The curtain has fallen on 2025 and it is time to review the year in pro pool. I will touch on pool politics but my focus will be on 2025 in men’s competition.
I 2025 in Men’s Tournament Play
1st Quarter: Corteza won at Turning Stone. At Derby City, Gorst won bank pool, 1-pocket, and Master of Table, as Labutis won 10ball and Filler took 9ball. Grabe took the LV Open. Filler aced the European Open. Neuhausen nabbed the Premier League Pool.
2nd Quarter: Souto won the Seattle Open, Eklent Kaci the McDermott, and Feijen the Super Billiards event. Krause won the Scottish Open. Yapp reigned at the UK Open. Filler won the Buffalo Billiards 1-pocket. Kledio Kaci won in Bucharest.
3rd Quarter: Chua won Dubai. Biado took the World 9ball. Corteza aced the Rally in the Valley. Yapp won the Florida Open. Szolnocki got World Games gold. Chua took Battle of the Bull. Yapp won the US Open 9ball. Szewczyk got the China Open. Ko Ping Chung got the World 10ball.
4th Quarter: Neuhausen took the Peri. Ouschan won the World 8ball. Labutis nabbed the Hanoi Open. Team Asia romped at the Reyes Cup. Alcaide aced the Philippine Open. Magpantay won in Qatar. Yapp aced the International 9ball. FSR won the Valencia. Europe cruised at the Mosconi. Filler won Predator Jacksonville.
II. A Closer Look
1. Best Match Nominees:
A. Styer 10, Filler 8, UK Open 9ball, May
Tyler jumped out to a lead, but Josh caught fire for 8-7. Not to be outdone, Tyler ran the last three racks to reach the semis.
B. Biado 15, Gorst 13, World 9ball, July
In the final, Biado cruised to 9-2. The match seemed a dud until Fedor won seven in a row for 9-9. The game was on. Biado won safety battles to secure racks 19 and 20. Fedor rallied impressively for 13-13, but Biado closed well to win 15-13.
C. Morra 10, Atencio 9, Florida Open, August
Morra raced out to 5-0 but Atencio closed to 5-3. After a Morra error, Atencio won six straight for 9-5 but Morra gathered himself and won the last five for the victory.
D. Gorst 10, Baoanan 9, US Open 9ball, August
Baoanan opened impressively, but Fedor stayed close. Baoanan found his top gear again for 9-6, but Fedor dug deep for the win.
E. Biado 10, Hennessee 9, International 9ball, November
Play was superb up to 8-8. Hennessee made a very tough carom of the 9ball to reach the hill but Biado forced double hill. A long, well-played safety battle won by Biado decided the match.
My match of 2025 is Match B, World 9ball.
2. Best Shot: Nominees: A) Gorst two-rail kick-in of 7ball, DCC 1-pocket, B) Gorst jump kick in of 1ball going three rails to the short side of 2ball, World 9ball, or C) Yapp jump-in of 2ball with draw onto 3ball, US Open 9ball? Here’s footage with a timestamp.
Shot A, Gorst two-rail kick-in, DCC 1-pocket 1:29:00
Shot B, Gorst jump-kick-in, World 9ball, 2:37
Shot C: Yapp jump-in with draw, US Open 9ball, 7:55
Shot C, Yapp’s jump, is my shot of the year. Is it yours?
3. Best Event: US Open 9ball. The vibe in the arena was electric and Yapp, memorably, won his third WNT major of 2025.
4. Best New Event: WNT Florida Open. After a great Mosconi in 2024 in Orlando, Matchroom produced a superb WNT major there.
5. Most Improved Event: Derby City. After years of scheduling flops, three finals were moved to the last day. With well-rested players, the pool was breathtaking on “Championship Sunday.”
