WNT Hanoi Open 2025, Vietnam, Oct 7-12

J

jbart65

Well-known member
Top prize this year is $40,000, with $16,000 for the runnerup and $10,000 for the semi-finalists. Total prize fund is $200,000.

Matchroom is already teasing the top 64 players who have signed up to play in the Hanoi Open. A new thing, it seems. Gamesmanship with WPA/Predator? Appears so.

Whatever the case, the third year of the Hanoi Open has a watered-down field, even more so than last year amid the WPA-WNT spat.

Notable players who are NOT on the Hanoi list:

Shane Van Boening, Joshua Filler, both Kaci brothers, the Ko brothers and Naoyuki Oi. As usual, Predator players, a big chunk of top Euros (He, Oschan, Kazakis) and the entire Polish contingent aside from Zielinski are missing.

Here is a list of the 64 players who have signed up so far.

alison-chang.com

The First 64 Players Confirmed For The 2025 Hanoi Open Pool Championship – Alison Chang｜Taiwanese Passion for Pool

The 2025 Hanoi Open Pool Championship is set to be one of the most anticipated events on the World Nineball Tour. With the first 64 players confirmed from a 256
alison-chang.com
 
I am surprised not to see the Kaci or Ko brothers on the list at the moment. Both sets of brothers lined up with Matchroom/WNT last year.

The Ko brothers have not been on the global pool scene this year as much as they’ve usually been. Not sure why.

A new MR promo does show Ko, however. We'll see.

Certainly raises questions about Reyes/Mosconi rosters if none of the brothers play in Hanoi.

MR supposedly has bylaws that exclude players from invitationals if they miss big WNT opens, but I have never seen any actual documentation.

If this is true, MR would have to omit SVB, Filler, the Kacis and the Kos from Reyes/Mosconi. Or change the rules and get some more blowback.

Not the best of years for Matchroom.
 
jbart65 said:
Top prize this year is $40,000, with $16,000 for the runnerup and $10,000 for the semi-finalists. Total prize fund is $200,000.

Matchroom is already teasing the top 64 players who have signed up to play in the Hanoi Open. A new thing, it seems. Gamesmanship with WPA/Predator? Appears so.

Whatever the case, the third year of the Hanoi Open has a watered-down field, even more so than last year amid the WPA-WNT spat.

Notable players who are NOT on the Hanoi list:

Shane Van Boening, Joshua Filler, both Kaci brothers, the Ko brothers and Naoyuki Oi. As usual, Predator players, a big chunk of top Euros (He, Oschan, Kazakis) and the entire Polish contingent aside from Zielinski are missing.

Here is a list of the 64 players who have signed up so far.

alison-chang.com

The First 64 Players Confirmed For The 2025 Hanoi Open Pool Championship – Alison Chang｜Taiwanese Passion for Pool

The 2025 Hanoi Open Pool Championship is set to be one of the most anticipated events on the World Nineball Tour. With the first 64 players confirmed from a 256
alison-chang.com
Click to expand...

it's funny these days, when you remove a chunk of monsters and the field still look tough af. i will be rooting for duong in this one..
 
It doesn't bother me that some players don't play in the top WNT events. It's good that pro pool is getting to the point that players have a choice.

IMO such absences just give other players, especially young and rising stars, a chance to shine and build confidence.

Given the rising quality of global talent, every big major will have a tough field regardless.
 
Gorst and Biado are the first two players named to the Reyes Cup. The rest of the selections will be made after the Hanoi Open.

Yapp appears to be a 100% lock as the highest ranked "Asia" player. Not sure why he hasn't been announced yet.

FSR has the highest ranking among European players. Filler is second, but he's not playing Hanoi.

The only player with a realistic chance to overtake FSR is Kledio Kaci, but he is not listed among the 64 who have already signed up for Hanoi.

Souto and maybe even Krause have an outside chance. They would have to win either the Peri or Hanoi, or get to the semis of both. Unlikely.
 
