In a match like this the main deciding factors are the break, run out consistency, moving, and mental fortitude.
I bet Sky. Before the match I felt it was even in the run out game, even in the moving game, and that Sky had a mental fortitude edge. I base that on what I've seen from the two of them over the last two years. The key to it all was that he'd have to neutralize any breaking edge that SVB had. In other words, I felt if Sky could break as consistently as he did last set against Dennis that he'd manage through the swings of the set better than SVB.
We saw this with Dennis and SVB. When Dennis played SVB 10 ball he lost because he can't win when SVB has a big breaking edge. But when they play 9 on the spot 9 ball then Dennis got there twice. Yes, it was close. But without going through the replay of the set my main point is that when Dennis neutralizes SVB's break then he can match his firepower and win on moving/mental toughness. At least at this time in their career.
I thought Sky could do the same. It looked good starting out when Sky opened with a 7 pack. But little by little his break got worse, and SVB's got better. And when SVB started breaking really good it seemed to fluster Sky. Instead of getting better, he got worse and worse. And somewhere mid-match Sky saw the writing on the wall. He just couldn't get his break going enough to keep up with SVB and had no chance to win the set because of this.
From there it was a travesty. He knew he had no way to the finish line and it showed in all parts of his game. He fell apart mentally and physically. His break got worse, he started missing balls, and his run out game was inconsistent.
I say all of this because for those who think the score of 150 to 114 means Shane is 30% better than Sky across the board they aren't seeing it correctly. Sky absolutely has what it takes to win in this format when his break is working. Unlike Dennis who never broke good 10 ball, Sky is capable of breaking good enough to win. I'm not sure why it broke down so I can't tell you what the future holds. Maybe he figures it out and puts it together in a way to stand up to SVB's barrage and beats him in the future. Maybe the gap between their breaks is insurmountable and SVB will always have a decisive advantage in terms of generating opportunities.
SVB proved he was the better player this weekend. One thing I know is that there is more to this than looking at Fargo Rate or resume and declaring that Sky will never win.
I bet Sky. Before the match I felt it was even in the run out game, even in the moving game, and that Sky had a mental fortitude edge. I base that on what I've seen from the two of them over the last two years. The key to it all was that he'd have to neutralize any breaking edge that SVB had. In other words, I felt if Sky could break as consistently as he did last set against Dennis that he'd manage through the swings of the set better than SVB.
We saw this with Dennis and SVB. When Dennis played SVB 10 ball he lost because he can't win when SVB has a big breaking edge. But when they play 9 on the spot 9 ball then Dennis got there twice. Yes, it was close. But without going through the replay of the set my main point is that when Dennis neutralizes SVB's break then he can match his firepower and win on moving/mental toughness. At least at this time in their career.
I thought Sky could do the same. It looked good starting out when Sky opened with a 7 pack. But little by little his break got worse, and SVB's got better. And when SVB started breaking really good it seemed to fluster Sky. Instead of getting better, he got worse and worse. And somewhere mid-match Sky saw the writing on the wall. He just couldn't get his break going enough to keep up with SVB and had no chance to win the set because of this.
From there it was a travesty. He knew he had no way to the finish line and it showed in all parts of his game. He fell apart mentally and physically. His break got worse, he started missing balls, and his run out game was inconsistent.
I say all of this because for those who think the score of 150 to 114 means Shane is 30% better than Sky across the board they aren't seeing it correctly. Sky absolutely has what it takes to win in this format when his break is working. Unlike Dennis who never broke good 10 ball, Sky is capable of breaking good enough to win. I'm not sure why it broke down so I can't tell you what the future holds. Maybe he figures it out and puts it together in a way to stand up to SVB's barrage and beats him in the future. Maybe the gap between their breaks is insurmountable and SVB will always have a decisive advantage in terms of generating opportunities.
SVB proved he was the better player this weekend. One thing I know is that there is more to this than looking at Fargo Rate or resume and declaring that Sky will never win.