6. Best Player: Yapp. Greatness is measured in titles. Winning the UK Open, Florida Open, US Open 9ball, and International 9ball, he met all the standards of greatness. The top two from 2024 slipped a bit. Filler had a decent year, with wins at the Derby City 9ball, Estonian Open, Longoni Open, European Open, Buffalo Billiards 1-pocket, Box Mixed Doubles, and Jacksonville 10ball. Gorst was Derby City Master of the table but came up short time and again in the biggest spots and did not manage even a single title in either 9ball or 10ball.
7. Most Improved Player: Moritz Neuhausen. He won the Premier League Pool and the Peri Open, got silver at the Hanoi Open, got bronze at the Qatar Open and was Mosconi Cup MVP. Jonas Souto also impressed, winning the Seattle Open and Helsinki Open, getting silver at the UK Open and bronze at the International 9ball. Pijus Labutis shone, too, winning the Derby City 10ball and the Hanoi Open. Kledio Kaci, Alex Kazakis, Wu Kun Lin, Arseni Sevastyonov and Szymon Kural showed big progress, each earning a silver medal or better in a major rankings event.
8. Most Memorable Day of Play by One Player: Josh Filler’s Saturday, Derby 9ball. Josh shot TPA 1.000 to top Mickey Krause. Hours later, he shot TPA 1.000 vs SVB on route to the title.
9. Best Producer: Matchroom. The fan experience at the majors is hard to top. They have great arenas, interviews, commentary, and fields. WNT added new majors in Orlando and Manilla.
10. Best Sponsor: Predator. Their support of men’s and women’s pool, chiefly through player and event sponsorship, figured very prominently in pool’s growth. They produced new events, too.
11. Best Commentator: Karl Boyes. He shone in the studio, the arena, and the booth. Animated when something special occurs, he is part fan, part host, and part commentator.
12. Most Improved Commentator: Phil Yates. Analyzing play, he can fall short, but when he focuses on the host city, player stories, in-match momentum, and size of the moment, he shines. He is witty, using idioms, analogies, and metaphors to full advantage.
III. What I Will Remember Most
1. Prize Money (per AZB 12/23) Grew, But Unevenly
The top 5 combined for prizes of $1,363,000, compared to $1,449,000 in 2024 and $1,235,000 in 2023. The Top 10 combined for prizes of $2,097,000, compared to $2,166,000 in 2024 and $1,854,000 in 2023.
The Top 25 earned $3,612,000, compared to $3,485,000 in 2024 and $3,168,000 in 2023. The Top 50 earned $5,245,000, compared to $4,883,000 in 2024 and $4,494,000 in 2023.
In 2025, prize money growth for the Top 25 was 4%, but, as a group, the players who finished in the next 25 on the money list had prize money growth of 17%.
2. WNT Schedule Came Out Way Too Late
The 2025 WNT schedule was a blur, blindsiding the pros and fans alike. When the European Open was thrown together at the last moment, field filling was so tough that all WNT-TV subscribers were invited to enter. Also, by the time the UK Open dates were set, some elite WNT pros had already committed to an expo in Asia. To my delight, on 12/22, Matchroom unveiled a big piece of its 2026 event lineup.
3. Matchroom’s Vision has Been Achieved
The WNT grew again. In 2023, they added events in Scotland, Poland, Spain, and Vietnam. In 2024, they added events in Colombia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Maldives, Finland, Morocco, and Portugal. This year, they added events in Sarajevo, Bucharest, Manilla, Orlando, Jacksonville, and Seattle.
4. WPA and WNT Reconcile
In May, WPA and Matchroom jointly offered “an agreement has been reached, ensuring that WNT events will be ratified by the WPA.” The WPA pledged not to suspend WNT players. The stage was set for pros to have freedom in event selection.
That freedom was tested right away. When Filler and SVB chose the World 8ball over Hanoi, Matchroom barred both from the Reyes Cup, resulting in a weak Team “Rest of the World” that was massacred by Asia. In an encouraging about-face, Matchroom let bygones be bygones, including both at the Mosconi.
