Changing of the guard in pro pool

J

jbart65

Well-known member
As I said in another thread, a changing of the guard is under way in pro pool. But it seems like we are also in an interregnum.

How so? Some great young players are bursting onto the scene, but it’s mostly established players winning the WNT titles and making deep runs.

Take the last three years (Jan 2024 to Aug 2026). The WNT has hosted 15 majors if you include the Philippines Open. The other events are the UK, European, Florida, US and Hanoi Opens, plus the WPC.

Here are the title winners, the number of titles won and current age in parenthesis

3 - Aloysius Yapp (30)
2 - Josh Filler (28)
2 - Fedor Gorst (26)
Carlo Biado (42)
Shane Van Boening (43)
David Alcaide (47)
Johann Chua (34)
Mickey Krause (25)
Robbie Capito (25)
Pijus Labutis (28)
Moritz Neuhausen (22)

The only under-25 player on this list is Neuhausen, though Gorst, Capito and Krause were under 25 when they won.

Still, the winners list is dominated by players 25 and over, including three who won titles in their 40s.

Looking at the participants in the semifinals and quarters, the same pattern is evident. Mostly players 25 and older.

The only young guys (under 25) to make deep runs in 2025-2026 are Neuhausen, Jonas Souto, Kledio Kaci, Albert Januarta and Bernie Regalario. Throw in Arseni Sevastyanov and AJ Manas if you include the inaugural Philippines Open.

Experience is still winning out, and making deep runs.
 
I expect Filler and Gorst to remain among the top five players, if not top two, for the foreseeable future. Yapp should be right up there, but he has admittedly looked shakier this year.

Beyond that, who is the next great player to step up and win multiple majors? Good question.

Moritz Neuhausen, 22, is my choice. He has all the tools and the mental makeup, too. I just don't know if he has the something special that a Filler or Gorst or an SVB has. That extra gear.

Kledio Kaci, 20, is another choice, but I haven't seen that extra gear in him, either.

Jonas Souto, 24, has come a long way in the past two years. But I would take Moritz and Kledio over him.
 
Another possibility is that an aging player, still in his prime, goes on a big run like FSR did in 2022-23, and Yapp did in 2025.

These are players 26-32 years old. Candidates include Labutis, Capito, Krause, Atencio, Tyler Styer, Daniel Maciol, Oliver Szolnoki and my preferred pick, Wiktor Zielinski.

Yet it's hard for me to see any of these players snapping off two big majors or more in a two-year window.
 
jbart65 said:
Another possibility is that an aging player, still in his prime, goes on a big run like FSR did in 2022-23, and Yapp did in 2025.

These are players 26-32 years old. Candidates include Labutis, Capito, Krause, Atencio, Tyler Styer, Daniel Maciol, Oliver Szolnoki and my preferred pick, Wiktor Zielinski.

Yet it's hard for me to see any of these players snapping off two big majors or more in a two-year window.
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I wonder if KPC returns to American pool ever, that could shake things up at the top
 
That brings up to the final group - the youngest generation of players recent turned pro.

AJ Manas and Albert Januarta are the big names in this group. I'd also throw in Bernie Regalario.

I would be shocked if Manas and Januarta failed to win a major over the next few years. Both of them seem to have that something extra, but it's still too early to tell. We won't know for a while if either is a generational talent.

No one else around 20 years or younger has emerged beyond those three.
 
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The thing is all or most of those players in the original list were winning major titles in their early 20's (even earlier for some). I don't think they got significantly better as they aged. Just they were so far ahead of the pack, that even as they got older, few younger players have caught them.
 
Last post in a series: The fading-window players.

Last year, I said I wasn't sure if FSR would win another major. He still makes deep runs, but he doesn't seem to be able to get over the finish line.

There are a lot of players who fall into this category. The sun may be setting on them. They include:

Albin Ouschan
Max Lechner
Mario He
Jayson Shaw
Sanjin Pehlivanovic
Aleksa Pecelj

Of this group, Ouschan still has the talent, mental makeup and physical conditioning to win another major. He' needs to rediscover his passion for the game again, though, and it's no sure thing.
 
jbart65 said:
Last post in a series: The fading-window players.

Last year, I said I wasn't sure if FSR would win another major. He still makes deep runs, but he doesn't seem to be able to get over the finish line.

There are a lot of players who fall into this category. The sun may be setting on them. They include:

Albin Ouschan
Max Lechner
Mario He
Jayson Shaw
Sanjin Pehlivanovic
Aleksa Pecelj

Of this group, Ouschan still has the talent, mental makeup and physical conditioning to win another major. He' needs to rediscover his passion for the game again, though, and it's no sure thing.
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He was playing very well in the Euro Open but Moritz Neuhausen played his ass off and secured a comeback victory
 
iusedtoberich said:
The thing is all or most of those players in the original list were winning major titles in their early 20's (even earlier for some). I don't think they got significantly better as they aged. Just they were so far ahead of the pack, that even as they got older, few younger players have caught them.
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I would say Carlo Biado is an exception. 2 of his 3 world championships came after age 40 and he won the US Open at 38.
 
