I did wonder who you meant with dodong. Thought maybe you just had a typo on Duong Quoc Huang's name.
James Aranas has not really done anything since winning the WCOP with Chua. He is known to be a nervous player in big events. That's his rep.
WNT Hanoi Open 2025, Vietnam, Oct 7-12
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James Aranas has not really done anything since winning the WCOP with Chua. He is known to be a nervous player in big events. That's his rep.
Just finished watching Neuhausen vs. An and I'm surprised more people are not talking about him. Didn't he just win the Peri Open! I like his game a lot. Good concentration, gives you 100% on every shot. Does not get flustered, even under pressure and is a real marksman. He makes balls from all over and gets good position as well. A smart player too, knows where to go on push outs and plays good safeties. He missed one shot (on the eight ball) late in the match, that he should have made. If you don't think this guy is a threat then you're missing something. IMO he is playing Gorst and Filler speed right now.
An interesting side note. After the match ended, before putting his cue away, Neuhausen set up a long tough backward cut on the two ball that he had hung up early in the match. He made the shot and then put his cue away. Very cool!
The referee was the best I've seen in all the tournaments I've watched this year. He stayed out of the players way, only injecting himself when he needed to, and best of all he knew where to stand to see the shot. Better keep this guy!
An interesting side note. After the match ended, before putting his cue away, Neuhausen set up a long tough backward cut on the two ball that he had hung up early in the match. He made the shot and then put his cue away. Very cool!
The referee was the best I've seen in all the tournaments I've watched this year. He stayed out of the players way, only injecting himself when he needed to, and best of all he knew where to stand to see the shot. Better keep this guy!
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AJ Manas was named as a captain's wildcard to the Reyes Cup. Ostensibly Bustamante made the pick.
Terrible pick in my view. He has done nothing to deserve it this year. No high finishes in any major event.
Manas got picked because of his big social media following. That's it. He was No. 24 on the list of highest ranked Asia players. And he trailed badly in points (just 14,850) to other Filipinos including Roda (68,100) and Regalario (66,950).
Probably a great marketing pick, but devalues this new event in my eyes. Another weak pick like this and I am not sure I will watch the event.
Terrible pick in my view. He has done nothing to deserve it this year. No high finishes in any major event.
Manas got picked because of his big social media following. That's it. He was No. 24 on the list of highest ranked Asia players. And he trailed badly in points (just 14,850) to other Filipinos including Roda (68,100) and Regalario (66,950).
Probably a great marketing pick, but devalues this new event in my eyes. Another weak pick like this and I am not sure I will watch the event.
Ah, Jay, we have been talking about him! He is primed to get automatic spots on both the Reyes and Mosconi events.
Moritz is No. 10 in the WNT rankings. He won the Premier League of Pool earlier in the year, and as you note, he won the Peri with an outstanding display. He's had a lot of deep runs this year.
Moritz plays David Alcaide next. Alcaide has been his usual steady self.
The winner by all rights should get to the semis. Only either Roberto Gomez or Tristan Deocareza would stand in the way.
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I posted before the round of 64 began that my darkhorse picks were Lechner and Labutis, based on the bracket. Both are in in the final 16.
Labutis would have to go thru Biado, most likely, to get to the semis. Lechner has to play Shaw next, then await the winner of Capito-Yapp.
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I like Souto, Neuhausen, Biado and Capito to get to the semis.
Bustamante was here at the Hanoi open making an appearance earlier today. He was walking and talking with Emily. I wonder how much marketing strategy went into that AJ Manas decision.
I'm also a bit surprised that picking Manas would be seen as a positive marketing move. I mean there has to be other, bigger draws in the Philippines and elsewhere. Won't a lot of [insert any of a dozen other Filipino players] fanboys be just as annoyed?
Manas has so much time to develop and become a world-beater. There's no need to rush it. He'll likely be legitimately earning these picks in just another few years.
Manas has 339,000 followers on Facebook and another 80,000 on Instagram. Perhaps even more if Asian apps are included. That explains the pick.
Only Fedor Gorst, in the entire pool world, has a bigger social media following.
These are the only two pro pool players with 200,000 plus followers on combined social media platforms.
Wow, I had no idea. Pulling in the young crowd, I guess.
Now, explain the Sky (over SVB) pick.