5. Wax On, Wax Off
Several alleged that some pros had doctored the cue ball during play at the World 9ball. WPA’s press release claimed that such infractions fall under “unsportsmanlike conduct” rules, but I have never seen such rules enforced. A veteran referee with whom I conversed disagreed with WPA’s release. The matter needs study.
6. Josh vs Fedor Rivalry Failed to Develop
I expected this rivalry to intensify. To me, it can be the best since Sigel/Varner. They met in each Derby City event in January. Fedor won banks and 1-pocket. Josh won 9ball. Incredibly, they did not play again until December at the Mosconi, during which Josh won their 9ball match.
7. Pool’s Burnout Issue
A huge offering of events taxed the stamina of pros. Some went to the World 9ball in Jeddah, then the World Games in Chengdu, then the US Open 9ball in Atlantic City, and then the China Open in Shanghai. Many non-Asians spent September and October country hopping in Asia. Burnout has become a big issue.
8. Biado Enshrined into BCA Hall of Fame
Carlo Biado was inducted. He spoke with passion and humility to a November gathering in Orlando, Florida.
9. Good Times in Women’s Pool
Amit took the LV Open. Han Yu won gold at the World Games. Ouschan got the World 8ball, Seoa won the World 9ball. Centeno claimed the World 10ball. Kelly Fisher won the World Heyball. Seoa topped AZBs money list with $122,000.
10. Heartbreak Overdose
BCA Hall of Famers Buddy Hall, Dan Diliberto, Terry Bell, and Mika Immonen left us. We also lost JL Chang and Truman Hogue.
IV What Did You See?
Do you disagree with my opinions? What did I miss or overlook?
V In Conclusion
Despite an uneasy start, 2025 was a great year. New events were added in Orlando, Manilla, Valencia, and Jacksonville, and the World 8ball moved to Bali.
Globalization remains the top story in pool. Top pros are popping up everywhere. Ten years ago, who would have foreseen that the Fargo 800+ list would include a pro from Singapore, Albania, Iraq, Vietnam, Lithuania, Bosnia, Hungary, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Serbia, and Estonia? The level of play has skyrocketed!
That is about the size of it. Happy new year to all.
I 2025 in Men’s Tournament Play
1st Quarter: Corteza won at Turning Stone. At Derby City, Gorst won bank pool, 1-pocket, and Master of Table, as Labutis won 10ball and Filler took 9ball. Grabe took the LV Open. Filler aced the European Open. Neuhausen nabbed the Premier League Pool.
2nd Quarter: Souto won the Seattle Open, Eklent Kaci the McDermott, and Feijen the Super Billiards event. Krause won the Scottish Open. Yapp reigned at the UK Open. Filler won the Buffalo Billiards 1-pocket. Kledio Kaci won in Bucharest.
3rd Quarter: Chua won Dubai. Biado took the World 9ball. Corteza aced the Rally in the Valley. Yapp won the Florida Open. Szolnocki got World Games gold. Chua took Battle of the Bull. Yapp won the US Open 9ball. Szewczyk got the China Open. Ko Ping Chung got the World 10ball.
4th Quarter: Neuhausen took the Peri. Ouschan won the World 8ball. Labutis nabbed the Hanoi Open. Team Asia romped at the Reyes Cup. Alcaide aced the Philippine Open. Magpantay won in Qatar. Yapp aced the International 9ball. FSR won the Valencia. Europe cruised at the Mosconi. Filler won Predator Jacksonville.
II. A Closer Look
1. Best Match Nominees:
A. Styer 10, Filler 8, UK Open 9ball, May
Tyler jumped out to a lead, but Josh caught fire for 8-7. Not to be outdone, Tyler ran the last three racks to reach the semis.
B. Biado 15, Gorst 13, World 9ball, July
In the final, Biado cruised to 9-2. The match seemed a dud until Fedor won seven in a row for 9-9. The game was on. Biado won safety battles to secure racks 19 and 20. Fedor rallied impressively for 13-13, but Biado closed well to win 15-13.
