10 best players in the world

[jbart65]

I was not surprised to look at the WPA and WNT rankings and see a big disconnect. It simply reflects the competitive but disjointed nature of pro pool these days.

WPA lists Albin Ouschan at No.1. It might have been true four years ago, but he’s not even in my top 10.

WNT rankings have their own shortcomings, but it’s more realistic.

WPA rankings are as follows (age in parenthesis).

1)Albin Ouschan (35)
2) Wojceich Szewczyk (31)
3) Carlo Biado (42)
4)Naoyuki Oi (43)
5)Joshua Filler (28)
6)Daniel Maciol (26)
7)Fedor Gorst (25)
8)Denis Grabe (36)
9)Mario He (32)
10) Shane Van Boening (42)

Eleven through 20, in order, are Marco Teutscher (34) , Wu Kun Lin (31), Jui-An Hsu (30), Aloysius Yapp, Szymon Kural (21), FSR, Konrad Juszcyszyn (32), Stefan Kasper (37) and Wiktor Zielinski (25).

The WNT Top 10 are:

1)Fedor Gorst (25)
2)Carlo Biado (42)
3)Aloysius Yapp (29)
4)Johann Chua (33)
5)Moritz Neuhausen (22)
6)Eklent Kaci (27)
7)Francisco Sanchez Ruiz (34)
8)Joshua Filler (28)
9) Ko Pin Yi (36)
10) Pijus Labutis (28)

Eleven through 20, in order, are Jonas Souto (24), David Alcaide (47), Mickey Krause (25), Wiktor Zielinski, Shane Van Boening, Kledio Kaci, Robbie Capito, Bernie Regalario (21), Jayson Shaw and Jefrey Roda (26).

 

[jbart65]

Most AZ members would probably agree Filler is the best player in the world. I agree, too. But I would not put him No. 1 in my top 10 based on his performance over the past year.

That honor would go to Aloysius Yapp.

Here’s my top 10, assuming the Ko brothers will skip most big WNT and WPA events this year. (Otherwise both would be in my top 10).

1)Aloysius Yapp
2)Joshua Filler
3)Fedor Gorst
4)Carlo Biado
5)Moritz Neuhausen
6)Johann Chua
7)Shane Van Boening
8) Francisco Sanchez Ruiz
9) Jayson Shaw (37)
10)Pijus Labutis

The next tier:

11)Duong Quoc Hoang (38)
12)Eklent Kaci
13)David Alcaide
14)Wojciech Szewczyk
15)Naoyuki Oi
16)Jonas Souto (24)
17)Kledio Kaci (20)
18)Daniel Maciol (26)
19)Albin Ouschan
20)Robbie Capito (24)

 

[sjm]

Good thread. Few, if any play the full complement of WPA or Matchroom events. Some, like the Ko brothers, don't play in much of either. Both sets of rankings are best dismissed. Does anyone out there rate Albin above Josh, Shane and Fedor? If so, these rankings are for you.

Jbart's post is right on the money, the assessment of a fan that really knows his stuff. Still, best of the last twelve months is close. Yapp has three WNT majors (Florida, US Open 9ball, UK Open) and a win at the International 9ball, but Filler has 2 Predator 10ball majors (Jacksonville and Las Vegas), a Derby City 9ball title, a Euro-tour 9ball title, two mixed doubles 10ball majors, and a win at the most prestigious one pocket event of the year at Buffalo Billiards. Yapp certainly rates the best 9ball player of the past twelve months, but whether he has outperformed Filler in all-around play is not as clear.

Thank heavens for Fargo, the only ranking system we have that takes all competitive efforts into account. We'd be lost without it!

 

[jbart65]

Looking at these lists, I wonder: What is considered the prime age of pool players?

Clearly some players can remain top pros into their 40s, making pool somewhat similar to golf in that regard. Shane Van Boening, Carlo Biado and David Alcaide attest to that – all three make my top 20 list.

What do all three have in common? They put a lot of focus on being in shape and still have tons of self-motivation.

On the flip side, there are only four players under 25 in my top 20. The youngest is Neuhausen at 22.

The reasons seem obvious. They haven’t developed enough on the tactical side (safeties, pushouts) and lack the pattern recognition of more seasoned pros. The mental game might be lacking too (Zielinski is a good example).