I'm so glad I paid lots of money to go see the best marketing opportunities battle it out.
As I feared, Skyler was named to Team World for the Reyes Cup.
This has turned into a joke, frankly. AJ Manas and Sky don't deserve to be any where near the Reyes Cup.
What remains to be seen is SVB's status for Mosconi - he's definitely not playing in Reyes. I've heard two different interpretations of Matchroom rules for participation in Reyes/Mosconi.
One interpretation says players have to play in most/all big WNT events unless they have a good excuse. Another version says you have to play in the last big WNT event before Reyes/Mosconi.
Seems like Filler, SVB, the Ko brothers and the Kaci brothers would not be eligible for Reyes for sure.
This has turned into a joke, frankly. AJ Manas and Sky don't deserve to be any where near the Reyes Cup.
What remains to be seen is SVB's status for Mosconi - he's definitely not playing in Reyes. I've heard two different interpretations of Matchroom rules for participation in Reyes/Mosconi.
One interpretation says players have to play in most/all big WNT events unless they have a good excuse. Another version says you have to play in the last big WNT event before Reyes/Mosconi.
Seems like Filler, SVB, the Ko brothers and the Kaci brothers would not be eligible for Reyes for sure.
CanadianGuy
Well-known member
seeing alot of guys breaking hitting real low on the cue ball
can anybody advise the advantages to breaking like this?
can anybody advise the advantages to breaking like this?
You won't find this rule on any website, and Frazer has never confirmed it. But supposedly any player who wants an invite to Reyes/Mosconi has to play in most/all big WNT events to qualify.
If so, this rules out Filler, Kledio Kaci and SVB for the Mosconi.
Two words - Jayson Shaw! If he gets hot you can kiss your cue good bye!
I'm going to pick Jayson, Carlo, Moritz and ? to make the semis.
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he was on an upward trajectory when he stayed in the US. i think he was under dennis tutelage, to a degree. he made it to DCC 9b final and was in general "a tough draw". this was before 2019. since then almost nothing of note
I will be there to watch the Reyes Cup. Looks like I'll be seeing a lot of second stringers. Too bad, this event had a lot of promise.
yep. jayson must love how this event has unfolded. carlo and yapp too
But SVB is the clearly better marketing opportunity. Strange criteria all around.
If there's really no SVB, Filler, Ko, or Kaci, especially given the recent selections, then this will be a totally bewildering, second-rate production.
Indeed. The difference is, Manas has been a stalwart member of the WNT tour.
SVB was WNT regular until this month, but I think he gets put off by pressure tactics. He didn't like what the WPA did last year with the ban. He doesn't like the WNT participation rule for invitationals.
Therein lies the problem.
It starts with this alleged participation rule that exists no where on the Internet. You can play in just a few WNT events and still qualify for invitationals because of the top heavy points system used. MR is thus forced by its own rules to exclude these top point getters because of non participation.
Doesn't make sense to me. You either have a points system or you don't.
If you want to players to play in more events, distribute the points based on how high you finish in every WNT ranking event (majors get more points than minors).
Don't use the current top-heavy system of basing points on money earned. Too many points accrue to top finishers at the WCP and US Open.
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Whatever the case, WNT had these rules in place. Now they have to live by them through the end of the year. Or face a big backlash.
It is not going to be a good look for MR, however, when both Filler AND SVB are left out of the Mosconi. Not a good look at all.
these are the slowest tables i've seen in an MR event. i can imagine the western players complaining loudly on social media. but that's the deal, they travelled to vietnam. another time it'll be on their homecourt
My only response to matchroom being forced to adhere to their unpublished rules is: no they really aren't.
They let Fedor onto team USA just what, two years after he was on team Europe? Why? Because that suited their interests.
No SVB at Reyes means one of two things:
1) They are really making an example out of non-participators, and believe it will get/keep the troops in line long-term. That is, the long-term profitability out-weighs the short-term hit.
2) SVB really wasn't that interested in playing. Would rather take off after the world 8b and go ice fishing or whatever. Matchroom then had to choose the next best US-born marketing opportunity.
I'm actually leaning towards believing #2, but time will tell. If SVB is off Mosconi, too, then either Matchroom is blinded by their own power, or expect an SVB retirement speech. Not sure which situation would be worse.