Carlo Biado vs Fedor Gorst: What Their World 9-Ball Battle Teaches About Nerves

When the World 9-Ball Championship returned to Jeddah this summer, fans got the kind of final you dream about. Carlo Biado, the 2017 champion from the Philippines, faced off against Fedor Gorst, the Russian-born phenom who’s been tearing up the international scene.

The match went the distance—15–13 in favor of Biado—and it wasn’t decided by talent alone. Both men can pocket balls at a level few can touch. The difference came down to nerves: how each player handled the pressure of a world title hanging in the balance.

Handling the Hot Start

Biado jumped out early, feeding off the crowd and breaking strong. Gorst looked shaky in the first few racks, missing routine shots you don’t expect from him. But he never folded—he clawed back, rack by rack.

League Takeaway: Don’t panic if your opponent comes out hot. Matches aren’t won in the first two racks. Settle into your rhythm, focus on your own table time, and let the game come back to you.

The Mid-Match Momentum Shift

At 10–10, the match tightened. Every rack mattered. Gorst found his stroke and started running out. Biado, instead of pressing harder, slowed down. He tightened his pre-shot routine, leaned on safeties, and let Gorst feel the weight of every miss.

Even in their look, the contrast was telling. Biado carried himself with the clean, sharp-dressed polish of a man who had been here before—shirt pressed, movements measured. Gorst’s intensity showed in his presence too: a player burning hot, shirt clinging under the lights, eyes locked in on survival.

League Takeaway: When nerves rise, shorten your focus. Don’t think about the set score—just win the layout in front of you. Small, steady wins stack up faster than chasing home runs.

Body Language Matters

At 13–13, the camera caught Biado smiling slightly as he walked to the table—confident posture, crisp look, as if the spotlight was part of the uniform. Gorst, in contrast, looked tight, his shoulders hunched and his presence less composed. It wasn’t about arrogance—it was about presentation. Biado looked like a man still enjoying the fight. Gorst looked like a man weighed down by it.

League Takeaway: Your opponent feeds off your body language. Even if you’re shaking inside, walk with purpose. Show them you’re still in the fight. Calm, confident posture is a weapon.

Closing the Door

Biado closed with two composed runouts—no hero shots, no showboating. Just solid cue ball, smart patterns, and clean finishes. The kind of ending that felt as professional in execution as it looked in demeanor.

Why This Match Stuck With Players

The final wasn’t the cleanest match of the year. It was scrappy, emotional, and tense—exactly what pool is when the stakes are highest. That’s why it mattered. Players saw themselves in it. Not the perfect runouts, but the missed shots, the shaky breaks, the sweat under the lights.

And that’s the lesson: nerves never go away. Even the best in the world feel them. The champions are the ones who learn how to ride them, not erase them.