My guess would be the prime years are roughly from 25 to 38 for most players. Generational talents show their wares in the late teens, though (EDITED).

 

[jbart65]

If we went by Fargo, but only included recent regulars on the WPA or WNT tours, the rankings would look like this:

1. Joshua Filler 861
2. Fedor Gorst 848
3. Ko Pin-Yi 847
4. Ko Ping-Chung 847
5. Shane Van Boening 847
6. Francisco Sanchez Ruiz 845
7. Johann Chua 839
8. Aloysius Yapp 839
9. Carlo Biado 837
10. Jayson Shaw 834
11. Wojciech Szewczyk 832
12. Albin Ouschan 832
13. Eklent Kaci 830
14. Quoc Hoang Duong 829
15. Naoyuki Oi 828
16. Wiktor Zielinski 826
17. Alex Kazakis 824
18. Wu Kun Lin 822
19. Robbie Capito 819
20. Daniel Maciol 819

If the Ko brothers are dropped because of heyball commitments, Moritz Neuhausen (Fargo 819) and David Alcaide (817) make the list.

Of these players, Ouschan has dropped off his form. He is barely a top 20 player now, if that. Still young enough to rebound, though.

Wu Kun Lin rarely threatens in a big major anymore, either.

Obviously, current Fargo alone severely underestimates Moritz Neuhausen.

 

[jbart65]

Still, best of the last twelve months is close. Yapp has three WNT majors (Florida, US Open 9ball, UK Open) and a win at the International 9ball, but Filler has 2 Predator 10ball majors (Jacksonville and Las Vegas), a Derby City 9ball title, a Euro-tour 9ball title, two mixed doubles 10ball majors, and a win at the most prestigious one pocket event of the year at Buffalo Billiards. Yapp certainly rates the best 9ball player of the past twelve months, but whether he has outperformed Filler in all-around play is not as clear.

You make a good case for Filler. I myself discount mixed or doubles events and one pocket too. Limited fields, for one thing, and I want to judge players on individual performance.

I have a hard time taking Derby City as seriously as others, especially in recent years. Grueling event, but the fields aren't great and the format is flawed.

Matchroom majors, in my view, are harder to win and more nerve-wracking for players than Predator majors. Winning three in one year is incredible, plus the International.

Of the Predator majors, I think the 10-ball World Championship is the closest to a big MR major. The Predator format imo also lends itself better to Filler, I'd argue. Harder to beat him in multiple sets than to knock him off in a race to 9 or a race to 11.

 

[skogstokig]

mostly agree. would probably put wojciech and hoang over jayson currently. other than mosconi cup (which i enjoy but don't really count) jaysons not done much

 

[sjm]

Looking at these lists, I wonder: What is considered the prime age of pool players?

Clearly some players can remain top pros into their 40s, making pool somewhat similar to golf in that regard. Shane Van Boening, Carlo Biado and David Alcaide attest to that – all three make my top 20 list.

What do all three have in common? They put a lot of focus on being in shape and still have tons of self-motivation.

On the flip side, there are only four players under 25 in my top 20. The youngest is Neuhausen at 22.

The reasons seem obvious. They haven’t developed enough on the tactical side (safeties, pushouts) and lack the pattern recognition of more seasoned pros. The mental game might be lacking too (Zielinski is a good example).

My guess would be the prime years are roughly from 25 to 38 for most players.

Sounds about right. I think it's 25-40 for most, but for the greatest superstars, their prime seems to start closer to 20. I think the common threads for the greatest are a) they had coaches at a young age, b) they competed very regularly in the biggest events at a young age, c) they gambled at pool at a young age, and d) they worked on every part of the game at a young age. Still, a player's prime can come at any point. BCA Hall of Famer Joe Balsis won nearly all of his titles at the age of 40 or older.

When I think about which players tend to play the best into their later years, I think the common thread is that they are the very best pattern players. Names like Nick Varner, Jim Rempe, Buddy Hall, Ralf Souquet, Mike Sigel, Alex Pagulayan, Lee Van Corteza and Carlo Biado come right to mind. Oddly enough, Earl Strickland is the exception, for he managed to maintain a huge break and a very powerful game until he was about 50, even though his patterns were good but not great.

 

[jbart65]

mostly agree. would probably put wojciech and hoang over jayson currently. other than mosconi cup (which i enjoy but don't really count) jaysons not done much

It's close, but you are probably right.

