3rd Universal Taipei Open | WNT Ranking Event

very high quality match between yapp and hsin ting. never heard of the guy but he will likely be a force to reckon with. up 7-6
 
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Is this a foul?
Weird. It was definitely a foul, but the ref didn't initially think so. Notice he started the stopwatch when the CB stopped spinning. He wouldn't have done that if he called a foul. But not too long afterwards he was convinced by someone that it was indeed a foul.
 
I've read that Roda is (or was) a snooker player. Would never have guessed because he has a slight chicken-wing...similar to Biado but not as much.
 

Roda on the hill. Really the first time I've watched Roda play. I'm really impressed with his composure, and I like his steady pace. Before this final he beat Chua 11-3 and FSR 11-2. Dang.
 
Weird. It was definitely a foul, but the ref didn't initially think so. Notice he started the stopwatch when the CB stopped spinning. He wouldn't have done that if he called a foul. But not too long afterwards he was convinced by someone that it was indeed a foul.
I heard someone ask in English if that was a foul. I looked as closely as the player allows and I can't decide.
 
Roda only started showing up in big events in late 2023. He's has a very good 2024.

Before winning the Taipei Open, he finished third in the Hanoi Open, 9th in the Peri Open, 5th in the U.S. Open and 2nd in the Lushan Open. Got to the final 32 of the UK Open as well.

Roda looked great at the US Open and at the Hanoi Open, but his nerves got to him in the quarters and semis. Lost 11-2 to Ko Pin Yi in Hanoi and 10-5 to Gorst in New Jersey.

Plays different than most Pinoys. Not a lot of flair to his game. Calm, steady, consistent. Seems to have most if not all the tools to be a top 20 player.

Chua is the best player in the Philippines now. I might put Roda second or third, jut behind Biado, based on watching him extensively this year. Biado struggles a bit with long shots. Roda's biggest flaw has been his nerves.

Be very interesting to see how he does in 2025. Roda is now in a good spot to vie for an automatic bid to the Reyes.
 
HIs nerves only showed up when he went deep into the big Matchroom tournaments. The crowds and spotlight were bigger. He looked really bad early on vs. Gorst, for instance, and missed shots he usually makes. Something similar happened in Vietnam.

Uncharacteristic of how he played earlier in those tourneys. I suspect he will be just fine with more TV table time. Chua also suffered badly from nerves in the UK Open final, but it helped him to break through in Vietnam with a title win.

EDIT: His break is very good, but I wouldn't call it among the very best.
 
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Chua is the best player in the Philippines now. I might put Roda second or third, jut behind Biado, based on watching him extensively this year. Biado struggles a bit with long shots. Roda's biggest flaw has been his nerves.
Don't agree with this. Chua is 32 and won his very first major this year. He beat a watered-down field at the Hanoi Open which numerous elite players skipped.

Biado, who won the World 10ball championship this year, has been a title machine for over a decade, has a higher Fargo, and still rates the better of the two. Biado, fourth on the money list behind only Gorst, Filler and SVB, earned 73% more prize money than Chua in 2024 (Carlo 209,000 to Chua 121,000).

Perhaps Chua will pass Biado one day, but he has not done it yet.
 
Roda only started showing up in big events in late 2023. He's has a very good 2024.

Before winning the Taipei Open, he finished third in the Hanoi Open, 9th in the Peri Open, 5th in the U.S. Open and 2nd in the Lushan Open. Got to the final 32 of the UK Open as well.

Roda looked great at the US Open and at the Hanoi Open, but his nerves got to him in the quarters and semis. Lost 11-2 to Ko Pin Yi in Hanoi and 10-5 to Gorst in New Jersey.

Plays different than most Pinoys. Not a lot of flair to his game. Calm, steady, consistent. Seems to have most if not all the tools to be a top 20 player.

Chua is the best player in the Philippines now. I might put Roda second or third, jut behind Biado, based on watching him extensively this year. Biado struggles a bit with long shots. Roda's biggest flaw has been his nerves.

Be very interesting to see how he does in 2025. Roda is now in a good spot to vie for an automatic bid to the Reyes.

I disagree that Roda is better than Biado but he’s definitely on the come up!
 
Don't agree with this. Chua is 32 and won his very first major this year. He beat a watered-down field at the Hanoi Open which numerous elite players skipped.

Biado, who won the World 10ball championship this year, has been a title machine for over a decade, has a higher Fargo, and still rates the better of the two. Biado, fourth on the money list behind only Gorst, Filler and SVB, earned 73% more prize money than Chua in 2024 (Carlo 209,000 to Chua 121,000).

Perhaps Chua will pass Biado one day, but he has not done it yet.
Biado has been the best player over his career. No doubt, sjm.

But Chua is better right now imo. He has surpassed Biado in the past 12 months.

Highly debatable? Yes. In fact, I’d give Biado the nod in 10 ball.

Yet I have watched dozens of matches of both players in the past two years. A year ago, I would have said Biado. Not now. He has one increasing flaw in his game. He struggles more than other top players with long shots.

Chua is at the top of his game now. We’ll see if he can sustain it.

***

I am surprised you used the watered-down field argument. You don’t usually like that argument I seem to recall.

In any case it was still a strong field. Chua also finished third at the world pool championship and second at the UK open. Both extremely strong fields.
 
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