Look Wu's back !

spartan

spartan

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Returning in inaugural Spanish Open next month !
His last sighting in major (rotation) event was 2019 the year he finished 2nd in US Open and won China Open.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=214129048089726


spanish open 2023.jpg
 
S

skogstokig

AzB Silver Member
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very good news. crazy talented, aggressive playing style, good pace.

yes, covid was the reason he quit 9-ball. he converted to c8b and even won atleast one of their events, beating a multiple champion in the final. speaks volumes on how talented a cueist he is.
 
sjm

sjm

Older and Wiser
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King T said:
it aint to late, he still gets out with a vengeance!
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I'm inclined to disagree. The most prolific gatherer of major titles in this generation of players is surely Josh Filler.

By the age of 25, Josh Filler had won the World Pool Championship, the US Open 9-ball, the China Open, the World Pool Masters, a gold medal at the World Games, the European 9-ball, the European 10 ball, the European 14.1, the American 14.1, the UK Open, and numerous Euro-tour titles. On top of that, he has won two Mosconi Cup MVP awards.

I can't see how Wu can make up for lost time and produce a resume that is comparable to that of Filler at this point, but there is one precedent that comes to mind. BCA Hall of Famer Joe Balsis won nearly all of his titles after the age of 40.

My thinking is that it's not too late for Wu to produce a hall of fame worthy resume of titles, but it's too late for him to gather the kind of credentials found on the resumes of people like Reyes, Sigel, and Filler and he will, therefore, never be in the discussion for greatest ever player.
 
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K

King T

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
sjm said:
I'm inclined to disagree. The most prolific gatherer of major titles in this generation of players is surely Josh Filler.

By the age of 25, Josh Filler had won the World Pool Championship, the US Open 9-ball, the China Open, the World Pool Masters, the European 9-ball, the European 10 ball, the European 14.1, the American 14.1, the UK Open, and numerous Euro-tour titles. On top of that, he has won two Mosconi Cup MVP awards.

I can't see how Wu can make up for lost time and produce a resume that is comparable to that of Filler at this point, but there is one precedent that comes to mind. BCA Hall of Famer Joe Balsis won nearly all of his titles after the age of 40.

My thinking is that it's not too late for Wu to produce a hall of fame worthy resume of titles, but it's too late for him to gather the kind of credentials found on the resumes of people like Reyes, Sigel, and Filler and he will, therefore, never be in the discussion for greatest ever player.
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Your probably right, its just that his talent level puts him rare air, SVB, Filler, Gorst. If he's going to really play in as many events as the top guys I think he one of those unique talents that could pull it off.
 
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iusedtoberich

iusedtoberich

AzB Silver Member
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sjm said:
I'm inclined to disagree. The most prolific gatherer of major titles in this generation of players is surely Josh Filler.

By the age of 25, Josh Filler had won the World Pool Championship, the US Open 9-ball, the China Open, the World Pool Masters, the European 9-ball, the European 10 ball, the European 14.1, the American 14.1, the UK Open, and numerous Euro-tour titles. On top of that, he has won two Mosconi Cup MVP awards.

I can't see how Wu can make up for lost time and produce a resume that is comparable to that of Filler at this point, but there is one precedent that comes to mind. BCA Hall of Famer Joe Balsis won nearly all of his titles after the age of 40.

My thinking is that it's not too late for Wu to produce a hall of fame worthy resume of titles, but it's too late for him to gather the kind of credentials found on the resumes of people like Reyes, Sigel, and Filler and he will, therefore, never be in the discussion for greatest ever player.
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Nice thoughts. I'd add one unknown. Typically, when a player is nearing 40, they are not as hungry, they are burnt out, etc. (in addition to the physical deteriorations of the body that happen over time and start to become noticeable around 35-40). With Wu being away from the game this most recent time due to C, he *may* have that hunger back, compared to peers his age, which may allow him to perform like a younger version. This is of course pure speculation on my part.
 
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King T

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
iusedtoberich said:
Nice thoughts. I'd add one unknown. Typically, when a player is nearing 40, they are not as hungry, they are burnt out, etc. (in addition to the physical deteriorations of the body that happen over time and start to become noticeable around 35-40). With Wu being away from the game this most recent time due to C, he *may* have that hunger back, compared to peers his age, which may allow him to perform like a younger version. This is of course pure speculation on my part.
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I think also depends on a persons fitness level and health. If he doesn't have any major health challenges and he has a reasonable fitness routine he could play with the top guys well past 40, not saying it would be easy, but very possible.
 
C

Cezar Morales

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
sjm said:
I'm inclined to disagree. The most prolific gatherer of major titles in this generation of players is surely Josh Filler.

By the age of 25, Josh Filler had won the World Pool Championship, the US Open 9-ball, the China Open, the World Pool Masters, a gold medal at the World Games, the European 9-ball, the European 10 ball, the European 14.1, the American 14.1, the UK Open, and numerous Euro-tour titles. On top of that, he has won two Mosconi Cup MVP awards.

