2025 Premier League Pool player list

[jbart65]

If Chua wants to be counted as one of the most elite, he'll have to learn to beat the best when the stakes are highest. In Matchroom events, that means when four are left.

He’s already done that.

Who cares who played best on the way to the semifinals? The PLP is not and never has been about that. Tournament champions must step up their games when the stakes are highest and must show they can beat the very best in the toughest spots. Chua came up short and I'm sure winning the round robin title is no consolation to him, even though it seems to be of some consolation to you. Chua is a fine player for sure, but to use a horse racing metaphor, he faded in the stretch at the PLP. Like you, I really enjoy watching him play, and agree 100% with your observation that he'll need to step things up defensively and tactically to reach his peak.

It’s of no consolation to me.

PS I'm a NY Giants fan of about 50 years, and the underdog NY Giants made that undefeated New England team forgettable. Of course, FSR, 9 Fargo points above Chua, can hardly be called an underdog winner in the semis. Neuhausen's demolition of FSR in the finals was a surprise, but Moritz is surely on a trajectory to be one of the stars in our sport, as he showed when he knocked on the door with silver at the International 9ball in November.

That Patriots team will not be forgotten in football history. Don’t kid yourself - if just for the nature of the upset. This Patriots fan will obviously never forget. Damn Tyree!

I take solace in the six other SB wins.

 

[sjm]

He’s already done that.

Yes, he won at the Hanoi Open and he'll win a major again. He's already a top player, but today's task of having to win two races to seven to win a title might just prove to have been the easiest he'll face all year in a Matchroom event.

Perhaps Chua will win a Matchroom major this year (or another major like the China Open, World 8ball or World 10ball), but if Gorst and Filler are in every field at the majors for the remainder of 2025, I'm betting against it. If Chua wins, however, I'll be as happy as anyone. He's a classy player who is fun to watch.

 

[sjm]

That Patriots team will not be forgotten in football history. Don’t kid yourself - if just for the nature of the upset. This Patriots fan will obviously never forget. Damn Tyree!

I take solace in the six other SB wins.

Obviously, the Patriots are awesome and in the conversation for the best team of the last 50 years, but the one that didn't win the Super Bowl never ever comes up in sports talk show discussions of the best ever football teams. In any given year, a title is needed to fully validate greatness. Yes, the Tyree catch was pretty freaky. At the time, a NY sportscaster suggested that he probably wouldn't have caught that ball more than one time in a hundred, but that's why we watch sports. Things happen.

In football and in pool, greatness is measured in titles. Hence, Willie Mosconi is great and so are the New England Patriots when their respective title counts are considered.

 

[skogstokig]

The premise of this event (league style) is great, but the current format needs a major reworking. The idea of grinding through 6 days of "regular season" and then a couple quick races to seven (playoffs) is way too unbalanced, especially when switching to winner break, which is just idiotic.

It would make far more sense to have the round robin and do one cut with the top 4 making the "playoffs", with longer races.

couldn't agree more. this event shouldn't return without an overhaul of the format

 

[nicksaint26]

Yes, he won at the Hanoi Open and he'll win a major again. He's already a top player, but today's task of having to win two races to seven to win a title might just prove to have been the easiest he'll face all year in a Matchroom event.

Perhaps Chua will win a Matchroom major this year (or another major like the China Open, World 8ball or World 10ball), but if Gorst and Filler are in every field at the majors for the remainder of 2025, I'm betting against it. If Chua wins, however, I'll be as happy as anyone. He's a classy player who is fun to watch.

Chua did win the Japan Open twice in 2015 and 2017 I believe. He definitely has what it takes to win a Matchroom major. Hope he does.

 

[sudocrushms]

Good on Moritz. He was very consistent all week and despite notables not being present it was still a tough field.

Blew me away how easily he would go right up to the end of the shot clock. He had several buzzer beaters in the semi and final. 5-6 seconds left and he was just getting down on the CB, but still managed to make the shots. It was making me anxious just watching...

 

[sjm]

Chua did win the Japan Open twice in 2015 and 2017 I believe. He definitely has what it takes to win a Matchroom major. Hope he does.

I'm confident he'll win another major, too.

There's no player Chua can't beat, but winning Matchroom majors is about dismissing several superelite players in a row in the last few rounds of the biggest events. You usually have to do your own heavy lifting to get your hands on the trophy at the majors.

Capito beat both Gorst and Filler to reach the 2024 UK Open semis and won the title the next day. Similarly, at the 2024 International 9ball, Feijen beat both Gorst and Filler but fell short on the final day. Chua plays better than both of them, so he's more than capable of beating both of the top two to win a major title.

With Chua, I believe it's about when, not if, he will win another major. He won't have to wait too long for another chance, as the UK Open is just over a month away.

PS FYI, the Japan Open is not a major, but Chua's wins were at the All-Japan Championships, which is definitely a major. Actually, the All-Japan Championships is 10ball, not 9ball, but it is definitely a super-elite event and Chua's success there further validates his pedigree,

 

[jsp]

The premise of this event (league style) is great, but the current format needs a major reworking. The idea of grinding through 6 days of "regular season" and then a couple quick races to seven (playoffs) is way too unbalanced, especially when switching to winner break, which is just idiotic.

It would make far more sense to have the round robin and do one cut with the top 4 making the "playoffs", with longer races.

Absolutely agree with this take.

 

[jbart65]

Sifting thru player comments, the common theme was how tiring the event was. No surprise. For the players that go the distance to the final 4 or 6, I have to imagine it puts their game on a higher level more or less permanently.