C. Morra 10, Atencio 9, Florida Open, August
Morra raced out to 5-0 but Atencio closed to 5-3. After a Morra error, Atencio won six straight for 9-5 but Morra gathered himself and won the last five for the victory.
D. Gorst 10, Baoanan 9, US Open 9ball, August
Baoanan opened impressively, but Fedor stayed close. Baoanan found his top gear again for 9-6, but Fedor dug deep for the win.
E. Biado 10, Hennessee 9, International 9ball, November
Play was superb up to 8-8. Hennessee made a very tough carom of the 9ball to reach the hill but Biado forced double hill. A long, well-played safety battle won by Biado decided the match.
My match of 2025 is Match B, World 9ball.
2. Best Shot: Nominees: A) Gorst two-rail kick-in of 7ball, DCC 1-pocket, B) Gorst jump kick in of 1ball going three rails to the short side of 2ball, World 9ball, or C) Yapp jump-in of 2ball with draw onto 3ball, US Open 9ball? Here’s footage with a timestamp.
Shot A, Gorst two-rail kick-in, DCC 1-pocket 1:29:00
Shot B, Gorst jump-kick-in, World 9ball, 2:37
Shot C: Yapp jump-in with draw, US Open 9ball, 7:55
Shot C, Yapp’s jump, is my shot of the year. Is it yours?
3. Best Event: US Open 9ball. The vibe in the arena was electric and Yapp, memorably, won his third WNT major of 2025.
4. Best New Event: WNT Florida Open. After a great Mosconi in 2024 in Orlando, Matchroom produced a superb WNT major there.
5. Most Improved Event: Derby City. After years of scheduling flops, three finals were moved to the last day. With well-rested players, the pool was breathtaking on “Championship Sunday.”
6. Best Player: Yapp. Greatness is measured in titles. Winning the UK Open, Florida Open, US Open 9ball, and International 9ball, he met all the standards of greatness. The top two from 2024 slipped a bit. Filler had a decent year, with wins at the Derby City 9ball, Estonian Open, Longoni Open, European Open, Buffalo Billiards 1-pocket, Box Mixed Doubles, and Jacksonville 10ball. Gorst was Derby City Master of the table but came up short time and again in the biggest spots and did not manage even a single title in either 9ball or 10ball.
7. Most Improved Player: Moritz Neuhausen. He won the Premier League Pool and the Peri Open, got silver at the Hanoi Open, got bronze at the Qatar Open and was Mosconi Cup MVP. Jonas Souto also impressed, winning the Seattle Open and Helsinki Open, getting silver at the UK Open and bronze at the International 9ball. Pijus Labutis shone, too, winning the Derby City 10ball and the Hanoi Open. Kledio Kaci, Alex Kazakis, Wu Kun Lin, Arseni Sevastyonov and Szymon Kural showed big progress, each earning a silver medal or better in a major rankings event.
8. Most Memorable Day of Play by One Player: Josh Filler’s Saturday, Derby 9ball. Josh shot TPA 1.000 to top Mickey Krause. Hours later, he shot TPA 1.000 vs SVB on route to the title.
9. Best Producer: Matchroom. The fan experience at the majors is hard to top. They have great arenas, interviews, commentary, and fields. WNT added new majors in Orlando and Manilla.
10. Best Sponsor: Predator. Their support of men’s and women’s pool, chiefly through player and event sponsorship, figured very prominently in pool’s growth. They produced new events, too.
11. Best Commentator: Karl Boyes. He shone in the studio, the arena, and the booth. Animated when something special occurs, he is part fan, part host, and part commentator.
12. Most Improved Commentator: Phil Yates. Analyzing play, he can fall short, but when he focuses on the host city, player stories, in-match momentum, and size of the moment, he shines. He is witty, using idioms, analogies, and metaphors to full advantage.
III. What I Will Remember Most
1. Prize Money (per AZB 12/23) Grew, But Unevenly
The top 5 combined for prizes of $1,363,000, compared to $1,449,000 in 2024 and $1,235,000 in 2023. The Top 10 combined for prizes of $2,097,000, compared to $2,166,000 in 2024 and $1,854,000 in 2023.
