Nguyen Tran Thanh Tao produced a dramatic comeback to defeat legendary Turkish cueist Semih Sayginer and claim the title in stage 3 of the PBA-LPBA Championship 2026/27 in Goyang, the Republic of Korea, on August 3.
The Vietnamese player beat the Turkish billiards icon 4-3 in a thrilling final.
Tao's victory was all the more remarkable as he trailed 1-3 after the first four sets. With no room for error, he won three consecutive sets to complete a sensational turnaround and secure his first Professional Billiards Association (PBA) title.
With this result, Tao became the third Vietnamese player to win a PBA title, following Ma Minh Cam (stage 5 of the 2022/23 season) and Nguyen Quoc Nguyen (stage 9 of the 2025/26 season).
He received a prize of US$72,000 and moved up to third place in the season’s prize money rankings.
Tao said he had taken a bold step by leaving a stable life in Vietnam behind to pursue his career in the PBA.
"I can't believe I won. I achieved this because I trusted myself and stayed focused on my game, no matter how strong my opponent was," he said.
Few expected such success from Tao, who was previously only among the top 20 players in Vietnam’s amateur circuit before moving to the RoK.
He was eliminated in the round of 128 in his first appearance but made a breakthrough in his second attempt. The title marks the biggest milestone of his career, achieved against one of the sport's greatest names.
