Aleksa Pecelj: The Summer That Led To A Mosconi Cup Dream
An extraordinary comeback in Arizona, a title in Phoenix and a team triumph in Manila. Aleksa Pecelj’s road to Orlando has given Europe’s debutant plenty to draw on as he prepares for his first Mosconi Cup.
Aleksa Pecelj was still playing when he discovered he had qualified for the Mosconi Cup.
At the Philippines Open in October, the Serbian looked across to Francisco Sánchez Ruiz and celebrated. A result elsewhere had confirmed his place in Europe’s team. A target that had occupied his thoughts throughout the week was now secure.
“It’s been in my head all week, so I’m so happy to have made it. It’s a dream come true,” he said afterwards.
Pecelj completed a 10–2 victory over Justin Bergman to reach the last 16. Next came the prospect of sharing another arena with the American, this time wearing European colours in Orlando.
Nine racks from the brink
One of the defining moments of Pecelj’s season came in a match that appeared almost beyond recovery.
In the Arizona Open quarter-finals, Albert Januarta led him 9–1 in a race to ten. The Indonesian needed one more rack. Pecelj needed nine without reply.
He won all nine.
The 10–9 victory carried him into his first Matchroom Major semi-final since the 2023 US Open. Afterwards, he credited Januarta’s performance, acknowledged that fortune had helped him and explained the importance of maintaining his focus as the comeback developed.
Pecelj went on to finish runner-up to Denis Grabe, then won the Phoenix Open before reaching another US Open semi-final. Across three August tournaments, he had produced a Major final, a ranking title and another appearance in the last four of one of the sport’s most established championships.
That sequence helped turn his season into a challenge for a place among Europe’s five.
Learning to win together
Before securing his Mosconi Cup qualification, Pecelj had another first to experience.
His selection for Team Rest of the World at the Reyes Cup put him alongside Sánchez Ruiz, Joshua Filler, Shane Van Boening and Fedor Gorst. He arrived as a newcomer to the competition, with four teammates already familiar with the Mosconi Cup stage.
The opening day brought an immediate test. Pecelj and Filler lost 5–1 to Carlo Biado and Robbie Capito in front of the Filipino crowd. A day later, Pecelj partnered Gorst to a 5–3 victory over AJ Manas and Duong Quoc Hoang.
By the third evening, he was producing one of his strongest performances of the week.
Against Manas, Pecelj established a 3–0 lead and completed a 5–1 singles victory, taking Rest of the World into the final day with a 9–4 advantage.
“My game has got better and better each day in this event,” he said after the match.
His assessment reflected a week in which he had recovered from an opening defeat, won with a partner and then delivered a singles point with the trophy moving closer.
Rest of the World completed an 11–4 victory the following day. Pecelj’s first Reyes Cup ended with a trophy.
Teammates become opponents
Orlando will change some of those relationships.
Gorst, his winning doubles partner in Makati, will be across the arena in American colours. So will Van Boening. Sánchez Ruiz and Filler remain on his side.
That gives Pecelj an unusual introduction to the Mosconi Cup. He has recently shared the pressure of a team contest with players who will now be trying to beat him.
The Mosconi Cup brings its own demands: short races, changing partnerships and a crowd whose response follows every significant shot. His Reyes Cup experience gives him something concrete to draw on when he enters that environment for the first time.
Qualification was the moment to celebrate in Manila. In Orlando, the task becomes contributing points to Europe’s defence.
Join us at Caribe Royale, Orlando, from 27–30 November for the 2026 Mosconi Cup, as Pecelj prepares to take his place in nineball’s transatlantic rivalry. World Nineball Tour
