The field is set for the European Masters 2018
After a final round of National level tournaments in October, the field is set for the European Masters 2018. The top 10 jugglers of the year, based on points accumulated only at tournaments in the 2018 season, have all been invited to Berlin to take part in the ultimate showdown of combat juggling prowess.
Below is an introduction to all the players, along with how well they have played this year against the rest of the participants taking part in the tournament.
The number one player of the year is Luke Burrage, with two Major wins (NJF and EJC). He's the only player to win four tournaments so far in the 2018 season, and with 22 match wins total is the most successful overall. He has a 5 win to 4 loss head-to-head against other European Masters participants in 2018.
Brook Roberts is the second seed, with runner-up finishes at two of the biggest tournaments of the year, including his first ever EJC final. He won two 250 tournaments (Cambridge and Bath) and has a 5-3 head-to-head against the rest of the field.
Jon Peat missed the European Masters in 2017, even though he qualified, but was the first to qualify for the European Masters this year by winning the BJC Fight Night. He won a total of 17 matches in 2018, the second highest of any player, and has a 1-4 record against the field.
Alexander Müller won two Nation Level tournaments in 2018, at the Israeli and French juggling conventions. He backed those up with a second place in Hamburg and a fourth place in Berlin, two more National Level tournaments. He has a 2-4 record against the field, though those account for all of his four losses in 2018.
Vašek Peca won tournaments in Brianza, Brno and Hungary, and added to his points haul with solid results in Berlin and at the EJC. From the Czech Republic, he's the only non-German-non-British juggler to make it into the top 10 this year, and he has a 0-2 record against other players at the European Masters.
Jochen Pfeiffer has extended his 2017 winning streak through the entire 2018 season, and has once again gone unbeaten for the year. He is only so far down the Race Rankings due to not defending his title at the EJC. He won in Berlin (750 points) and Hamburg (500 points) and topped up his total at the Berlin Lacht mini-tournament (125 points). He has 6-0 head-to-head record against the field.
Julius Preu managed to reach October without losing a match in 2018, with tournament wins at the Tropical Islands Invasion, Cumbria and Karlsruhe. He came up short in Hamburg, losing to Alexander Müller and settling for third place. He's 7th in the Race Rankings and has a 5-1 record against the field.
Andreas Braun has qualified for the tournament twice before but couldn't make it to Berlin. This time he's making his first European Masters appearance, qualifying in joint 9th place. He won his home tournament in Aachen and scored third place finishes at the EJC and Berlin. He has 1125 rankings points, and has a 2-2 head-to-head record against the field.
Markus Utke also has exactly 1125 points, and is tied in 9th place with Andreas. He made the final at two Major 750 tournaments, losing to Luke Burrage at the NJF and Jochen Pfeiffer in Berlin. He got to the quarter-finals at the EJC before withdrawing due to injury, so only has two those two losses this year; a 1-2 head-to-head against the field.
Finally, in 10th place, is Junis El-Sarout. This year only the top nine received an automatic invitation to Berlin, with the 10th spot reserved for a wildcard. But with an incredible five second place finishes from eight tournaments in 2018, he more than earned his invitation to take part in Berlin. He has a 0-5 head-to-head record against the field.
See the qualification overview to see how the players qualified: http://fightnightcombat.com/european-masters-qualification-overview.html
Keep an eye out for more news before the event, including how to watch in person or watch via the live stream.
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