Fedor Gorst v Carlo Biado (Race to 120) 9 ball (Sep 16-18)
- Thread starter spartan
- Start date
Yes, JL Chang came in cold from the pandemic from Taiwan (the Taiwan-based players hadn't been seen even once during the pandemic up to then) and Chang still was the first to 100 in that match, which was the originally intended race length. Yes, when they agreed to extend, SVB beat him out, but I had predicted a blowout in favor of Shane at that time because Chang was so off form. The US Open was the week before that match, and here's what I posted at the time about Chang's play in my US Open writeup of a year ago:Sorry Stu, have to disagree with you on this one, I think you may have forgotten, Shane played Chang Jung Lin September of last year and won 155-139 10-Ball, I think that still puts SVB at 1# spot when it comes to 10-Ball for now when matching up. I know Fedor played Alex 10-Ball head to head but I wouldn't put Alex anywhere near Chang when it comes to 10-Ball and Fedor hasn't matched up with anyone in 10-Ball other than Alex.
"Day 3, it can be argued, was the first great day of competition, and some big names began to struggle, with JL Chang and Josh Filler among them. Both were below their usual form, but JL Chang’s play was astonishingly bad. I’d guess he missed seven or eight balls in his double hill win over Omar Al Shaheen in which Omar was the first to shoot the double hill nine ball. This version of JL Chang needs at least the seven from the JL Chang of 2018-19."
I'm still surprised it wasn't a blowout.
Finally, for me to bet on Shane over Fedor in a ten-ball race to 120 now, I'd want a minimum of ten on the wire.
Agree to disagree. To me, Shane's not the ten-ball king he was in the mid-2010s.
Yes, the throne once belonged to Shane, but I doubt his backers will bark up the Gorst or Filler trees unless Shane is allowed to dictate all the specifics about the equipment, the break and the rules. Yes, before the pandemic, he lost a race to 100 to JL Chang in Asia and a race to 50 to JL Chang in Texas. He only beat Chang during their one matchup during the pandemic.
Yeah, most of the Asians who were completely grounded by COVID, especially the Chinese and Taiwanese pros and also some of the Filipinos, are in the same boat in terms of returning to their form of a few years ago. As we're seeing, though, the Taiwanese are starting to re-emerge (both of the Kos were at the UK Open and World Cup of Pool and Ko Ping Chung played in the World Games). Then again, Kevin Cheng, YL Chang and a couple of other Taiwanese pros are still missing in action. Pool fans hope to see all the great Asian cueists competing in their best form within a year or two, but it's hard to know how long it might take before they are reintegrated into the major competitive scene.
Shane is still a stone-cold killer, but he's not the best anymore. He'd have a chance to take down any player in the world in a long race -- no doubt about that.
He'll be a first ballot hall of famer when his time comes, and is nothing less than an all-time great,
Woodshaft
Do what works for YOU!
Shane is well aware of where he stands in the world's pool "power rankings". He is extremely smart.
He plays big money matches against players he knows he can almost always beat, which is almost everyone.
But he also knows that the new crop of young Euro-talent is the real deal.
As Stu (and I) have said in previous posts, Shane knows he's not the world's best anymore, but he is still playing as good as he ever has.
It's just that now, "his best" isn't "THE best".
He plays big money matches against players he knows he can almost always beat, which is almost everyone.
But he also knows that the new crop of young Euro-talent is the real deal.
As Stu (and I) have said in previous posts, Shane knows he's not the world's best anymore, but he is still playing as good as he ever has.
It's just that now, "his best" isn't "THE best".
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Good stuff from this amazingly confident but still humble young fellow.Nice humble post by Gorst. Congrats, kid
Agree with his statement "Long races aren’t for everybody, mentally and physically draining stuff"
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On paper, this match probably should have been about 120-100 or so, and I guessed that Fedor might have had a couple more rolls than Carlo based on the final score. For Fedor to publicly say as much, however, is very classy.
SVB might just be right here. My guess is that only the great Josh Filler can hang with Gorst in a long match right now.
Gorst is classy. I mean, how good is this guy? Biado is a top, top player and he got wiped out.Nice humble post by Gorst. Congrats, kid
Agree with his statement "Long races aren’t for everybody, mentally and physically draining stuff"
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This is one reason why I like him so much more than Filler. I'm sure people have stories to the contrary, but Filler seems like a prick to me.
Yes, I have different experiences.
Josh is, indeed, very intense inside the arena as well as very animated. The joy he displays when he is succeeding, that some inexplicably take exception to, is something pool needs more of, not less. Filler reminds me of all-time great tennis player Jimmy Connors, who was incredibly animated on the court, and whose screams of joy and fist pumps galore, which some of his opponents took issue with, endeared him to tennis fans, because people came to understand how badly he wanted to succeed and how exciting it was for him when he managed to do so.
I recall the post-match interview at the 2022 Big Foot 10-ball at Derby City. After winning the final, Filler said that Fedor Gorst had outplayed him, but that having had the better of the luck was the difference, displaying humility and respect for his opponent.
Finally, I'm pleased to say I've gotten to know Josh away from the table, and he's a good guy.
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Thanks for the feedback. To each his own for sure!
I was in Louisville for a music festival last weekend and went out late to hit some balls. Being able to to sit for an hour or so and watch was a treat. It was Saturday night and Gorst was starting to pull away. Always great to see matches like this live and up close.