He seems like a cool dude and plays very strong, but to me he's boring to watch. He needs to up the tempo a little, but I get it, he's more of a methodical player. Hopefully he plays more tournaments in the future and gets out of his comfort zone a little, may help him play faster.
WNT Florida Open 2026, August 4-9, Orlando, Caribe Royale
- Thread starter Bob Jewett
- Start date
I kinda think he did want to give him a chance to win a rack without making it too obvious.
Right after, DQH played an amateur as well (who seemed to have more chops) but still beat him 9-0.
Some 238 players showed up to play yesterday. That compared to 249 in last year's inaugural Florida Open.
Under ideal conditions, these open majors normally would draw 256 players. Most fall a bit short.
The U.S. Open had 255 players last year show up.
This year, the UK Open had 252 players and the European Open had 217.
Last year's Hanoi Open had 252 players.
I think it is better to speed up the play to get to the top players playing each other in the later rounds. More fan friendly to me.
As I mentioned in another post, there are 43 of the top 100 Fargo-rated players in Florida. Almost all should make it to the final 64 given the new structure of the tournament. I only expect a few big upsets. The result should not be much different than if the knockout stage started a bit later.
I'll give a re-count once we get down to 128 players, then down to 64.
I thought SVB looked very rusty and closer to his age at first. Eventually he found a groove.
McBride virtually handed the match to SVB, though, with some big misses on shots he should have pocketed.
I would say this is far more common than not. From the many matches I’ve watched (both live and in person), when a high amateur or semi pro player is beating a top pro, it is very hard for them to avoid the “OMG, I’m about to beat SVB! Just 2 more racks”. Once they think that, they are dead.
True. That's where the mental game is so important. Thinking, as in any sport, on the next shot or the next play and relying on your fundamentals. Easier to say than do ...
DieselPete
Well-known member
Anthony is a nice guy that helps to support and build the South Florida pool community. He hosts a (almost) weekly tournament on Wednesday nights at Beyond Billiards with a variety of rotating formats. And yes, he has a full-time job.
Who won??
Yapp playing Dimitrov right now. If he wins, he plays Paul Song next to qualify.
And he is struggling with the pockets. Players seem to be hitting a lot of shots too full.
And he is struggling with the pockets. Players seem to be hitting a lot of shots too full.
bergman 8-8 against a fargo 650
uk_9_ball_convert
Well-known member
After JJ's match I heard Fraser Patrick say to him the pockets were playing like 4 inch pockets this tournament, where the last tournament the cloth was so slick anything was going in.
Presume Matchroom is using the same cloth so maybe the issue is humidity
Yesss!!! You know i say this about apa nationals in the finals and you’ll see someone ripping a 9 that he’s not that good because they are struggling .but your in a situation where you mentally haven’t dealt with before. The lights, cameras, a packed room on bleachers watching you , a booth with Eva and god knows who else commentating and a nice chunk of money you are not going to be in a place that feels familiar and your going to be on the struggle bus. Earl just playing pool and that dude is in the match of his dreams.
actually he lost to this dude. jesse link, fargo 654
sudocrushms
Well-known member
Someone get Jesse on the US team!
Good on him, that's gotta be a tough one to close out.
I only saw the last few racks and Bergman had a couple misses i wouldn't expect from a player of his caliber.
sudocrushms
Well-known member
Maximum oof.
looked like a fish out of water
Jesse played more like a 750 Fargo than a 650. Hit some big banks. Made some nice safeties. Pocketed most of the shots a good player should pocket.
Bergman, on the other hand, did not play well in the second half the match. He jumped to 4-0 and 7-3 leads, then missed a bunch of key shots. Two misses on the 9, as mentioned. One of them he shot too hard into the side pocket. Easy shot he should make 99 of 100.
His safety play, and one pushout in particular, were particularly poor and uncharacteristic of him.
In the last game, Bergman also tried a really tough backcut on the 7 when a safety was the best option.
What really bugged me was Bergman jumping with a full cue. He hit the ball he was trying to jump over, which he has done before. If you are going to jump at all, learn to use a damn jump cue!
It was almost comical how Jesse came back. A Bergman miss on an basic 9 into the side. Bergman leaving an easy combo for the 9 ball for an early win in a rack. Jesse getting three fouls on Bergman. Jesse fluking in the 9.
Take something for granted, and it's bound to bite you in the rear.