Mortiz - "32 matches, lots of fun, anger, enjoyment and frustration"

Chua:
"Playing many sets of 5 on a daily basis have improved my mindset. However, I need to work on my stamina. It was exhausting but I'm glad I was able to pull it off. I played thirty matches in total. I learned a lot and experienced a lot."

Duong:
"Fitness: a little tired.
Spirit: emotions go up and down like parabola"

 

[jbart65]

Capito beat both Gorst and Filler to reach the 2024 UK Open semis and won the title the next day. Similarly, at the 2024 International 9ball, Feijen beat both Gorst and Filler but fell short on the final day. Chua plays better than both of them, so he's more than capable of beating both of the top two to win a major title.

Got me wondering about Chua's head to head with Filler and Gorst.

Chua and Gorst do not appear to have played each other in a competition. These are my two favorite players, for very different reasons, and I would love to see the pair play.

Chua appears to have played Filler five times, four in competition.

Chua beat Filler 8-1 in 2019 in the WPA World 10-ball championship in an early winners round. Ko Pin Yi knocked out Chua. Filler got to the finals before losing to Ko Ping Chung.

Chua beat Filler 17-13 in a challenge match that appears to have taken place in the Philippines several years ago.

Chua beat Filler 9-1 early in the Spanish Open in 2023. Both advanced to the final 64 and were knocked out before the quarters.

Chua and James Aranas beat Filler and Moritz Neuhausen in the 2023 World Cup of Pool, a week after the Spanish Open.

Filler beat Chua 11-3 in the semifinals of the 2024 Knights Dubai 9-ball tourney. Filler won the event.

***
What does this tell me? Not much. Filler and Gorst are the best in the world right now. Not sure if anyone is a clear No. 3.

 

[sjm]

Got me wondering about Chua's head to head with Filler and Gorst.

Chua and Gorst do not appear to have played each other in a competition. These are my two favorite players, for very different reasons, and I would love to see the pair play.

Chua appears to have played Filler five times, four in competition.

Chua beat Filler 8-1 in 2019 in the WPA World 10-ball championship in an early winners round. Ko Pin Yi knocked out Chua. Filler got to the finals before losing to Ko Ping Chung.

Chua beat Filler 17-13 in a challenge match that appears to have taken place in the Philippines several years ago.

Chua beat Filler 9-1 early in the Spanish Open in 2023. Both advanced to the final 64 and were knocked out before the quarters.

Chua and James Aranas beat Filler and Moritz Neuhausen in the 2023 World Cup of Pool, a week after the Spanish Open.

Filler beat Chua 11-3 in the semifinals of the 2024 Knights Dubai 9-ball tourney. Filler won the event.

***
What does this tell me? Not much. Filler and Gorst are the best in the world right now. Not sure if anyone is a clear No. 3.

On the contrary, these are fine results against Filler not to be taken lightly. The major titles will, most likely, go through the top two, and Chua has enough game to beat them when he is on.

As I suspect you are, I'm looking forward to the next time Chua meets Gorst or Filler during the business end of a Matchroom major.

Who's #3? There's room for debate, but I think it's still Shane. Of course, the 2025 majors will clarify the picture at the top of the heap, and I can think of two people that will watch enthusiastically --- you and me!

 

[jsp]

By my count, the four PLP semi-finalists have to play 29 race-to-5 matches. That's a maximum of 145 racks won to reach the semi-finals (obviously a semi-finalist will win less than 145 unless he goes completely undefeated).

For the latest European Open, the semi-finalists can play a maximum of 9 matches (assuming losing the first Stage 1 match and winning the rest). That's a maximum of 81 racks won (8*, 8, 8, 8, 9, 10, 10 ,10, 10) to reach the semi-finals. (*First round Stage 1 loss)

Yet despite having to win close to double the amount of total racks in the PLP compared to the European Open in order to make the semi-finals, the European Open semi-finals/finals are races to 11/13 whereas the PLP races are only 7/7.

Help me make sense of those numbers. At a minimum, the last two rounds of PLP should have races comparable to those of the European Open. Based on the number total racks, it definitely can be argued that the races for the semi-finals/finals of the PLP should be even longer.

 

[sjm]

By my count, the four PLP semi-finalists have to play 29 race-to-5 matches. That's a maximum of 145 racks won to reach the semi-finals (obviously a semi-finalist will win less than 145 unless he goes completely undefeated).

For the latest European Open, the semi-finalists can play a maximum of 9 matches (assuming losing the first Stage 1 match and winning the rest). That's a maximum of 81 racks won (8*, 8, 8, 8, 9, 10, 10 ,10, 10) to reach the semi-finals. (*First round Stage 1 loss)

Yet despite having to win close to double the amount of total racks in the PLP compared to the European Open in order to make the semi-finals, the European Open semi-finals/finals are races to 11/13 whereas the PLP races are only 7/7.

Help me make sense of those numbers. At a minimum, the last two rounds of PLP should have races comparable to those of the European Open. Based on the number total racks, it definitely can be argued that the races for the semi-finals/finals of the PLP should be even longer.

Yes, good post. Even though short races is common at the Matchroom Invitationals, the PLP format is ridiculous. At the Mosconi Cup, we love the short races, because every match matters as much as every other match in the quest for eleven match wins. At the PLP, there are enough matches in Stage 3 that don't matter at all for those already assured of a spot in the final stage of the event.

PLP is a flawed event and it's a real drag. There is no way to make sense of these numbers. Nonetheless, the Matchroom Invitationals are the gold at the end of the rainbow for the elite players, and I will always applaud Matchroom for producing them.