Actually, in 2024, Tkon was one of the six eliminated in Stage 1 of the PLP. He has virtually no competitive credentials, with no high finishes in any events with which I'm familiar. No way is he a top 100 player in the world.
Fedor Gorst vs Tkon Nguyen race to 120 is Live
- Thread starter skor
- Start date
Fedor translates through the original Greek to English Theodore……so if you wanna get familiar,, call him Ted.
Iwishiwasrich
Well-known member
What I heard was they call him Fred when he wears blue jeans. When he dresses like an American I guess he gets called his American name by the people close to him. Jokingly of course.
Tkon finished 11th out of 16, but his plus/minus at -6 put him tied with Mario He at 9th. I watched most of the 2024 PLP - weren’t you actually there? - and he was competitive after a slow start. Beat the Ko brothers, Ouschan, FSR and He along the way
I know i have watched much more of Tkon than you, so forgive me if I disagree. His Fargo is 770, but after looking at the top 100 list, I’d definitely put him in the top 100 globally. Perhaps he is just a borderline top 100 player, but dismissing it as a possibility is not something I would do.
I think he has improved noticeably since the PLP, though I do think he is close to his ceiling. He’s 37 now and probably won’t get much, much better.
He's American now, Fred it is
I'll take him over all Americans not named svb or Fred
while it’s hard to argue your point here, i have to disagree
i’m not sure why, maybe it’s just too neat and convenient, too simplistic, too black/white
the most beautiful isn’t always the prettiest
the most wealthy isn’t always the richest
the greatest meal isn’t always the biggest
the greatest player doesn’t always win
greatness can also be measured with shades of gray
Should be Freddy then.
Their game is almost on par; so is the break.
Fedor jumps better and gets out of jail by making the balls and continuing his run.
He had a lot of successful jumps so far, and in my opinion, that is the difference in the score between them.
I'm sure that it would have been even tighter if jump cues were not allowed.
Fedor jumps better and gets out of jail by making the balls and continuing his run.
He had a lot of successful jumps so far, and in my opinion, that is the difference in the score between them.
I'm sure that it would have been even tighter if jump cues were not allowed.
Thanks for your insights.
I will defer on this occasion. I did attend the 2024 PLP in Connecticut live and I saw a capable cueist, but was not terribly wowed, but that is just one event. If you have had numerous opportunities to see him play, that must be taken into consideration. Who, of note, have you seen him beat in high level competition? His tournament results certainly do not correspond to a top 100 in the world, but if you feel his skills are top 100, I will look out for him in competition.
The 100th best player today based on Fargo carries a 788 and there are 75 players who are above Fargo 795. Eyeballing the Fargo players rated between 90 and 100 who play at pool's major events, we find each of Mickey Krause, Roberto Gomez, Vitaliy Patsura and Marc Bijsterbosch, all of whom have made a big splash a least once at the majors, each having at least a silver medal in one of pool's majors. Do you think Tkon plays about their speed?
Until Matchroom created the Hanoi Open in 2023, hardly anyone from Vietnam played regularly in major pool tournaments in the West. It was a forgotten country in the “world” of pro pool.
Tkon was no exception. He never played outside of Asia, aside from a few World Cups of Pool, until 2023.
His best finish in a big event was 17th in the World Pool Championships in 2023. He made it to the final 32, beating … the aforementioned Marc Bijsterbosch, Billy Thorpe and Konrad Juszczyszyn along the way.
He was knocked out by Denis Grabe.
Quoc Hoang Duong is clearly the best player from Vietnam.
The second best player would be one of either Tkon, Luong Duc Thien or The Kien Do.
My evaluation of Tkon is as follows:
He has an above-average break. His safety play and tactical game are good (not great). And he’s decent enough at jumping.
Although he tends to be a slow starter, Tkon seems to know all the shots and his patterns are usually well thought-out. Rarely does he have to hit the ball hard to get to his next position.
The downside is, when he makes a mistake, his soft shooting leaves the ball in a good position for his opponents.
His biggest drawback is an occasional lapse in concentration that results in him making an unforced error. I think that’s tied to age, fitness and less experience playing the top players.
I don’t think he has worked as hard as, say, Quoc, to improve his fitness. That’s huge in this day and age of pro pool. Tkon does seem to tire visibly at times.
Nor is there any part of his game that makes me go “wow.” Solid is how I would describe him. He doesn’t seem to have that extra gear, or special part of his game, that the best players do.
What I’ve noticed most, though, is how much he has improved playing against better players. Even this four-day match with Fetter appears to be helping him hit another plane.
Among the players you mentioned, Krause and Bijsterbosch are better. Probably Vitaliy, too. I think Tkon might be on par with Gomez.
Looking at the Fargo top 100, I’d put Tkon in the 85 to 105 range. Can’t really see him going much higher than that, though.
120 to 100.
My biggest takeaway is that ... Gorst looks good post-injury. Damn good. Didn't seem to have any physical issues.
Oh, and the crowd was great.
That's why I watched bits and parts of the event. Just wanted to see some decent pool ahead of the UK Open.
I was also curious to see if Tkon could rise to the challenge. He did, but Gorst is just too good.
Still, fairly impressive that Tkon could beat Fedor 100 times and win 46% of their matches. The outcome was never in doubt, but Tkon played well.
My biggest takeaway is that ... Gorst looks good post-injury. Damn good. Didn't seem to have any physical issues.
Oh, and the crowd was great.
That's why I watched bits and parts of the event. Just wanted to see some decent pool ahead of the UK Open.
I was also curious to see if Tkon could rise to the challenge. He did, but Gorst is just too good.
Still, fairly impressive that Tkon could beat Fedor 100 times and win 46% of their matches. The outcome was never in doubt, but Tkon played well.
Sounds like you've seen him a lot and have access to more information than we do.
But based on the 500 or so games we have for him since PLP, his good results at PLP stand out as a high-water mark. As you said, he beat big Ko, little Ko, and Ouschan 5-3, 5-4, and 5-4. Since then, though, he's played all three with the following outcomes.
Pin Yi Ko, 5-10, Rasson, July 2024
Ping Chung Ko, 3-9, UK Open, May 2024
Ping Chung Ko, 2-9, European Open, March 2025
Albin Ouschan, 6-10, European Open, March 2025
That's why I rate him as a borderline Top 100 player globally. He has not committed himself to the tour like Quoc. As such, his ceiling is limited.
he has one hell of a power break, although he probably never uses it with MR break rules. he employed it in the first MR major he played, on a youtube table.
the same is true of taiwanese player liu ri teng - incredible power, seldom displayed
billiards_watch
Well-known member
Ted doesn't sound as intimidating as Fedor.
Wow, what a great post! You have seen way more of him than I have and your evaluation of the parts of his game is enlightening. I'll be keeping an eye out for him now and I wish him the best.
I'd say...
He won 10 to 15 racks on the jump cue in this.