WNT PREMIER LEAGUE OF POOL 2026, Miami, Fla, Feb. 18-22
- Thread starter jbart65
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Some stats for the matches played on Table 1 in Stage 2, Stage 3, and the Playoffs are available here: https://forums.azbilliards.com/threads/stats-2026-premier-league-pool-9-ball-february-2026.584900/
The biggest complaint among players and fans about the WNT schedule is that Matchrooom takes too long to finalize and publish it. So now MR pubs the schedule of an annual early and you think it's ... not good?
Classics Billiards has been the best host, by far, of the PLP. Lots of people, good ambience, nice setup. Wasn't a dead zone like other locales.
I was hoping MR would go back to Classic Billiards for the PLP, even before the surprise announcement. Glad they are doing so. Florida has proven to be a great place for all things WNT/MR.
Duong really was terrific the whole event. His game keeps getting better. He was determined to do better after a middling performance last year.
Tough miss on the 9, but he bounced back. Duong's 40-rack difference in wins vs losses was incredible. Kaci was next at ... 17.
FSR also had a fantastic run. Got a bit lucky in the semis vs Kaci, potting two early 9s. His luck turned, though, vs Duong in the finals.
Melling made some noise. If he got in better shape and played more consistently, he'd be a force instead of a fringe top player.
Biggest disappointment, to me, was Moritz Neuhausen. The defending champ just didn't seem to want to go thru the grind. Kledio Kaci was worse, of course, but he is still not fully established.
Biggest winner was Albert Januarta. Best under-20 player in the world. More mature than AJ Manas and he has all the tools. All of them. Safety and kicking game, usually a weakness for youngsters, are above average and better than many older players.
Januarta won win-or-go-home matches vs. Yapp and Capito, knocking both out. Fell behind 6-3 to Duong in the semis, tied it up at 6-6, and was just one incredible jump-kick away by Duong from getting to the finals. Super impressive.
Tough miss on the 9, but he bounced back. Duong's 40-rack difference in wins vs losses was incredible. Kaci was next at ... 17.
FSR also had a fantastic run. Got a bit lucky in the semis vs Kaci, potting two early 9s. His luck turned, though, vs Duong in the finals.
Melling made some noise. If he got in better shape and played more consistently, he'd be a force instead of a fringe top player.
Biggest disappointment, to me, was Moritz Neuhausen. The defending champ just didn't seem to want to go thru the grind. Kledio Kaci was worse, of course, but he is still not fully established.
Biggest winner was Albert Januarta. Best under-20 player in the world. More mature than AJ Manas and he has all the tools. All of them. Safety and kicking game, usually a weakness for youngsters, are above average and better than many older players.
Januarta won win-or-go-home matches vs. Yapp and Capito, knocking both out. Fell behind 6-3 to Duong in the semis, tied it up at 6-6, and was just one incredible jump-kick away by Duong from getting to the finals. Super impressive.
melling is pushing 50. i would love to see him focus and dedicate himself for atleast a full year of american pool but i'm not holding my breath.. he's been juggling pool, heyball, e8b for years and exhibitions are his practice. there's something with e8b culture that seems to abhor practice. in interviews they always say they haven't practiced, they haven't played, yada yada. the sort of things sponsors don't want to hear..
hoang has a complete game. looks unassuming, sneaking around the table but is a stone cold killer.
Looks like 7 of the PLP 16 are hightailing it from Florida to Las Vegas for what is being called the "WPA Teams 10-Ball World Championship" that starts tomorrow. Just 20 teams involved, 3-5 players per team, with a prize fund of $300,000, $120,000 for first place. Januarta is in that with Team Indonesia, and he is also registered for the Junior Open (age 18 max) starting there tomorrow.
Yeah, I get it. He just turned 47, the same age as David Alcaide and two years younger than Niels Feijin. Probably going to start aging out in the near future. Showed a lot of cool in the PLP, though, and he's always enjoyable to watch.
Hoang is light years better than he was when I first saw him in 2023 and knocked SVB out of the WPC. His Fargo appears to have climbed steadily from the high 790s to his current rating of 823 (22nd in the world).
His speed control and pattern play are now topnotch. His jumping became world class. And his defensive tactics and strategy - kicking and safety play - have become a strength instead of his most glaring weakness.
Kaci also seriously impressed. Looked like he lost 25 pounds or more, Kaci and Hoang look primed to win something big this year (open tourneys).
Yapp, on the other hand, looks set to fall off last year's unmatchable pace. Still a top three player, but what he did in 2025 is not sustainable.
Capito is still a puzzle to me. Great all round game and skills, but he hasn't broken thru in the way I expected after he won the UK Open in 2024. He got a bit emotional near the end of the PLP, but that actually was uncharacteristic of him.
Yeah, I mentioned this earlier. Good chance for another big payout.
Seems almost unfair to allow Januarta to play in the junior event. He is just too good now. Perhaps all the playing and travel will wear on him.
Felix Vogel would have been the only comparable player, but it doesn't look like he is playing now. His image was used in promos, but he's not on the roster.
uk_9_ball_convert
Member
He said recently on his Youtube channel that he'd be focussing on hey ball as that's where the money is. Was really surprised to see him pop up in this event. Maybe Matchroom gave him a decent appearance fee as they were struggling to find enough players since they decided to clash with a Predator event.
No appearance fee. Mosconi and Reyes players get flight and accommodations paid for, I think. I got the sense from players last year that the PLP subsidizes some expenses but it was unclear.
In an interview a few days ago, Melling said he was just hoping to make his money back. Said it cost him about $2,000 to play in the PLP. He earned $8,000 for his fifth place finish.
Frazer said MR invites the top eight players in the WNT rankings each year automatically. That means Gorst, SVB, Filler, Biado, Chua and Ko Pin Yi turned them down.