SJM Sizes up 2022 in Pro Pool
As the curtain drops on 2022 in pro pool, let’s reflect. In January, Matchroom unveiled a new 9ball tour and Predator announced expansion of its global 10ball series. So far, so good.
I The Year in Tournament Play
1st Quarter: In January, Jayson Shaw won the winter Turning Stone and Fedor Gorst took the Arizona Open. At Derby City, Fedor Gorst won the bank pool, the 1-pocket, and Master of the Table, as Josh Filler took the 10ball and Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz aced the 9ball. In February, Alex Kazakis won the Wisconsin Open and Albin Ouschan the Premier League Pool. March was all Poland, as Wiktor Zielinski took the Las Vegas Open and Wojciech Szewczyk the World 10ball.
2nd Quarter: In April, SVB won the World Pool Championship. In May, Josh Filler won the World Pool Masters and he also prevailed at the UK Open. In June, Team Spain (Sanchez-Ruiz/Alcaide) reigned at the World Cup of Pool.
3rd Quarter: In July’s World Games, Josh Filler and Kelly Fisher won gold. In August, Albin Ouschan won the European Open. In September, Jayson Shaw won the summer Turning Stone and Aloysius Yapp got the Michigan Open.
4th Quarter: In October, Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz won the US Open 9ball, Fedor Gorst took the Ohio Open and Dimitri Jungo nabbed the American 14.1. In November, a) Fedor Gorst won the International 10ball and Jayson Shaw aced the International 9ball, b) Carlo Biado won the Puerto Rico Open and c) Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz took the World 8ball. In December, Team Europe, led by MVP Josh Filler, won the Mosconi Cup.
II. A Closer Look
What was 1) best match, 2) best shot, 3) best event, 4) best new event, 5) most improved event? Who was 6) best player, 7) most improved player, 8) best producer, 9) best sponsor, 10) best commentator? Let’s see.
1. Best Match Nominees:
A. Jayson Shaw 9, Omar Al-Shaheen 7, Derby City 9ball Round 10, January
Shaw’s rode a 5-pack to 8-1, but after his Rack 10 miss, Omar ran out and broke and ran 5 more for 8-7. Shaw won, but two 5-packs in a race to 9 is rare.
B. Wojciech Szewczyk 10, Eklent Kaci 9, World 10ball Semis, March
Szewczyk raced ahead for 4-1 but Kaci rallied well for 5-5. Down 7-6, Kaci jumped in the 1, kicked in the 2 and banked the 8 for 7-7. It reached double hill 9-9, and Szewczyk broke dry. Kaci played safe but Szewczyk won the safety battle, reaching the final.
C. SVB 11, Mika Immonen 10, World Pool Championship Stage 2, April
Mika excelled up to 10-3 but missed in Rack 14. SVB won that rack and 7 more, reviving his title run.
D. Josh Filler 11, Sanjin Pehlivanovic 8, World Games Final, July
Sanjin was flawless up to 6-3, but Josh rallied for 8-8 and closed well for a gold medal.
E. Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz 11, Carlo Biado 10, US Open 9ball Semis, September
A 7-2 dud came to life as defending champ Biado rallied for 10-10, but Francisco won the decisive safety battle for the win.
F. Wiktor Zielinski 150, Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz 145, American 14.1, Stage 2, October
Sanchez-Ruiz opened the match by running 145 but Zielinski answered with 150 and out. Wow!
G. Wiktor Zielinski 10, Ko Ping Chung 9, International 9ball Stage 2, November
This well played match built to a climax, with matters decided by double hill safeties. Zielinski was first to the shot and then sealed it with a run out.
H. David Alcaide 5, Skyler Woodward 3, Mosconi Cup Day 4, December
Europe led 8 matches to 7. An in-form Skyler led early in a valiant bid to tie things up, but David sparkled in the comeback win.
… the winner is Match B, World 10ball semis.
