I guess you could call recovering from a heart attack an illness.
Tyler did win the Kremlin Cup in 2019. As talented as he is, he does seem to be slightly on teir 2 to some of these guys. Does he take a lot of time? Well yes, a lot. He is just one of those players and it is hard to watch and play against. Not everyone can play as fast as Earl or Shaw, but this doesn't take away from him being a top player.
Manas botched a few shots that last rack, but was able to close out the last 4 balls as if he played the entire rack perfectly. No hesitation. Kid got some mental toughness.
Honestly, when you factor in that he stopped breathing something like five times, its damned impressive he's alive and competing at the level he is again. He reached the final day at Super Billiards Expo and finished fifth then won the Louisiana Open shootout, which is only a 16 player event, but still.
All respect to Pia, but he couldn't have gotten a better draw in loser's qualification. Sky (vs. Max Lechner) and Fedor (vs. Kyle Amoroto) have both got to play their best to even make it to the final 64
That's what I meant, without stating it outright. Assuming Hunter gets by Pia and qualifies, he'll have a chance to prove himself in the single elimination (L64) round. He'll definitely have to work for it because the L64 is shaping up to be a bunch of killers. I'd argue he even had a "soft" draw facing BJ Ussery in the previous round.