Matchroom published the playing field today. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19i5FoT9dx/

As mentioned before, some surprising absences: the Ko brothers and the Kaci brothers. Particularly interesting give Mosconi/Reyes qualification.

Oddly, the Ko brothers are listed as playing in the Peri Open. Or they were a few months ago. So were some top European players who are skipping Hanoi.

Still no updated Peri list. Missing from Hanoi:

Filler
SVB
Ko Pin Yi
Ko Ping Chung
Eklent Kaci
Kledio Kaci
Naoyuki Oi
Wojciech Szewczyk
Albin Ouschan
Sanjin Pehlivanoc
Denis Grabe
Daniel Maciol

Denis Grabe, by the way, is playing in the WNT Philippines Open and the WPA 10-ball cup in Qatar two days after the Manilla event ends. He has already qualified for the 10-ball event. He said some other top players are doing likewise.
 
is this due to World Ball championships sponsored by Predator?

the calendar seems to suggest players could play in Peri , and then choose either World 8 ball or Hanoi open but not both
 
CanadianGuy said:
is this due to World Ball championships sponsored by Predator?

the calendar seems to suggest players could play in Peri , and then choose either World 8 ball or Hanoi open but not both
Click to expand...
Oh, for sure.

Peri does give players a chance to get Mosconi Reyes points or consideration, but it seems to be widely understood that Matchroom wont give an invite or auto bid to players who don't play in Hanoi. Unless they suddenly change their rules ...
 
What is interesting is not all Predator players are playing in Bali for the 8-ball tourney.

Biado, Aleksa Pecelj and Wiktor Zielinksi are Predator players, but they are playing in Hanoi. It seems Predator is not punishing players for not attending all the big events it sponsors.
 
jbart65 said:
Matchroom published the playing field today. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19i5FoT9dx/

As mentioned before, some surprising absences: the Ko brothers and the Kaci brothers. Particularly interesting give Mosconi/Reyes qualification.

Oddly, the Ko brothers are listed as playing in the Peri Open. Or they were a few months ago. So were some top European players who are skipping Hanoi.

Still no updated Peri list. Missing from Hanoi:

Filler
SVB
Ko Pin Yi
Ko Ping Chung
Eklent Kaci
Kledio Kaci
Naoyuki Oi
Wojciech Szewczyk
Albin Ouschan
Sanjin Pehlivanoc
Denis Grabe
Daniel Maciol

Denis Grabe, by the way, is playing in the WNT Philippines Open and the WPA 10-ball cup in Qatar two days after the Manilla event ends. He has already qualified for the 10-ball event. He said some other top players are doing likewise.
Click to expand...
What about Moritz? Is he playing Hanoi?
 
mori-neusen as the viet call him is good and all that, but the further old hoang goes the better for the event. hoang in a semifinal would be like the WPCs in manila 2006-2007, i would love that pressure and tension. cuz we sure don't get it in saudi..
 
I dont mind that these fields do not fill up with all the top players of the world. Considering where pool is right now, it will not be easy for anyone and players who have aspirations of making it further at the ranks have more opportunities as well to improve while playing in stacked fields.

If anything, what matchroom and the WPA/Predator have done, is make it so that way we can finally acknowledge what the top of the top tier events are. And I'm sure the very best players in the world will make it their business to be at those events.
 
Looking at WNT rankings, 31 of the top 50 players are in Hanoi and 13 are in Bali. Another handful are in neither event.

Fargo is not a good reference since a sizable number of top 100 Fargo players globally don't play regularly in international events.

If I use the WPA rankings, some 40 of the top 50 ranked WPA players are in Bali for 8-ball.

Only five of the WPA top 50 are playing in Hanoi. Gorst, Carlo Biado, Max Lechner, Oliver Szolnoki and Aleksa Pecelj.

Lee Van Corteza is listed on the latest rosters for both Bali and Hanoi.
 
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