2. Best Shot: In the World Pool Championship semis came a master class shot easy to overlook--- so easy that in Matchroom’s year-end survey, it wasn’t even one of 34 choices. The best shots come when great imagination meets superior execution in big moments. Leading Alex Kazakis 9-7, SVB studied a brutal layout. He found a carom, using the cue ball to make the 5, sending the 2 to open a cluster while still making shape onto the 2. This “triple treat” set up a runout, and minutes later SVB reached the final. Full respect to Aloysius Yapp’s jump-draw in the Michigan Open and Tony Chohan’s bank-off-the-point in the International 1-pocket, but SVB’s shot came with a world title in his sights.
3. Best Event: The World Pool Championship was superb and offered a dream final of Albin Ouschan vs SVB, whose crowning moment arrived.
4. Best New Event: UK Open. A 3-table setup in the arena made viewing Stage 2 matches a fan’s delight.
5. Most Improved Event: World 10ball. The field was elite and increased prize money added to the event’s prestige.
6. Best Player: Sanchez-Ruiz, barely. He took the US Open 9ball and World 8ball. Filler won the UK Open and World Games. Elsewhere, Filler won the Derby City 10ball and World Pool Masters, got silver at the Derby City 9ball and was Mosconi MVP, as Sanchez-Ruiz won the Derby City 9ball and World Cup of Pool and got silver at the UK Open. The rivals met in three finals: Sanchez-Ruiz won at the Derby City 9Ball and Filler won at the UK Open and at the Slovenia Open.
7. Most Improved Player: Wiktor Zielinski. The 21-year-old won gold at the Las Vegas Open, silver at each of the American 14.1, Puerto Rico Open and World 8ball, and reached #1 on Euro-tour.
8. Best Producer: Matchroom. An already superior pro pool product was enhanced, offering the best venues, playing areas, commentators and fields.
9. Best Sponsor: Predator supported pool’s growth globally by a) producing and financing men’s and women’s events, b) partnering with CSI, and c) sponsoring pros.
10. Best Commentator: Matchroom has all the top commentators, so I chose one. Karl Boyes, a solid commentator, presenter and interviewer, gets the nod.
III. What I’ll Remember Most
1. More Money: In 2022, a) the top 10 made $1,624,000, up 63% from 2021, b) the Top 25 made $2,817,000, up 70% from 2021, and c) the Top 50 made $3,761,000, up 66% from 2021. Hope the trend continues!
2. SVB Won World Pool Championship: Shane ached for a sanctioned world title and realized his dream.
3. A Shocking Ban: After the Ukraine invasion came a ban, devised by WCBS and enforced by WPA, that barred Fedor Gorst, Kristina Tkach, Ruslan Chinakhov, and Margaret Styer from play in WPA-sanctioned events for months. It was lifted in July, but a ban on the basis of nationality was deplorable.
4. Shaw Set 14.1 Record: After he won at Turning Stone in January, I had a drink with Jayson, his wife Ara, Upstate Al and Bobby Chamberlain when Jayson inquired about playing in the Legends of 14.1. Derby City loomed, so the window was tight, but days later he set a world record in Virginia. The February 4 celebration at US1 Billiards was a blast.
5. CSI/Predator 10-ball in America Paid Little to US Pros: Admirably, CSI/Predator produced the US Pro Billiard Series and World 10ball, but payouts were top-heavy. At the World 10-ball, the top 4 got 62% of the payout. At Arizona, Wisconsin, Las Vegas, World 10ball, Michigan, Ohio, and Puerto Rico combined, Americans won just 5% of $750,000+ paid. After he won the 2022 World Snooker, Ronnie O’Sullivan was asked why there wasn’t more young talent emerging (3 semifinalists 45+). In his reply, he attacked snooker’s top-heavy payout structure for dispiriting some hopefuls. The same danger exists with 10ball in America.