It is how it has always been. Somebody will play really well for a few months or a couple of years like FSR or Albin (or Jason Dufner in golf), but it takes some real staying power to put together high-quality play for decades. That's GOAT territory.

Can Filler or Gorst be dominant for decades? Maybe. Both have already waxed and waned. Jack always said Tiger had the ability to win the most majors, but he still had to deliver. In the end, Tiger did not.
 
One other category I failed to mention. Top players in their 30s or older who have maintained a high level of play, evening winner majors and making deep runs now and then. They include:

*Johann Chua. He has dropped off the international scene since the 2025 Philippines Open. He faced unfounded accusations last year that he cheated using substances on the ball. He also opened his own pool hall and new business in the past year.
*Carlo Biado
*Wojciech Szewczyk
*Alex Kazakis
*Niels Feijen
*Naoyuki Oi
*David Alcaide
*Petri Makkonen
 
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loggerhead12 said:
It is how it has always been. Somebody will play really well for a few months or a couple of years like FSR or Albin (or Jason Dufner in golf), but it takes some real staying power to put together high-quality play for decades. That's GOAT territory.

Can Filler or Gorst be dominant for decades? Maybe. Both have already waxed and waned. Jack always said Tiger had the ability to win the most majors, but he still had to deliver. In the end, Tiger did not.
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Yup. Staying power is key. Albin had a great six-year run, from 2016 to 2022. Longer than most of today's players, but it's surprising how quickly he has fallen off.

I was thinking to myself, who are the legitimately great players still playing who have had great runs of 20 years or more. Not many. SVB is in a class by himself. Perhaps Biado.

Filler hasn't put in 20 years, but he's already there. Gorst could get there, too.

Fans and commentators keep talking about all the great talent around the world. But who is really a superstar? None have emerged since Filler and Gorst.
 
jbart65 said:
One other category I failed to mention. Top players in their 30s or older who have maintained a high level of play, evening winner majors and making deep runs now and then. They include:

*Johann Chua. He has dropped off the international scene since the 2025 Philippines Open. He faced unfounded accusations last year that he cheated using substances on the ball. He also opened his own pool hall and new business in the past year.
*Carlo Biado
*Wojciech Szewczyk
*Alex Kazakis
*Neils Feijin
*Naoyuki Oi
*David Alcaide
*Petri Makkonen
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it's spelled Niels Feijen

naoyuki to me is in the same category as mario and wiktor. will likely never win despite a high enough talent level.
 
A lot has been mentioned about Shane's performance and win at the age of 43. Keep in mind that Buddy won the US Open at 53 (1998) and Mike Lebron was the oldest at 54 (1988). Clearly a much deeper field today than in those days, but I think Shane is looking to get his sixth and I'll certainly be rooting for him.
 
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Lowell said:
I would say Carlo Biado is an exception. 2 of his 3 world championships came after age 40 and he won the US Open at 38.
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It might have been lack of opportunity (common with many top Filipinos) or just luck. Busty for example, didn't win a major title until he was quite old. But there was no one on the planet outside of Archer or Strickland than would have bet him in any game even as early as the 90s.
 
FordSVTCobra said:
A lot has been mentioned about Shane's performance and win at the age of 43. Keep in mind that Buddy won the US Open at 53 (1991) and Mike Lebron was the oldest at 54 (1988). Clearly a much deeper field today than in those days, but I think Shane is looking to get his sixth and I'll certainly be rooting for him.
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i don't hate his chances.. i think it will be a repeat winner, either way. just a hunch.
 
jbart65 said:
Yup. Staying power is key. Albin had a great six-year run, from 2016 to 2022. Longer than most of today's players, but it's surprising how quickly he has fallen off.

I was thinking to myself, who are the legitimately great players still playing who have had great runs of 20 years or more. Not many. SVB is in a class by himself. Perhaps Biado.

Filler hasn't put in 20 years, but he's already there. Gorst could get there, too.

Fans and commentators keep talking about all the great talent around the world. But who is really a superstar? None have emerged since Filler and Gorst.
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I think Archer has fallen off steeper than any of his top piers. It seems Strickland, Busty, and Efren, could still bring it super strong when they were Archer's age. He's like a shortstop now. IDK how that happened.
 
iusedtoberich said:
It might have been lack of opportunity (common with many top Filipinos) or just luck. Busty for example, didn't win a major title until he was quite old. But there was no one on the planet outside of Archer or Strickland than would have bet him in any game even as early as the 90s.
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some are late bloomers too, or i guess have a eureka moment late in their career. david alcaide wasn't a very big name in his early career. in snooker stuart bingham bloomed in middleage
 
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