Ranking top WNT players by group - a subjective list

J

jbart65

Well-known member
If we group players into tiers, this is how they would look to me.

SUPERSTARS
(Always a threat to win a major)

Joshua Filler
Fedor Gorst
Aloysius Yapp
Shane Van Boening

If they were still playing in the WNT, I’d put the Ko brothers and Johann Chua on this list.

TOP VETERANS WHO WON WNT MAJORS
(tanks haven’t run dry yet)

Dennis Grabe
*Carlio Biado
FSR
David Alcaide
Jayson Shaw
Eklent Kaci
*Albin Ouschan

*I almost had Biado in the first group. Yet other than his WPC win in 2025, Biado has only one other quarterfinals appearance in the last three years.

*Ouschan has been in a rut since 2023.

TOP VETERANS WHO HAVEN’T WON WNT MAJORS
(30 years old-plus. Still capable of winning one)

Wojciech Szewczyk
Alex Kazakis
Quoc Hoang Duong
Naoyuki Oi
Chang Lu Yung
Skyler Woodward
Tyler Styer
Petri Makkonen
Mario He
Max Lechner
Kun Lin Wu
Marco Teutscher
Niels Feijin (Hall of Famer)
Jeffrey Ignacio

IN THEIR PRIMES, 25-29 YEARS OLD
(Have or could win majors)

Aleksa Pecelj
Robbie Capito
Mickey Krause
Pijus Labutis
Jefrey Roda
Wiktor Zielinski
Daniel Maciol
Oliver Szolnoki
Sanjin Pehlavanovic
Jonas Souto (turns 25 this year)
Marvin Asis
Anton Raga

TOP 20-SOMETHINGS (20–24)
Moritz Neuhausen
Kledio Kaci
Szymon Kural
Bernie Regalario
Arseni Sevastyanov
Kyle Amoroto
Alexis Ferrer

YOUNG STUDS
(under 20, possible future superstars)

Albert Januarta
AJ Manas
Felix Vogel
 
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is amoroto allowed to play WNT? don't remember what kind of suspension he got

i think arseni sevastyanov is a worth mentioning too (not totally impartial on the matter)
 
Nice work as usual. Thought I read Quoc Hoang Duong was a late starter to the game, maybe in his 20s? Makes me think his ceiling his higher than the other 30somethings.
 
Great lists. I would probably add Jeff DeLuna, Fortunski and Konrad J to your over 30 but still capable list. Pagulayan does not play much WNT pool anymore, but was runner up to Filler in the 2025 DCC 9ball, so still some gas left in the tank.
 
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skogstokig said:
is amoroto allowed to play WNT? don't remember what kind of suspension he got
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WNT still lists him as a WNT player, but he has not appeared in a Matchroom sanctioned event since the incident in question. Not that I could find, anyway.
skogstokig said:
i think arseni sevastyanov is a worth mentioning too (not totally impartial on the matter)
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Yes, I agree. Forgot about him. Not a complete game, but what a shotmaker.
 
axejunkie said:
Nice work as usual. Thought I read Quoc Hoang Duong was a late starter to the game, maybe in his 20s? Makes me think his ceiling his higher than the other 30somethings.
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Correct. According to Wikipedia, he started playing pool seriously at around 25. He was 30 when he won his first national title in 2017. From 2018–2019, he started playing around Asia, then Europe and the US in the 2020s. His pro career is just ~9 years old, his international career is probably 6 years old...

He probably makes more money from his pool room, equipment sales, and sponsors in Vietnam than from playing tournaments (ROI for pool tournament is a bearish meme coin chart 99% of the time - according to K. Kaci LMAO). He is probably just looking for his first major title badly.

I'm rooting for this guy (and Naoyuki Oi). Most humble, nicest guy in the sport.
 
sjm said:
I would probably add Jeff DeLuna
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De Luna has had a bit of a comeback lately, but I want to see if it is sustainable. His quarterfinal run in Arizona was his highest finish in a Matchroom event in the WNT era (circa 2022).
sjm said:
, Fortunski and Konrad J to your over 30 but still capable list.
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Thought about both. Konrad's only quarterfinal appearance in a WNT era event was in 2022. He hasn't made a deep run quite awhile. The only time he finished first in a sizable tournament was in 2023, when he won the Puerto Rico Open with a strong field.

Fortunski looked terrific when he got to the finals of the UK Open in 2024. He also got the quarters in the 2023 UK Open. He never built on those deep runs.
 
skogstokig said:
sounds incredible. maybe he played 3C before pool?
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Nope. According to wiki, he was 22 when he moved from a small town to a major city (think of it like moving from a rural town in Mississippi to New York City lol). He had no job and no money, so he started working at a pool hall, running food, cleaning tables, racking balls, etc. and started practicing after hours when there were no customers.

I heard the pool room owner, who was a pro player himself, saw his talent and helped train him and eventually sponsored him to go pro.

That's probably why the dude is so humble. He doesn't seem to get mad at anyone or blame anyone in any circumstance, probably the only person he'll get mad at is himself for missing a ball lol. He is good now though, like SVB good as far as financial standpoint.
 
july9x said:
Nope. According to wiki, he was 22 when he moved from a small town to a major city (think of it like moving from a rural town in Mississippi to New York City lol). He had no job and no money, so he started working at a pool hall, running food, cleaning tables, racking balls, etc. and started practicing after hours when there were no customers.

I heard the pool room owner, who was a pro player himself, saw his talent and helped train him and eventually sponsored him to go pro.

That's probably why the dude is so humble. He doesn't seem to get mad at anyone or blame anyone in any circumstance, probably the only person he'll get mad at is himself for missing a ball lol. He is good now though, like SVB good as far as financial standpoint.
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thanks for the insight! he's one of my favorites. very complete player
 
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