6. Matchroom’s 9Ball Rankings Ruled and Matchroom’s Tree is Growing: The 9ball rankings made invitations and seeding merit based in Matchroom play, leading to great fields and events. Matchroom’s affiliation with other events worldwide enabled those events to offer 9ball ranking points, strengthening fields. The cherry on top was that Matchroom, in December, announced a partnership with Asian Pool Promotions to launch a 9ball Asian Tour for 2023.
7. Gorst a Hit in America: In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Fedor Gorst chose to spend 2022 in America. Denied entry into many events because of the WPA ban, he still managed to win $250,000+.
8. Two “Killer” Fillers: At the Slovenia Open, Josh Filler won the men’s event as his wife Pia won the lady’s event.
9. The World Pool Championship has a New Home: The 2023 event will be in Poland. I see this as a fitting tribute to a nation whose pros have progressed more as cueists than those of any other nation in recent times.
10. BCA Hall of Fame: Jerry Briesath and Dennis Orcullo were the inductees. In Virginia, Jerry addressed the attendees well and then Jay Helfert told Dennis’ story with eloquence. Next, on live video from the Philippines, Dennis spoke to the Virginia gathering.
11. China Still Absent but Hong Kong Rising: COVID grounded China's pros yet again. On a better note, Kelly Fisher coached Hong Kong’s players and Lo Ho Sum came second at the World Pool Masters while Robbie Capito was second at the Michigan Open.
12. Women’s Pool Grew: Thanks to Predator, women’s prize money increased and events debuted in Europe and America. Kelly Fisher best seized the opportunity, earning about $120,000 on top of a gold at the World Games.
13. Pool Documentaries on American Network TV: The CBS show “60 minutes” did a story on SVB and “ESPN 30:30” did a show on Jeanette Lee.
IV In Conclusion
Matchroom, with Emily Frazer expertly steering the ship, set the pace with the best productions, venues, arenas and fields. Their reach is growing and they may soon offer the best ever international tour in pool. Predator was a big difference maker, too, growing men’s and women’s pool globally through 10ball. These and other fine producers made 2022 a year of opportunity.
What will you remember? What did you see that I missed? Corrections and dissension are encouraged.
As the curtain drops on 2022 in pro pool, let’s reflect. In January, Matchroom unveiled a new 9ball tour and Predator announced expansion of its global 10ball series. So far, so good.
I The Year in Tournament Play
1st Quarter: In January, Jayson Shaw won the winter Turning Stone and Fedor Gorst took the Arizona Open. At Derby City, Fedor Gorst won the bank pool, the 1-pocket, and Master of the Table, as Josh Filler took the 10ball and Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz aced the 9ball. In February, Alex Kazakis won the Wisconsin Open and Albin Ouschan the Premier League Pool. March was all Poland, as Wiktor Zielinski took the Las Vegas Open and Wojciech Szewczyk the World 10ball.
2nd Quarter: In April, SVB won the World Pool Championship. In May, Josh Filler won the World Pool Masters and he also prevailed at the UK Open. In June, Team Spain (Sanchez-Ruiz/Alcaide) reigned at the World Cup of Pool.
3rd Quarter: In July’s World Games, Josh Filler and Kelly Fisher won gold. In August, Albin Ouschan won the European Open. In September, Jayson Shaw won the summer Turning Stone and Aloysius Yapp got the Michigan Open.
4th Quarter: In October, Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz won the US Open 9ball, Fedor Gorst took the Ohio Open and Dimitri Jungo nabbed the American 14.1. In November, a) Fedor Gorst won the International 10ball and Jayson Shaw aced the International 9ball, b) Carlo Biado won the Puerto Rico Open and c) Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz took the World 8ball. In December, Team Europe, led by MVP Josh Filler, won the Mosconi Cup.
II. A Closer Look
What was 1) best match, 2) best shot, 3) best event, 4) best new event, 5) most improved event? Who was 6) best player, 7) most improved player, 8) best producer, 9) best sponsor, 10) best commentator? Let’s see.
