Last post in a series: The fading-window players.

Last year, I said I wasn't sure if FSR would win another major. He still makes deep runs, but he doesn't seem to be able to get over the finish line.

There are a lot of players who fall into this category. The sun may be setting on them. They include:

Albin Ouschan
Max Lechner
Mario He
Jayson Shaw
Sanjin Pehlivanovic
Aleksa Pecelj

Of this group, Ouschan still has the talent, mental makeup and physical conditioning to win another major. He' needs to rediscover his passion for the game again, though, and it's no sure thing.

fastone371 said:

What does that mean???

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It's not felt, technically.

The thing is all or most of those players in the original list were winning major titles in their early 20's (even earlier for some). I don't think they got significantly better as they aged. Just they were so far ahead of the pack, that even as they got older, few younger players have caught them.

That brings up to the final group - the youngest generation of players recent turned pro.

AJ Manas and Albert Januarta are the big names in this group. I'd also throw in Bernie Regalario.

I would be shocked if Manas and Januarta failed to win a major over the next few years. Both of them seem to have that something extra, but it's still too early to tell. We won't know for a while if either is a generational talent.

No one else around 20 years or younger has emerged beyond those three.

jbart65 said:

Another possibility is that an aging player, still in his prime, goes on a big run like FSR did in 2022-23, and Yapp did in 2025.

These are players 26-32 years old. Candidates include Labutis, Capito, Krause, Atencio, Tyler Styer, Daniel Maciol, Oliver Szolnoki and my preferred pick, Wiktor Zielinski.

Yet it's hard for me to see any of these players snapping off two big majors or more in a two-year window.

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I wonder if KPC returns to American pool ever, that could shake things up at the top

Another possibility is that an aging player, still in his prime, goes on a big run like FSR did in 2022-23, and Yapp did in 2025.

These are players 26-32 years old. Candidates include Labutis, Capito, Krause, Atencio, Tyler Styer, Daniel Maciol, Oliver Szolnoki and my preferred pick, Wiktor Zielinski.

Yet it's hard for me to see any of these players snapping off two big majors or more in a two-year window.

skogstokig said:

i must say, although i'm a fan of both nina simone and the tune, that "sinnerman" is the most out of place song between racks ever. lol

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Au contraire, mon frère. Evidently you haven't been following the activities of some of the players.

I think the message of desperation, apocalypse, and final judgement is perfect for a pool tournament. And the repeated lyric of Power! Power! Power! is clearly Matchroom asking the players to break a little harder.

I hadn't heard the song before. Awesome. It is on my poolhall/bar's jukebox. I'll see if they let it play all the way through 10 minutes. For those who are puzzled over the lyrics -- about hiding and rocks and praying -- here they are:
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I expect Filler and Gorst to remain among the top five players, if not top two, for the foreseeable future. Yapp should be right up there, but he has admittedly looked shakier this year.

Beyond that, who is the next great player to step up and win multiple majors? Good question.

Moritz Neuhausen, 22, is my choice. He has all the tools and the mental makeup, too. I just don't know if he has the something special that a Filler or Gorst or an SVB has. That extra gear.

Kledio Kaci, 20, is another choice, but I haven't seen that extra gear in him, either.

Jonas Souto, 24, has come a long way in the past two years. But I would take Moritz and Kledio over him.