Shaw finished third at the Philippines Open, 5th in the UK Open and 9-16 in the European Open, Scottish Open, US Open, Hanoi Open, and Predator's Jacksonville Open. He consistently got to the final 16 or final 32 in every big tournament he played.

Wojciech did win the China Open last year. He also got to the quarters of the European Open and Las Vegas Open. Like Shaw he got to the final 32 or final 16 of every major event he played in.

Hoang has shown similar consistency. The only big event he did not make the final 32 was the Florida Open. He was a semifinalist at a stacked Battle of the Bull and quarterfinalist at the European Open. Finished 9-16 in the UK Open, WPC, US Open and World 10-ball championship.

 

[sjm]

Matchroom majors, in my view, are harder to win and more nerve-wracking for players than Predator majors.

Wow, do you know what it took for Filler to win the Las Vegas Open 10ball. He drew Biado, SVB and Gorst in three of his last four matches in the single elimination stage. I cannot even think of the last time somebody had to beat three World 9ball Champions in the late stages of an event to win a major title. The Predator 10ball events are incredibly difficult to win, and I do not agree that winning WNT majors (other than WPC or US Open 9ball) is tougher.

 

[sjm]

It's close, but you are probably right.

Shaw finished third at the Philippines Open, 5th in the UK Open and 9-16 in the European Open, Scottish Open, US Open, Hanoi Open, and Predator's Jacksonville Open. He consistently got to the final 16 or final 32 in every big tournament he played.

Wojciech did win the China Open last year. He also got to the quarters of the European Open and Las Vegas Open. Like Shaw he got to the final 32 or final 16 of every major event he played in.

Hoang has shown similar consistency. The only big event he did not make the final 32 was the Florida Open. He was a semifinalist at a stacked Battle of the Bull and quarterfinalist at the European Open. Finished 9-16 in the UK Open, WPC, US Open and World 10-ball championship.

Duong Quoc Hoang looks like a breakout player to me. I was super-impressed with what I saw this past weekend at the European Open. I've never seen him play as well defensively as he did this past weekend, and his offensive execution stands at a high level. He's a very tough out right now.

 

[jbart65]

Wow, do you know what it took for Filler to win the Las Vegas Open 10ball. He drew Biado, SVB and Gorst in three of his last four matches in the single elimination stage. I cannot even think of the last time somebody had to beat three World 9ball Champions in the late stages of an event to win a major title. The Predator 10ball events are incredibly difficult to win, and I do not agree that winning WNT majors (other than WPC or US Open 9ball) is tougher.

I watched Filler's run, sjm, and it was very impressive. No disputing that.

I still think the sets format favors Filler more than a race to 11, relative to other players. He's hard enough to beat in one set, never mind two or three. There is a bit more margin for error. Not so in a single race, as we saw again in Sarajevo.

As I said, I do not sense the same pressure at a big Predator event as I do at a legit MR major. Yes, the pressure in still very intense. But I have seen players at big Matchroom events shake like a leaf, wilt even, in ways I seldom see at a Predator event. Yapp and SVB in the Florida final last year both had the shakes in the final racks.

Why, I don't know. The setup? The cameras? The crowds?

Splitting hairs? Maybe. That's just how I see it.

 

[skogstokig]

yea, i think if you ask the other top players they'll say filler. i too would say he's the best player, both rotation and all around (sorry fedor). jmho.

but on the 9-ball tour he has to come with it also at WPC's and US opens. been a while.

 

[jbart65]

Duong Quoc Hoang looks like a breakout player to me. I was super-impressed with what I saw this past weekend at the European Open. I've never seen him play as well defensively as he did this past weekend, and his offensive execution stands at a high level. He's a very tough out right now.

I've watched almost every match he's played in the past year when it was available. What you saw is real. Every facet of his game is better than it was three years ago. He's is arguably even one of the top 5 players in the world with a jump cue, too.

Yet in big moments, Hoang still makes critical errors. He keeps his composure all match, then he does something that even he gets visibly upset about. It happened in his loss to Moritz.

Hoang is 38 now, so I do wonder how long this upward arc can go on. Winning the PLP was great, but I am beginning to wonder if can snap off a big open.