1. Best Match Nominees:
A. Jayson Shaw 9, Omar Al-Shaheen 7, Derby City 9ball Round 10, January
Shaw’s rode a 5-pack to 8-1, but after his Rack 10 miss, Omar ran out and broke and ran 5 more for 8-7. Shaw won, but two 5-packs in a race to 9 is rare.
B. Wojciech Szewczyk 10, Eklent Kaci 9, World 10ball Semis, March
Szewczyk raced ahead for 4-1 but Kaci rallied well for 5-5. Down 7-6, Kaci jumped in the 1, kicked in the 2 and banked the 8 for 7-7. It reached double hill 9-9, and Szewczyk broke dry. Kaci played safe but Szewczyk won the safety battle, reaching the final.
C. SVB 11, Mika Immonen 10, World Pool Championship Stage 2, April
Mika excelled up to 10-3 but missed in Rack 14. SVB won that rack and 7 more, reviving his title run.
D. Josh Filler 11, Sanjin Pehlivanovic 8, World Games Final, July
Sanjin was flawless up to 6-3, but Josh rallied for 8-8 and closed well for a gold medal.
E. Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz 11, Carlo Biado 10, US Open 9ball Semis, September
A 7-2 dud came to life as defending champ Biado rallied for 10-10, but Francisco won the decisive safety battle for the win.
F. Wiktor Zielinski 150, Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz 145, American 14.1, Stage 2, October
Sanchez-Ruiz opened the match by running 145 but Zielinski answered with 150 and out. Wow!
G. Wiktor Zielinski 10, Ko Ping Chung 9, International 9ball Stage 2, November
This well played match built to a climax, with matters decided by double hill safeties. Zielinski was first to the shot and then sealed it with a run out.
H. David Alcaide 5, Skyler Woodward 3, Mosconi Cup Day 4, December
Europe led 8 matches to 7. An in-form Skyler led early in a valiant bid to tie things up, but David sparkled in the comeback win.
… the winner is Match B, World 10ball semis.
2. Best Shot: In the World Pool Championship semis came a master class shot easy to overlook--- so easy that in Matchroom’s year-end survey, it wasn’t even one of 34 choices. The best shots come when great imagination meets superior execution in big moments. Leading Alex Kazakis 9-7, SVB studied a brutal layout. He found a carom, using the cue ball to make the 5, sending the 2 to open a cluster while still making shape onto the 2. This “triple treat” set up a runout, and minutes later SVB reached the final. Full respect to Aloysius Yapp’s jump-draw in the Michigan Open and Tony Chohan’s bank-off-the-point in the International 1-pocket, but SVB’s shot came with a world title in his sights.
3. Best Event: The World Pool Championship was superb and offered a dream final of Albin Ouschan vs SVB, whose crowning moment arrived.
4. Best New Event: UK Open. A 3-table setup in the arena made viewing Stage 2 matches a fan’s delight.
5. Most Improved Event: World 10ball. The field was elite and increased prize money added to the event’s prestige.
6. Best Player: Sanchez-Ruiz, barely. He took the US Open 9ball and World 8ball. Filler won the UK Open and World Games. Elsewhere, Filler won the Derby City 10ball and World Pool Masters, got silver at the Derby City 9ball and was Mosconi MVP, as Sanchez-Ruiz won the Derby City 9ball and World Cup of Pool and got silver at the UK Open. The rivals met in three finals: Sanchez-Ruiz won at the Derby City 9Ball and Filler won at the UK Open and at the Slovenia Open.
7. Most Improved Player: Wiktor Zielinski. The 21-year-old won gold at the Las Vegas Open, silver at each of the American 14.1, Puerto Rico Open and World 8ball, and reached #1 on Euro-tour.
8. Best Producer: Matchroom. An already superior pro pool product was enhanced, offering the best venues, playing areas, commentators and fields.
9. Best Sponsor: Predator supported pool’s growth globally by a) producing and financing men’s and women’s events, b) partnering with CSI, and c) sponsoring pros.
10. Best Commentator: Matchroom has all the top commentators, so I chose one. Karl Boyes, a solid commentator, presenter and interviewer, gets the nod.
