Despite being ranked 250th in the world, billiards player Tran Duc Minh displayed remarkable prowess by successfully defeating two top-ranked players in consecutive matches, thereby advancing to the semi-finals of the Ho Chi Minh City World Cup 3-Cushion 2024, currently underway at the Nguyen Du Sports Hall.
In the round of 16 held on the afternoon of May 25, Vietnam was represented by three players. Tran Quyet Chien faced his compatriot Tran Duc Minh, while Nguyen Chi Long competed against the seasoned player Eddy Merckx from Belgium.
For the first time in his career, billiards player Nguyen Chi Long excellently surpassed a series of opponents in the four direct elimination rounds of the main event. He then advanced to the round of 16, where he faced one of the legends of the billiards world, Eddy Merckx from Belgium.
Starting off poorly, Nguyen Chi Long found himself trailing behind Eddy Merckx by a significant margin of 21-6 as they entered the 9th inning. Continuing to maintain the lead for the remaining time, the Belgian player ultimately ended Nguyen Chi Long's adventure with a decisive victory of 50-32. Although Nguyen Chi Long stopped at the round of 16, this is considered a highly successful result for him in his career thus far.
In the meantime, the internal match between two Vietnamese billiards players - Tran Quyet Chien and Tran Duc Minh - proved to be quite enthralling. While Tran Quyet Chien started the match well, leading 27-18 at the halftime break, Tran Duc Minh showcased exceptional skill during the remaining time. He executed several high-scoring series, including a 9-point series and a 6-point series, ultimately coming from behind to defeat Tran Quyet Chien with a score of 50-33.
With this loss, Tran Quyet Chien could only blame himself for not performing well in the second half of the game. After the halftime break, Vietnam's number one billiards player only scored 4 points, while Tran Duc Minh scored 32 points.
Although eliminated in the round of 16, there is still a chance for the world's number two billiards player, Tran Quyet Chien, to climb to the number one spot after the HCMC World Cup 3-Cushion 2024. It is because the current world's number one player, Cho Myung Woo from South Korea, and the third-ranked player, Dick Jaspers from the Netherlands, were also eliminated in this round. However, Tran Quyet Chien only needs to defend 26 points in this tournament, while Cho Myung Woo has to defend 80 points. Therefore, Tran Quyet Chien has surpassed Cho Myung Woo to claim the top spot in the world rankings.
Additionally, Dick Jaspers cannot accumulate enough points to surpass Tran Quyet Chien. The player that Tran Quyet Chien is currently keeping an eye on is the world's number four, Kim Tae Jun, from South Korea. He has reached the semi-finals, facing Burak from Turkey tomorrow to determine the world's number-one position. If Kim Tae Jun wins and enters the final, the South Korean player will rise to the top of the rankings. In case of his defeat, Tran Quyet Chien will ascend to the number one spot in the world.
In the recently concluded quarter-final match at 10 p.m. on May 25, Tran Duc Minh once again electrified the crowd at the Nguyen Du Sports Hall with an emotionally charged game against Turkish player Karakurt.
Despite initially leading 31-23, Tran Duc Minh experienced a setback with nine consecutive turns where he failed to score a single point. Consequently, Karakurt capitalized on this opportunity, continuously scoring points to regain the lead with a score of 40-31.
After scoring 1 point to break free from the 31-point mark, narrowing Karakurt's lead to 40-32, it was the moment when the Vietnamese player regained his confidence. In the span of four turns from the 28th to the 31st inning, Tran Duc Minh unleashed series of 2 points, 4 points, 6 points, and 6 points, totaling 18 points to successfully turn the tide and secure victory with a score of 50-44.
For the first time in his career, Tran Duc Minh will compete in the semi-finals on the afternoon of May 26, pitting his skills against Kiraz from Turkey. Kiraz is currently ranked 17th in the UMB world rankings.
