Career Story

Early Life and Path to the Professional Game

Ruiz grew up steeped in pool culture. His father was a former professional player who owned pool halls, and Ruiz spent formative years in those rooms developing the instincts and mechanics that would eventually carry him to world championships. That kind of early immersion, hours at the table rather than hours reading theory, is often what separates players who simply compete from those who eventually dominate.

After finishing his studies, Ruiz spent time working in his father’s cafeteria before committing fully to the professional game. The transition from that environment to the top tier of international pool is not something that happens by accident. It requires repetition, competitive exposure, and a willingness to grind through the middle years of a career when results are inconsistent and the big titles feel distant. Ruiz did exactly that, building steadily until he became impossible to ignore at the sport’s highest level.

Career Highlights

The 2022 Breakthrough

If there is a single year that announced Ruiz to the wider pool world, it was 2022. He accomplished something that very few players manage in a single calendar year: winning multiple major titles across different formats. Alongside fellow Spaniard David Alcaide, Ruiz won the World Cup of Pool, defeating the Singaporean pair of Aloysius Yapp and Toh Lian Han 11-6 in the final. It was a composed, clinical performance from the Spanish duo, and it set the tone for what was to come.

Ruiz then captured the US Open Nine-ball Championship, defeating Austria’s Max Lechner 13-10 in the final. The US Open is arguably the most prestigious event in American pool, a tournament with nearly five decades of history behind it, and winning it requires a player to be at their best through a demanding field. Ruiz was exactly that. To close out 2022, he added the WPA World Eight-ball Championship title, beating Poland’s Wiktor Zielinski 10-6 in the final at the Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan. Three major titles in one year is the kind of output that earns a player serious recognition, and Ruiz was named Billiard Congress of America (BCA) Player of the Year as a result.

World Nine-ball Champion in 2023

Rather than treating 2022 as a peak, Ruiz used it as a foundation. In 2023, he won the World Nine-ball Championship, defeating Iran’s Mohammad Soufi 13-10 in the final held in Kielce, Poland. The nine-ball world title is the one that defines careers in pool, and winning it elevated Ruiz to the top of the world rankings and confirmed what the previous year’s results had already suggested: he was not a player on a hot streak but a fully formed champion operating at the highest level of the sport.

2024 and European Success

Ruiz kept competing at the front of the pack through 2024, winning the European Pool Championship in eight-ball, defeating Mario He 8-6 in the final. He also represented Europe in the inaugural Reyes Cup held in Manila, though the European team fell to Asia in that team event. Even in defeat, Ruiz’s presence on a continental team speaks to the regard his peers and selectors have for him.

Two-Time US Open Champion in 2026

The 2026 US Open Pool Championship in Frisco, Texas, produced one of the most dramatic finals in the tournament’s 49-year history. Ruiz faced Robbie Capito in a match that went to the hill, with Ruiz eventually closing it out 13-12 in a result that had the crowd and the broadcast audience on edge from start to finish. Winning a $100,000 title in a hill-hill situation against a player hungry for their first major is the kind of test that reveals character, and Ruiz passed it. The victory made him only the tenth player in the long history of the US Open Pool Championship to win the event more than once, and moved him up to third in the world rankings. It is a benchmark achievement, and it reinforced Ruiz’s standing as one of the best players of his generation.

Playing Style

The nickname “El Ferrari” is not purely about speed. It points to a combination of precision, power under control, and the ability to perform when the pressure is highest. Ruiz is a cue ball control specialist. His positional play is methodical without being slow, and he has the ability to read a rack and plan several shots ahead without telegraphing his intentions. That kind of thinking, finding the ideal angle before committing to the shot, is what separates consistent champions from one-time winners.

His break is effective, and his safety game is sophisticated enough to create problems for even experienced opponents. In nine-ball and eight-ball, where the formats reward both aggression and patience, Ruiz has shown he can shift between the two depending on what the table requires. His equipment choices reflect that precision-first philosophy. Players at his level tend to be exacting about their cue, and for anyone building their own setup, understanding what goes into a quality pool cue is worth the time before making a purchase.

What makes Ruiz genuinely difficult to play against is the lack of obvious weakness. He competes calmly. He does not visibly tighten under pressure, and his 2026 US Open final performance, closing out a hill-hill match against a dangerous opponent, demonstrated that composure is not something he has to manufacture. It appears to be structural, built into the way he approaches competition.

Legacy and Where He Stands

Across the modern pool era, a small number of players have managed to win world titles in multiple disciplines. Ruiz has done it in eight-ball and nine-ball at WPA World Championship level, while also winning the US Open twice and the World Cup of Pool. That breadth is significant. Many top players specialize or find their results concentrated in one format. Ruiz has demonstrated that his skills transfer across the table, regardless of the game on it.

He is also part of a Spanish pool tradition that includes David Alcaide, his World Cup partner, and a broader culture of competitive pool that has produced some of Europe’s most consistent international performers. Spain is not typically the first country that comes to mind when casual fans think about pool, but Ruiz, Alcaide, and others have pushed Spanish players into conversations at the very top of the sport.

At the time of writing, Ruiz sits third in the world rankings following the 2026 US Open. He is not in decline. He is competing at the front of the field, adding titles, and showing no sign that the ambition which drove him to the top has dimmed. A player who wins a world title at 30-something for the first time is impressive. A player who keeps adding major titles across several years, across formats, is building something close to a definitive legacy in the sport.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Francisco Sanchez Ruiz’s nickname and where does it come from?

Ruiz is known as “El Ferrari,” a nickname that reflects the speed and precision he brings to the table. It captures the idea of controlled power, high performance delivered smoothly rather than erratically.

How many world titles has Francisco Sanchez Ruiz won?

Ruiz has won two WPA World Championship titles, one in eight-ball (2022) and one in nine-ball (2023), plus the World Cup of Pool in 2022 alongside David Alcaide. He has also won the European Pool Championship in eight-ball (2024).

How many times has Francisco Sanchez Ruiz won the US Open Pool Championship?

Ruiz has won the US Open twice, in 2022 and 2026. His 2026 victory came in a dramatic hill-hill final against Robbie Capito, making him one of only ten players in the tournament’s history to win the event more than once.

What happened in the 2023 World Nine-ball Championship final?

Ruiz defeated Iran’s Mohammad Soufi 13-10 in the final, which was held in Kielce, Poland. The win gave him the nine-ball world title and pushed him to the top of the world rankings.

Who did Francisco Sanchez Ruiz partner with at the 2022 World Cup of Pool?

Ruiz partnered with fellow Spaniard David Alcaide at the 2022 World Cup of Pool. The pair defeated Aloysius Yapp and Toh Lian Han of Singapore 11-6 in the final to claim the title.