The Top 25 earned $3,612,000, compared to $3,485,000 in 2024 and $3,168,000 in 2023. The Top 50 earned $5,245,000, compared to $4,883,000 in 2024 and $4,494,000 in 2023.
In 2025, prize money growth for the Top 25 was 4%, but, as a group, the players who finished in the next 25 on the money list had prize money growth of 17%.
2. WNT Schedule Came Out Way Too Late
The 2025 WNT schedule was a blur, blindsiding the pros and fans alike. When the European Open was thrown together at the last moment, field filling was so tough that all WNT-TV subscribers were invited to enter. Also, by the time the UK Open dates were set, some elite WNT pros had already committed to an expo in Asia. To my delight, on 12/22, Matchroom unveiled a big piece of its 2026 event lineup.
3. Matchroom’s Vision has Been Achieved
The WNT grew again. In 2023, they added events in Scotland, Poland, Spain, and Vietnam. In 2024, they added events in Colombia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Maldives, Finland, Morocco, and Portugal. This year, they added events in Sarajevo, Bucharest, Manilla, Orlando, Jacksonville, and Seattle.
4. WPA and WNT Reconcile
In May, WPA and Matchroom jointly offered “an agreement has been reached, ensuring that WNT events will be ratified by the WPA.” The WPA pledged not to suspend WNT players. The stage was set for pros to have freedom in event selection.
That freedom was tested right away. When Filler and SVB chose the World 8ball over Hanoi, Matchroom barred both from the Reyes Cup, resulting in a weak Team “Rest of the World” that was massacred by Asia. In an encouraging about-face, Matchroom let bygones be bygones, including both at the Mosconi.
5. Wax On, Wax Off
Several alleged that some pros had doctored the cue ball during play at the World 9ball. WPA’s press release claimed that such infractions fall under “unsportsmanlike conduct” rules, but I have never seen such rules enforced. A veteran referee with whom I conversed disagreed with WPA’s release. The matter needs study.
6. Josh vs Fedor Rivalry Failed to Develop
I expected this rivalry to intensify. To me, it can be the best since Sigel/Varner. They met in each Derby City event in January. Fedor won banks and 1-pocket. Josh won 9ball. Incredibly, they did not play again until December at the Mosconi, during which Josh won their 9ball match.
7. Pool’s Burnout Issue
A huge offering of events taxed the stamina of pros. Some went to the World 9ball in Jeddah, then the World Games in Chengdu, then the US Open 9ball in Atlantic City, and then the China Open in Shanghai. Many non-Asians spent September and October country hopping in Asia. Burnout has become a big issue.
8. Biado Enshrined into BCA Hall of Fame
Carlo Biado was inducted. He spoke with passion and humility to a November gathering in Orlando, Florida.
9. Good Times in Women’s Pool
Amit took the LV Open. Han Yu won gold at the World Games. Ouschan got the World 8ball, Seoa won the World 9ball. Centeno claimed the World 10ball. Kelly Fisher won the World Heyball. Seoa topped AZBs money list with $122,000.
10. Heartbreak Overdose
BCA Hall of Famers Buddy Hall, Dan Diliberto, Terry Bell, and Mika Immonen left us. We also lost JL Chang and Truman Hogue.
IV What Did You See?
Do you disagree with my opinions? What did I miss or overlook?
V In Conclusion
Despite an uneasy start, 2025 was a great year. New events were added in Orlando, Manilla, Valencia, and Jacksonville, and the World 8ball moved to Bali.
Globalization remains the top story in pool. Top pros are popping up everywhere. Ten years ago, who would have foreseen that the Fargo 800+ list would include a pro from Singapore, Albania, Iraq, Vietnam, Lithuania, Bosnia, Hungary, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Serbia, and Estonia? The level of play has skyrocketed!
That is about the size of it. Happy new year to all.
