, 1973) is a former professional pool player from the Netherlands. He is famous for winning the 1999 World Pool Masters tournament. In that exciting final, he beat the legendary player Efren Reyes with a score of 7–5.
Alex Lely also reached the final of the World Pool Masters again in 2000. However, he lost that match to Ralf Souquet. He is also a two-time European champion. He won both the nine-ball and eight-ball events at the 2005 European Pool Championships.
Lely has played for the European team in the Mosconi Cup four times. This is a big team competition in pool. He played in 1999, 2005, 2008, and 2009. In 2008, he was part of the winning team, but he was the non-playing captain. Later, in 2020, he became the main team captain for Europe. Alex Lely has also won several events on the Euro Tour, which is another important pool series. He won his first Euro Tour event in 1999.
Alex Lely's Pool Journey
Alex Lely was born on June 30, 1973, in The Hague, Netherlands. He plays pool using his right hand. He became a professional player in 1998. Just one year later, he won his first major tournament, the World Pool Masters.
In the final, he beat Efren Reyes 7–5. After this big win, Alex Lely joined the European Mosconi Cup team for the first time in 1999. That same year, he also won his first Euro Tour event. He beat Francisco Bustamante in the final of the 1999 German Open.
In 2000, Lely reached his first final at the European Pool Championships. He played in the straight pool event but lost to Oliver Ortmann. He also tried to defend his World Pool Masters title in 2000. He made it to the final again but lost to Ralf Souquet with a score of 3–7.
Alex Lely did not win any big titles for a few years after that. In 2005, he had a great year at the European Pool Championships. He won two events there. He won the nine-ball tournament by beating Ralf Souquet in a very close final, 9–8. He also won the eight-ball event, defeating Tomasz Kapłan.
He played for the European team in the 2005 Mosconi Cup again. However, his team lost that year. Before the 2007 WPA World Nine-ball Championship, Alex Lely decided to stop playing professionally. He said he wanted less pressure and that tournaments did not suit his playing style anymore.
Even after retiring, he still played a role in the Mosconi Cup. He appeared in the 2008 and 2009 events as the non-playing captain. His team won the Mosconi Cup in 2008. In 2020, Alex Lely was chosen to be the new captain of the European team for the Mosconi Cup. He took over from Marcus Chamat.
Top Wins and Achievements
- 2022 European One Pocket Tournament
- 2005 European Pool Championship 9-Ball
- 2005 Euro Tour Italian Open
- 2005 European Pool Championship 8-Ball
- 2002 Fujairah International 8-Ball Championship
- 1999 World Pool Masters
- 1999 Euro Tour German Open
- 1999 Euro Tour Netherlands Open
Images for kids
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Alex Lely at the 2007 World Trickshot Masters tournament
