I agree Albin isn't in the same class he was a couple years ago, but I don't think it'd have been a shocker if he'd have beat Shane. He won a world championship, albeit in a different discipline, less than a year ago
FSR is still in the elite mix of guys behind Filler & Yapp for me. He's not the guy he was in 2022/2023 but that was also one of the best runs we've ever seen.
Nobody has ever played 9 ball better than Filler, IMO.
Kaci is a polarizing figure, but when he's mentally there he's absolutely still a top player. He'll never be the most consistent player, but even post-accident he went hill-hill with Gorst when Gorst was playing better than anyone in the world. That was just 2 yrs ago
Kazakis is a similar level to Albin for me, Shane should beat him but he doesn't have to.
When the guy you meet in the championship of a major tournament is probably the 2nd worst player you played in single elimination, you had a real tough draw. Yapp's US Open run still the most impressive for me, but lots of credit to Shane
All true. Tough draw, but a manageable one. I was confident when watching the matches real time that Shane would beat Albin, FSR, Kaci and Kazakis. You can tell quickly when Shane is on, and he was.
I wasn't sure he could beat Filler, but right from the start, it was clear the match would be a near-run affair. When Josh missed the 7 twice, I knew he was toast.
In retrospect, I am even more impressed now with SVB than I was when he won the event. Just to think what he has done at his age. His consistency. His effort. His focus. When so many other players who are younger rise and fall.
It was funny listening to his after he won. Mentioned losing to Gorst in their 50-match challenge. You could tell it really grated on him. He said he lost 15 pounds - you could see that, too. He was in great shape.
Seems like all is well with SVB and Emily after last year's Reyes decision. He was very complimentary to her on social media.