 

[Jaden]

Good thread. Few, if any play the full complement of WPA or Matchroom events. Some, like the Ko brothers, don't play in much of either. Both sets of rankings are best dismissed. Does anyone out there rate Albin above Josh, Shane and Fedor? If so, these rankings are for you.

Jbart's post is right on the money, the assessment of a fan that really knows his stuff. Still, best of the last twelve months is close. Yapp has three WNT majors (Florida, US Open 9ball, UK Open) and a win at the International 9ball, but Filler has 2 Predator 10ball majors (Jacksonville and Las Vegas), a Derby City 9ball title, a Euro-tour 9ball title, two mixed doubles 10ball majors, and a win at the most prestigious one pocket event of the year at Buffalo Billiards. Yapp certainly rates the best 9ball player of the past twelve months, but whether he has outperformed Filler in all-around play is not as clear.

Thank heavens for Fargo, the only ranking system we have that takes all competitive efforts into account. We'd be lost without it!

I think it's foolish to judge best player on wins alone. I would give more weight to wins but how deep they go and who they lose to are also important factors.

I mean who would argue that jose parica wasnt one of the best players in the 90s? If you go by majors won he might not crack top 20.

 

[jbart65]

One assumes a new generation of talent is coming to the fore. Some of these names will drop out of the top 20 in the next five years.

David Alcaide won’t be on the list. Yet as he has shown, players can still be among the world’s best, even in today’s game, into their late 40s if they stay committed. Oi, Biado and SVB are all in their early 40s. I am not about to write them off.

Looking ahead, I wonder if there is another FSR ready to emerge. A really good player in his late 20s who suddenly breaks through to become one of the game’s elite.

You could argue such a player did come along: Aloysius Yapp. He had won a few International opens before 2025, but last year was when he snapped off three Matchroom majors.

Other candidates?

Pijus Labutis and Daniel Maciol come to mind. What about Eklent Kaci? He was briefly a superstar. Can he return to his pre-injury form and take down a bunch of majors?

 

[Positively Ralf]

If I were to make a list on top ten, it would only include 9 ball and 10 ball, as those are the only games considered as the pro games. Games like Banks and One Pocket are too niche and do not appeal to the mass audience that the WPA, WNT and Predator group are aiming for.

With that said, in no particular order it would be:

Fedor
Filler
Shane
Yapp
Biado
Moritz
FSR
Kaci
Oi
Little Ko

But that's just my opinion on the subject.

 

[skogstokig]

One assumes a new generation of talent is coming to the fore. Some of these names will drop out of the top 20 in the next five years.

David Alcaide won’t be on the list. Yet as he has shown, players can still be among the world’s best, even in today’s game, into their late 40s if they stay committed. Oi, Biado and SVB are all in their early 40s. I am not about to write them off.

Looking ahead, I wonder if there is another FSR ready to emerge. A really good player in his late 20s who suddenly breaks through to become one of the game’s elite.

You could argue such a player did come along: Aloysius Yapp. He had won a few International opens before 2025, but last year was when he snapped off three Matchroom majors.

Other candidates?

Pijus Labutis and Daniel Maciol come to mind. What about Eklent Kaci? He was briefly a superstar. Can he return to his pre-injury form and take down a bunch of majors?

i don't think kaci belongs in that group. he's a double world champion.

magpantay could be one. i guess we'll see how much the asians will travel this year. could be that also the UK open becomes a mainly euro affair. hope not

 

[jbart65]

My last list. Who are the emerging young stars in the game? I am unaware of generational talent like Filler or Gorst coming up through the ranks.

Clearly Moritz Neuhausen is the best under-23 player in the world. After that it’s a scramble.

My Top 10 players under 23:

1. Moritz Neuhausen (22)
2. Kledio Kaci (20)
3. Bernie Regalario (21)
4. Szymon Kural (21)
5. Albert Januarta (17)
6. Arseni Sevastyanov (22)
7. AJ Manas (18)
8. Felix Vogel (18)
9. Yannick Pongers (21)
10. Mika Van Berkel (19)

 

[jbart65]

i don't think kaci belongs in that group. he's a double world champion.

Hence my qualifier. There is pre-injury and post-injury Kaci, and they are two different players.

magpantay could be one. i guess we'll see how much the asians will travel this year. could be that also the UK open becomes a mainly euro affair. hope not

He has never played outside Asia or the Middle East.