Do you think that Fedor Gorst is as strong or stronger then Josh Filler?

[pacain]

I think your analysis is about right. the games on the wire I like both fav's.

 

[gxman]

Gorst vs Little Ko would be a good match.

 

[spartan]

Filler would beat Gorst, Kaci, and Ruslan like a drum to 100. By 30 games.

That's about right
Though I would say more like 10 games over Gorst
Gorst has better overall game but Filler has big edge in shotmaking and sheer confidence
Ruslan doesn't have chance against Filler. Filler will mow him over like Aranas except Ruslan does not have to mow lawn if he loses.:grin:

Yes, both JL Chang and Shane would have a very realistic chance at beating Filler in a long 10 ball race if they play their typical games, but I think they are the only two. JL Chang is, to me, Filler's equal. Without rack your own and pattern racking, Shane would be an underdog to either, but with it he's right there with them.

I think Filler is the best at nine ball right now, and would have to be favored in a long nine ball race over anyone.

Great assessment as always. Top 3 long race Chang-Filler-SVB
Though now I would slightly favor Chang and SVB over Filler in long race (9 or 10 ball) simply cos they are both much more experienced and conditioned for long race money games. The match with Aranas must be his first streamed race to 100 and he clearly showed he has same gear in long races as tournaments.
Filler will be playing more and more long races and he will be the one to beat

I've seen many come and go, too, but I haven't seen a guy with Filler's achievements at a similar age, and don't think it has ever happened. I know you're older than me, Jay, but I just haven't seen anyone achieve at this rate and that includes Wu, who's not even in the conversation.

If I allow myself to include the World 10-ball Championship as a major, then the majors (that is, the five major WPA titles) in our sport are:

China Open
US Open 9-ball
WPA World 9-ball
All Japan Championships
WPA World 10-ball

Filler has won three of the majors (China, US Open, World 9-ball) and has a silver at the World 10-ball Championships. He also has won a silver at the Derby City 9-ball, a bronze at the International 9-ball, and won the high run prize at Derby City in 2019 with a 285 on a tight table.

Wu won World 9 Ball, World 8 Ball, All Japan, runner up World 10 Ball in span of about 3 years in the 2000s. After break of number of years in between because of personal issues he played more in last 5 to 6 years. In last few years, he won 2x China Open, World Cup of Pool (even though it is scotch doubles but it could be argued he single handedly won it with a sleeping partner in Liu Haitao) and runner up US Open.
Not too shabby for the comeback kid whom many wrote off after he disappeared for a while. But yes, as Jay pointed out, Wu is not as dominant and as explosive as before. I am just glad he has not retired and is still playing :grin:

 

[sjm]

That's about right. Though I would say more like 10 games over Gorst. Gorst has better overall game but Filler has big edge in shotmaking and sheer confidence …

I will disagree here. Both are capable of overpowering the table, and I'll even concede that Gorst shoots every bit as straight as Filler, but Josh is far superior to Fedor in his safety play, kicking, and general tactical conceptualization. If Gorst can catch up in these areas, he can contend for #1 in the world, but I haven't seen much development here in the last few years.

Wu won World 9 Ball, World 8 Ball, All Japan, runner up World 10 Ball in span of about 3 years in the 2000s. After break of number of years in between because of personal issues he played more in last 5 to 6 years. In last few years, he won 2x China Open, World Cup of Pool (even though it is scotch doubles but it could be argued he single handedly won it with a sleeping partner in Liu Haitao) and runner up US Open. Not too shabby for the comeback kid whom many wrote off after he disappeared for a while. But yes, as Jay pointed out, Wu is not as dominant and as explosive as before. I am just glad he has not retired and is still playing :grin:

Yeah, I'm glad the brilliant Wu is still going strong, and, for those of us who were there, we'll never forget the 2019 US Open 9-ball final of Filler vs Wu. It was almost too good to be true. As I've posted on a few occasions, I consider Wu to be the beat pattern player in the world right now. Let's hope he's got some more big moments ahead.

Of course, we're all in withdrawal over the current lack of tournaments, but hoping for better soon.

 

[JimmyGillette]

I think id have to take Gorst over Filler

 

[Ratta]

No, Gorst is not at Filler's level. In fact, I'd rate him as somewhere between 11th and 15th best in the world. My top ten right now are, in no praticullar order, JL Chang, Filler, SVB, Shaw, Orcullo, Big Ko, Little Ko, Zheng, Raga and Wu Jiaqing. JL Chang, Josh Filler and Shane are at a higher level than the other seven of these.

Gorst, as you suggest, is a stone cold killer, and can and has beaten anyone and everyone. For example , he beat Filler double hill in the final of the 2019 European 9-ball Championship and he beat JL Chang in the final of the 2019 WPA World 9-ball. Beating the elite in big spots is a very big deal, which is why we must count Gorst as one of the biggest stars of our game. He also cam e second and third in the last two Bigfoot 10-ball events in which he played (2018 and 2019) in a field of killers.

Fedor was, in my opinion, incorrectly left off the 2019 Europe Mosconi team.

… but he's no Josh Filler!

Agree in many points you ve came up with- Respect anyway your posts a lot

Fedor i would rate into top 15 now in the world for very sure- and he can beat everyone- also fact.

that he wasn t picked for the Mosconi Team is another story. First we have the point system- and here he wasn t ranked high enough.
the wild card is often an "idea of the moment"- or just what the belly tells the captain.

But yes- i would also would expected him in the team as well. He will be many times in this team in the future- i m pretty sure.

 

[racetoday]

Over the past 4 or 5 weeks, Filler sure has put on a show at Roy's Basement. Such a pure shooter. Game is so easy for him. I think he's a prodigy. His misses are few and far between. I think post break, there is nobody in the world better.

I agree with Jay, we'll see where he is in 10 years. Some continue and build a hall of fame career, others disappear. I don't see it with him. He doesn't drink or do drugs.... clean healthy kid that at least right now, has an obvious love of the game.

I think Filler easily handles Gorst in a long 9 or 10 ball run.... throw in 8 ball too. I could see him losing to somebody like SVB due to the break situation. But even then, I'd have Filler as the favorite. 1P is the game to beat Filler in right now, but he's working on it, so I dunno, maybe he masters that game too in due time.

May 15-17 he has an 80 game race of 8 ball with Bergman. That'll be fun to watch.

 

[sjm]

Agree in many points you ve came up with- Respect anyway your posts a lot

Fedor i would rate into top 15 now in the world for very sure- and he can beat everyone- also fact.

that he wasn t picked for the Mosconi Team is another story. First we have the point system- and here he wasn t ranked high enough.
the wild card is often an "idea of the moment"- or just what the belly tells the captain.

But yes- i would also would expected him in the team as well. He will be many times in this team in the future- i m pretty sure.

The reason Gorst wasn't picked for Mosconi is that he didn't earn any Mosconi qualification points for his win in the European 9-ball Championships, in which he beat Filler in the final. He'd have, otherwise, easily been an automatic qualifier. Of course, Chamat should have corrected it with a captain's pick, but that's another matter.