I can't see how Wu can make up for lost time and produce a resume that is comparable to that of Filler at this point, but there is one precedent that comes to mind. BCA Hall of Famer Joe Balsis won nearly all of his titles after the age of 40.

My thinking is that it's not too late for Wu to produce a hall of fame worthy resume of titles, but it's too late for him to gather the kind of credentials found on the resumes of people like Reyes, Sigel, and Filler and he will, therefore, never be in the discussion for greatest ever player.
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Not really, i beg to differ
Wu didnt have the luxury of time that Josh had
Moreover Wu won two world titles 8 and 9 ball before he even turned 17 .
Josh wasnt even a world champ at that age !
Wu even reached the world 10 ball finals the following year but he lost to appleton all before 17 years of age.
Also, where he came from, he didnt really have to exposure to play tournaments in the US and Europe.
And just to add, he couldnt complete during a time of almost 2 yrs due to change of citizenship issues and that was when he was at his peak after being world champ
Shortly after, came another bad news as he contracted Leukemia and had to recieve treatment which he set him back a further 2 years while waiting for his china citizenship
All adds up to almost a hiatus of 4-5 years
Long story short, i doubt anyone will ever achieve what this kid achieve before the he even turned 19
And in his first Us open attempt, wu made the finals which says alot
Closest will be Ko pin yi who won 2 world titles 9 and 10 ball in the same year followed by the China Open , 3 majors in the same year.
On the other hand, Josh has proved to be a all around with titles in various disciplines
Just my 2 cents :)
 
sjm

sjm

Older and Wiser
Silver Member
Cezar Morales said:
Not really, i beg to differ
Wu didnt have the luxury of time that Josh had
Moreover Wu won two world titles 8 and 9 ball before he even turned 17 .
Josh wasnt even a world champ at that age !
Wu even reached the world 10 ball finals the following year but he lost to appleton all before 17 years of age.
Also, where he came from, he didnt really have to exposure to play tournaments in the US and Europe.
And just to add, he couldnt complete during a time of almost 2 yrs due to change of citizenship issues and that was when he was at his peak after being world champ
Shortly after, came another bad news as he contracted Leukemia and had to recieve treatment which he set him back a further 2 years while waiting for his china citizenship
All adds up to almost a hiatus of 4-5 years
Long story short, i doubt anyone will ever achieve what this kid achieve before the he even turned 19
And in his first Us open attempt, wu made the finals which says alot
Closest will be Ko pin yi who won 2 world titles 9 and 10 ball in the same year followed by the China Open , 3 majors in the same year.
On the other hand, Josh has proved to be a all around with titles in various disciplines
Just my 2 cents :)
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Well said.

I was the one that first said in this thread that had he played pool full time since he was 16, Wu might well have been the best of all time. Yes, as you've noted, Wu had diminished opportunity due to life's circumstances and had serious health ailments to overcome. In the end, however, discussions of the best of all time must focus on major titles over a career.

In fact, I'm not sure you've differed with my opinion at all. I agree that nobody has achieved as much as Wu before turning 18.
 
S

skogstokig

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Cezar Morales said:
Not really, i beg to differ
Wu didnt have the luxury of time that Josh had
Moreover Wu won two world titles 8 and 9 ball before he even turned 17 .
Josh wasnt even a world champ at that age !
Wu even reached the world 10 ball finals the following year but he lost to appleton all before 17 years of age.
Also, where he came from, he didnt really have to exposure to play tournaments in the US and Europe.
And just to add, he couldnt complete during a time of almost 2 yrs due to change of citizenship issues and that was when he was at his peak after being world champ
Shortly after, came another bad news as he contracted Leukemia and had to recieve treatment which he set him back a further 2 years while waiting for his china citizenship
All adds up to almost a hiatus of 4-5 years
Long story short, i doubt anyone will ever achieve what this kid achieve before the he even turned 19
And in his first Us open attempt, wu made the finals which says alot
Closest will be Ko pin yi who won 2 world titles 9 and 10 ball in the same year followed by the China Open , 3 majors in the same year.
On the other hand, Josh has proved to be a all around with titles in various disciplines
Just my 2 cents :)
Click to expand...

the year he made the finals in the US open against filler he also won the china open, so he was definitely picking up steam when covid struck.
 
A

axejunkie

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Reading through this, yeah it's scary to see what a talent the guy is. If he and Filler were to meet in the final, it could be a lefty vs. lefty match-up for the ages.

Maybe we right-handers need to scrap our equipment fixation and just do what Morra did...
 
S

skogstokig

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
axejunkie said:
Reading through this, yeah it's scary to see what a talent the guy is. If he and Filler were to meet in the final, it could be a lefty vs. lefty match-up for the ages.

Maybe we right-handers need to scrap our equipment fixation and just do what Morra did...
Click to expand...


it's up there as the best final ever, for me atleast
 
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