Best 9-Ball Breaks Today

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nmh2008

Active member
Pretty self-explanatory – who do we think are the best 9-ball breakers today with the Matchroom format? I really don’t know who has a standout break in this format, but the first guys that come to mind for me are Filler, FSR, Ko Ping Chung, and Kaci.

I know Shane is always lauded as having one of the best breaks of anyone to ever screw together a cue, but to my eye his 9-ball break is wildly inconsistent.
 
Looks like SVB was playing with a softer cut break at the Euro. His layouts were generally very good and he was slapping the 9 almost every break. Filler is also excellent in this format.

I don't think it's necessarily players being better than others, it's just who figures out the break at a certain table first. Figure out the break early and you have it for the whole event; if you can't find it you won't last long.
 
I'm still sort of baffled at how the cut break works so well for the players today, where the CB zig zags through a bunch of balls flying around the table. But Filler seems to have it dialed in more consistently than anyone else.
 
nmh2008 said:
Pretty self-explanatory – who do we think are the best 9-ball breakers today with the Matchroom format? I really don’t know who has a standout break in this format, but the first guys that come to mind for me are Filler, FSR, Ko Ping Chung, and Kaci.

I know Shane is always lauded as having one of the best breaks of anyone to ever screw together a cue, but to my eye his 9-ball break is wildly inconsistent.
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it seems to be elusive, but filler is probably the most consistent breaker right now? he has amped up the break speed a bit too.

kaci and shane both have more power, but as you say they were inconsistent. it looked to me like shane was gonna win the event if he kept breaking like he did in the double elim. he ran a 4-pack + 2 on table 2.
 
At DCC Filler was making the wing ball and playing shape on the 1 ball in the kitchen. I didn't see anyone doing that in Sarajevo.

See this match for the wing-and-shape in a few racks:

 
Bob Jewett said:
At DCC Filler was making the wing ball and playing shape on the 1 ball in the kitchen. I didn't see anyone doing that in Sarajevo.

See this match for the wing-and-shape in a few racks:

Click to expand...
True, as I understand it though break rules were different from Matchroom standard, right?
 
garczar said:
They need to play in my world: have a drunk guy use a shitty worn-out triangle rack. See 'em string racks then. ;)
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Don't forget the mismatched balls and filthy, worn cloth.

The last 10b event definitely showed the difference between template and had racking in pro tournaments. No one could get a consistent break going. Good for variations in layout and making it tougher to make balls, but bad for match length.
 
Bob Jewett said:
At DCC Filler was making the wing ball and playing shape on the 1 ball in the kitchen. I didn't see anyone doing that in Sarajevo.

See this match for the wing-and-shape in a few racks:

Click to expand...
That’s why Matchroom has a smaller break box than DCC. The game gets less interesting if the players can create cookie cutter layouts after the break. Same reason we don’t put the 1 on the spot anymore.

I put together a more concise clip of Josh’s breaks in that event.
 
MattPoland said:
That’s why Matchroom has a smaller break box than DCC. The game gets less interesting if the players can create cookie cutter layouts after the break. Same reason we don’t put the 1 on the spot anymore.

I put together a more concise clip of Josh’s breaks in that event.
Click to expand...
I wonder how the wing ball was going straight in with the 9 on the spot.
 
nmh2008 said:
Pretty self-explanatory – who do we think are the best 9-ball breakers today with the Matchroom format? I really don’t know who has a standout break in this format, but the first guys that come to mind for me are Filler, FSR, Ko Ping Chung, and Kaci.

I know Shane is always lauded as having one of the best breaks of anyone to ever screw together a cue, but to my eye his 9-ball break is wildly inconsistent.
Click to expand...
SVB, and Archer before him, were indeed two of the best ever 9ball breakers under the old format with one on the spot. Today's break rule, with 9ball on the spot and a small break box is much tougher and calls for a different break. The cut break to make the one in the side, with the cue ball crossing back across the rack area, is the one that's in vogue, and Max Lechner might just have it down more than anybody, but most of the elite, SVB included, have learned it.

The main thing that has changed is that it's far harder to produce a good shot after the break than in days gone by. This has made tactical play more important in Matchroom events, and Fedor Gorst and Josh Filler might just be the two best tacticians not named Pagulayan in the world.

Others have gained with the power break, most notably E Kaci, Marc Bijsterbosch, and sometimes Jayson Shaw.

Still, I think the answer to your question is Max Lechner.
 
Old format 1Ball on the spot, it was Busty!! 1Ball on the spot today its Chang Yu-Lung, a master class in breaking and controlling the rock!
 
Bob Jewett said:
At DCC Filler was making the wing ball and playing shape on the 1 ball in the kitchen. I didn't see anyone doing that in Sarajevo.
Click to expand...
Despite the claims of a few conspiracy theorists who always delight in trying to deny Filler the credit he deserves, it was the exact same rack at the Derby as the European Open for everybody, Filler included. The difference is that at the Derby, they had a much wider break box. SVB agreed that it was the giant break box, and not the way the balls were racked, at Derby City that made the break so easy for the most elite pros.

As we've seen, Filler can work with any break box and is just as successful when a neutral racker is in use. When you're the best 9ball player in the world, any break box and any racker will do.
 
sjm said:
Despite the claims of a few conspiracy theorists who always delight in trying to deny Filler the credit he deserves, it was the exact same rack at the Derby as the European Open for everybody, Filler included. The difference is that at the Derby, they had a much wider break box. SVB agreed that it was the giant break box, and not the way the balls were racked, at Derby City that made the break so easy for the most elite pros.

As we've seen, Filler can work with any break box and is just as successful when a neutral racker is in use. When you're the best 9ball player in the world, any break box and any racker will do.
Click to expand...
It was amazing how consistently he was getting the CB to follow the 1 to the head of the table. Left everything wide open.
 
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