Yes, Robbie is a good role model in our sport. Given that he has worked with Kelly Fisher, as classy a competitor and lady as you'll meet, it's no surprise to me.
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WNT Hanoi Open 2025, Vietnam, Oct 7-12
- Thread starter jbart65
- Start date
Souto was in top form in the first half of this year and, of course, got to the 2025 UK Open final where he lost to Yapp. He's been slightly less sharp since then.
Still, he has improved a great deal. He has had a long stretch in which he has gotten to the final 64 in all the big WNT majors going back to the European Open in 2023. He is only one of a few players, or some such, who has done that.
Still, he has improved a great deal. He has had a long stretch in which he has gotten to the final 64 in all the big WNT majors going back to the European Open in 2023. He is only one of a few players, or some such, who has done that.
Yes, I am in Hanoi.
sudocrushms
Well-known member
"Since when did you play 8-ball?"
"He's giving me 4 balls off the break."
"4 balls off the break is the biggest hustle in the world. You're just getting your balls out the way so he can shoot em..."
(Couldn't resist
)
Also missed the UK Open. If he misses three WNT majors and is still on the US Mosconi team, it will permanently dispel the myth that participation in the WNT majors is a prerequisite for inclusion in WNT invitationals.
Stage 2 will tell the story for Lukas, arguably America's best young player at 22 years old. It's long overdue that we see someone young on Team USA. Good chance Team Europe will feature Moritz Neuhausen, who will turn 22 between now and the Mosconi.
ok cool. on vacation? how is the arena experience?
His impressive consistency, in my opinion, is due to gradually improving shot selection. Let's see if he continues to develop in this regard.
I will be there in the last 2 days to do commentary, would love to meet you
Curious situation. Neither Frazer nor WNT/MR has publicly acknowledged a participation rule exists. Nothing about it is mentioned in the WNT rankings.
I would hope that if such a rule exists, MR suffers some embarrassment and just does away with it. Points are points.
In any case, Molina Mike has repeatedly claimed such a rule has been intimated to the players behind the scenes. In a DogginIt broadcast last month, Nick De Leon in the chat also indicated SVB would not be on the Reyes World Team or Mosconi US team. De Leon is friends with SVB - they played together in Bali this week in the men's doubles.
What to believe? I'll just wait for the official announcement. No use speculating.
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REYES/MOSCONI
As it stands now, there very little chance for SVB to be overtaken in points for one of the three automatic spots on Team USA. Sky, Billie and Lukas would each have to win a major WNT title (Hanoi, Philippines).
On Team Europe, Neuhausen is now No. 1. He is a virtual 99.9% lock given the remaining events and who is playing in them.
Filler and Kledio Kaci are No. 2 and No. 3. The only players who can surpass them are FSR, Souto, Krause, Labutis or Niels Feijin.
One of these players would have to win either the Hanoi Open or Philippines Open to obtain enough points to jump ahead of Filler and Kaci - assuming Filler and Kaci are eligible.
***
The most interesting competition is the automatic spot for top European player for World Team in the Reyes. FSR leads Moritz by just 50 points.
Whoever goes further in Hanoi will get the spot. If they both exit in the same round, FSR is the choice. Hanoi is the cutoff.
As it stands now, there very little chance for SVB to be overtaken in points for one of the three automatic spots on Team USA. Sky, Billie and Lukas would each have to win a major WNT title (Hanoi, Philippines).
On Team Europe, Neuhausen is now No. 1. He is a virtual 99.9% lock given the remaining events and who is playing in them.
Filler and Kledio Kaci are No. 2 and No. 3. The only players who can surpass them are FSR, Souto, Krause, Labutis or Niels Feijin.
One of these players would have to win either the Hanoi Open or Philippines Open to obtain enough points to jump ahead of Filler and Kaci - assuming Filler and Kaci are eligible.
***
The most interesting competition is the automatic spot for top European player for World Team in the Reyes. FSR leads Moritz by just 50 points.
Whoever goes further in Hanoi will get the spot. If they both exit in the same round, FSR is the choice. Hanoi is the cutoff.
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Looking at past tournaments, the odds of a lesser ranked player going far really depends on matchups. The only exception was Capito's win in the UK Open in 2023, when the matchups did not favor him.
In most majors, there are only a few players who can win no matter what despite the matchups. Given the absence of Filler and SVB, I'd say only Gorst and Yapp fit into that category in Hanoi.
Shaw, FSR, Chua and Biado are close to being in that category.
The draw for the final 64 is out
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Based on the draw, Gorst has a great chance to get to quarterfinals. Duong, Woodward and Moritz would be among those in his path.
Chua has a nice route to the quarters IF he beats Souto in their round of 64 matchup.
Capito is in the same bracket as Yapp, but if he gets by Aloysius, Shaw would be the next toughest opponent enroute to the quarters.
***
Among Americans, Billy Thorpe has the best chance to get to the quarters, but his route is by no means easy. He plays Chang Yu Lung next.
Sky could end up playing Duong and later Fedor if he wins his next match.
Lukas plays Dang Thanh Kien in the next match, but Biado would likely be after that.
Hah. Capito plays Laikre again in the round of 64.
There are 16 Filipinos in the round of 64, including new names like Tristan Deocareza, Christian Gariando, Paul John Ortega and Jundel Mazon.
Almost half of the 33 Pinoys who started in Hanoi got to the knockout stage. Impressive.
Fourteen Vietnamese players got to the final 64. In 2024, the number was eight.
Based on the draw, my darkhorse picks to go far would be Max Lechner and Pijus Labutis.
I think FSR has an easier path than Moritz Neuhausen in light of Reyes/Mosconi implications.
There are 16 Filipinos in the round of 64, including new names like Tristan Deocareza, Christian Gariando, Paul John Ortega and Jundel Mazon.
Almost half of the 33 Pinoys who started in Hanoi got to the knockout stage. Impressive.
Fourteen Vietnamese players got to the final 64. In 2024, the number was eight.
Based on the draw, my darkhorse picks to go far would be Max Lechner and Pijus Labutis.
I think FSR has an easier path than Moritz Neuhausen in light of Reyes/Mosconi implications.
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yes, for the first time were seeing young vietnamese players doing well. in a "numbers game" theory they'll have a major event winner within a few years
Flakeandrun
Well-known member
This is how it starts (though one of the guys I would play this with would emphasize the "ME" while pointing at himself haha)
This is how it ends haha
Flakeandrun
Well-known member
Deocareza seems ok. Watched him batter Manas a few times on YT. Not sure Jundel is 'new' - Gariando looked a tidy player.
They have a good stock of players, nice to see them doing well on their homecourt.
This and the Reyes Cup were a good excuse for a vacation to places I'd never been.
The arena is nice. Even with AC it's a touch warm and humid. That's about the only negative I can find. Well, one more: sparse bathrooms. Only one set for spectators that I've found.
I can already tell this place will be a madhouse the last couple days. All Vetnamese matches get a crowd, but Duong Quoc Hoang is on his own level. His last match, a 9-0 win (he played otherworldly by the way--a deserved nickname), was standing room only, and every spectator stayed the entire time and cheered every shot, long after the outcome was clear.
If he stays in until the finals the arena might collapse into a black hole.
DaWizard
Well-known member
Serious question: hows fire safety in the venue? Easy exits?