2026 WPA Predator Men's World 10 Ball Saigon

IMO, the IPT was so good because it was the first time in generations we pool degenerates thought pool had a legit shot of getting huge. It had zero to do with 8 ball vs 9 ball. I was so enamored by it I was trying to convince a couple of open speed local players to quit their jobs and put in their submission to be tour members. Thankfully, they knew a lot better than me about pool "promises" and did no such thing.
 
sjm said:
I'm getting pretty psyched about Kaci vs Filler in the semis. Here's how I see it.

I Strength of Play

A. If one of them brings their "A" game and the other brings their "B" game
The player bringing their "A game prevails here. Each can dominate the other on the right day.

B. If both bring their "A" game
I think Kaci, because of his incredible break, has a slightly higher ceiling than Filler, so I think he wins if he's at the absolute top of his game.

C. If both bring their "B" game
Filler is better at defense, kicking and is more creative in his use of two-way shots than Kaci. I'd say they are even at jumps and at push-out strategy. Filler is a slightly better runner of the table. If nobody is dominating and both players get a lot of table time, I think these advantages will mean Josh wins.

II Type of Match

A. Offense Oriented
If the match is offense oriented, Kaci needs to outbreak Filler, as Filler runs the table more consistently than Kaci.

B. Tactically Oriented
Filler's advantage in the tactical portion of the game is substantial, and I can't imagine Kaci outplaying him in this part of the game.

C. An Even Mix of Tactical Play and Total Offense
In this scenario, things should stay close all the way to the end..

Summary

I have no idea who will win this, but I cannot wait to watch at 1:00 AM New York time.
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I picked Filler from the start if you recall. This might be his stiffest test.
 
Lowell said:
When Kaci was making that comeback against Capito, he had 4 break and runs in a row like he was playing template rack 9 ball (if I remember correctly).

Usually making multiple balls on each break.
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Yes; here's a little more info on that. Kaçi broke and ran a 3-pack to end the fourth set, tying it at 2 sets apiece. Capito had the break in the first game of the fifth set. But after a miss by Kaçi and some safety play, Capito, seemingly about to run out from the 2-ball, missed the 8-ball, giving the game to Kaçi. So Kaçi broke in Game 2, and it was a B&R, his fourth in a row. On those 4 breaks the number of balls he made was 2, 4, 2, 3.

But note -- he broke dry on 9 of 16 breaks in that match (one was also fouled), 8 of which were before that spurt.
 
GideonF said:
If I had money on Filler, I would be praying for the long haired male ref who worked the Shaw vs Shane match and not the ref who gave all those good racks in the Kaci vs Capito match.
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wish granted. and erik in comms says "a big x factor with this break is how well the ref racks"..
 
jay helfert said:
I picked Filler from the start if you recall. This might be his stiffest test.
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Yeah, Josh chasing history here. No player has ever managed the grand slam of WPA recognized World titles in singles.

World Games gold medal
World 8 ball title
World 9 ball title
World 10ball title

Josh has the first three but only has a silver at the World 10ball. Let's see if he can complete the grad slam. Both Carlo Biado and Darren Appleton have three of them, too, but neither has won the World 8ball.
 
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Kaci wins the first two racks .... with perfect safety play! Josh has yet to attempt anything but a kick. Josh goes wrong on a safety in rack three on the five ball and Kaci punishes him for 3-0. If Kaci continues to grind as well as this, he'll be very tough to beat.
 
Unusual misses from both players, but maybe there is something off about how the cloth is playing.

Kaci was playing lights out prior to that odd miss on the 9 ball in the fourth rack, similar to Tianqi Shi. But he was able to win the set after a gift from Filler.
 
Wow, set one was a strange one. Josh not playing well to this point. Kaci leads 1-0 in sets.
 
It’s very hard to play and judge position in such humid conditions where the bed of the table is slow and the rails are jumpy and play short and fast.
 
skor said:
It’s very hard to play and judge position in such humid conditions where the bed of the table is slow and the rails are jumpy and play short and fast.
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Perhaps. Josh has definitely had a hard time with his speed control to this point, but I'm not certain the conditions are the reason.

I'm inclined to suggest that this is day 8 of the event and that the players should have the conditions mastered by now.
 
Kaci's tactical game was near perfect up to his safety error in rack nine. It proves costly and Filler leads 2-1 in set two.
 
Josh beats Kaci to the shot but isn't up to a difficult one ball into half a pocket and Kaci runs out for 2-2 in the second set.
 
Each player with a miss of a difficult shot and Josh wins the rack for a 3-2 lead in set 2.
 
sjm said:
Perhaps. Josh has definitely had a hard time with his speed control to this point, but I'm not certain the conditions are the reason.

I'm inclined to suggest that this is day 8 of the event and that the players should have the conditions mastered by now.
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one can hear the rain through the table mic, but it's been the same all week. monsoon season.. players should be adjusted to it.

it's a world championship semifinal between two rivals, there are probably some nerves also
 
if anything the weather will have kept the players in the hotel/arena, practicing more. unfortunately it also seems to keep the fans out
 
Filler's dry break looked to be costly and Kaci needed to run out a pretty tough rack for 3-3 in the second set. A bad miss on the 5ball cost him, and Filler wins the second set by 4-2.

One set apiece. The players are missing more balls in this match than I'd have ever predicted. Kaci has probably been the better player to this point, but not by much, and it's now a best of three sets match.

I'm glad I took a two-hour nap before this match began. It's about 2:40 AM here in New York, way past my bedtime.
 
What was Eklent thinking trying to pound the 5 ball into the side pocket? Can't be making mistakes like that against Filler or any elite player for that matter
 
skogstokig said:
one can hear the rain through the table mic, but it's been the same all week. monsoon season.. players should be adjusted to it.

it's a world championship semifinal between two rivals, there are probably some nerves also
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If there is AC, the AC is fighting with the humidity and the fans. So if it’s been running all night it might be different than it was last night. Or someone might have turned the AC off overnight and only started it again in the morning.

They will adjust, just conditions do change
 
Lowell said:
What was Eklent thinking trying to pound the 5 ball into the side pocket? Can't be making mistakes like that against Filler or any elite player for that matter
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After getting on the wrong side of the five, I am pretty sure he needed a big inside-english stroke to make shape on the six. A more conservative stroke would have left a long, tough six. I thought he made the right choice, but he should have been up to the challenge, and the mistake erased any chance he had of winning the seocnd set.
 
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