III. What I’ll Remember Most
1. More Money: In 2022, a) the top 10 made $1,624,000, up 63% from 2021, b) the Top 25 made $2,817,000, up 70% from 2021, and c) the Top 50 made $3,761,000, up 66% from 2021. Hope the trend continues!
2. SVB Won World Pool Championship: Shane ached for a sanctioned world title and realized his dream.
3. A Shocking Ban: After the Ukraine invasion came a ban, devised by WCBS and enforced by WPA, that barred Fedor Gorst, Kristina Tkach, Ruslan Chinakhov, and Margaret Styer from play in WPA-sanctioned events for months. It was lifted in July, but a ban on the basis of nationality was deplorable.
4. Shaw Set 14.1 Record: After he won at Turning Stone in January, I had a drink with Jayson, his wife Ara, Upstate Al and Bobby Chamberlain when Jayson inquired about playing in the Legends of 14.1. Derby City loomed, so the window was tight, but days later he set a world record in Virginia. The February 4 celebration at US1 Billiards was a blast.
5. CSI/Predator 10-ball in America Paid Little to US Pros: Admirably, CSI/Predator produced the US Pro Billiard Series and World 10ball, but payouts were top-heavy. At the World 10-ball, the top 4 got 62% of the payout. At Arizona, Wisconsin, Las Vegas, World 10ball, Michigan, Ohio, and Puerto Rico combined, Americans won just 5% of $750,000+ paid. After he won the 2022 World Snooker, Ronnie O’Sullivan was asked why there wasn’t more young talent emerging (3 semifinalists 45+). In his reply, he attacked snooker’s top-heavy payout structure for dispiriting some hopefuls. The same danger exists with 10ball in America.
6. Matchroom’s 9Ball Rankings Ruled and Matchroom’s Tree is Growing: The 9ball rankings made invitations and seeding merit based in Matchroom play, leading to great fields and events. Matchroom’s affiliation with other events worldwide enabled those events to offer 9ball ranking points, strengthening fields. The cherry on top was that Matchroom, in December, announced a partnership with Asian Pool Promotions to launch a 9ball Asian Tour for 2023.
7. Gorst a Hit in America: In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Fedor Gorst chose to spend 2022 in America. Denied entry into many events because of the WPA ban, he still managed to win $250,000+.
8. Two “Killer” Fillers: At the Slovenia Open, Josh Filler won the men’s event as his wife Pia won the lady’s event.
9. The World Pool Championship has a New Home: The 2023 event will be in Poland. I see this as a fitting tribute to a nation whose pros have progressed more as cueists than those of any other nation in recent times.
10. BCA Hall of Fame: Jerry Briesath and Dennis Orcullo were the inductees. In Virginia, Jerry addressed the attendees well and then Jay Helfert told Dennis’ story with eloquence. Next, on live video from the Philippines, Dennis spoke to the Virginia gathering.
11. China Still Absent but Hong Kong Rising: COVID grounded China's pros yet again. On a better note, Kelly Fisher coached Hong Kong’s players and Lo Ho Sum came second at the World Pool Masters while Robbie Capito was second at the Michigan Open.
12. Women’s Pool Grew: Thanks to Predator, women’s prize money increased and events debuted in Europe and America. Kelly Fisher best seized the opportunity, earning about $120,000 on top of a gold at the World Games.
13. Pool Documentaries on American Network TV: The CBS show “60 minutes” did a story on SVB and “ESPN 30:30” did a show on Jeanette Lee.
IV In Conclusion
Matchroom, with Emily Frazer expertly steering the ship, set the pace with the best productions, venues, arenas and fields. Their reach is growing and they may soon offer the best ever international tour in pool. Predator was a big difference maker, too, growing men’s and women’s pool globally through 10ball. These and other fine producers made 2022 a year of opportunity.
What will you remember? What did you see that I missed? Corrections and dissension are encouraged.
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for effort.