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Bao Phuong Vinh with the championship trophy |
In this year's competition, 48 top-ranked players vied for a prize of 20,000 euros for the champion. Vietnam was represented by Tran Quyet Chien (ranked 10th in the world) and Bao Phuong Vinh (ranked 21st in the world). After triumphing in two qualification and three main-round matches, both Vietnamese players advanced to the semifinals yesterday.
In the opening semifinal, Tran Quyet Chien, Vietnam's top billiards player, maintained a steady lead over the reigning world champion, Tasdemir from Turkey, from beginning to end, ultimately clinching victory with a score of 50-47.
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Vietnam's top billiards player Tran Quyet Chien |
In the following semifinal, the rising star in Vietnamese billiards, Bao Phuong Vinh, made a remarkable victory against the highly regarded "prodigy" of world billiards, Cho Myung Woo from South Korea, in a closely contested match with a score of 50-48. This set the stage for an all-Vietnamese showdown in the final match at 8 p.m. last night.
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Bao Phuong Vinh enters the top ten in the world rankings in just two years. |
Despite a history of more losses than wins in their previous meetings at domestic tournaments, Bao delivered an exceptional performance in the most significant match of their billiards careers. He triumphed over Tran Quyet Chien with a commanding score of 50-34, solidifying his place in Vietnamese billiards history as the first player to secure a world championship title. Before this remarkable achievement, the Vietnamese billiards had only witnessed players like Nguyen Duc Anh Chien as the runner-up in 2019, Ma Minh Cam in 2017, and Nguyen Quoc Nguyen securing bronze medals in 2018.
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Bao Phuong Vinh expresses his joy of victory. |
Securing the championship title, Bao Phuong Vinh garners 120 points and ascends into the top ten in the global rankings. This achievement signifies a remarkable advancement for the 28-year-old Vietnamese billiards player, who made his debut on the world stage only two years ago. Despite his defeat in the match, Tran Quyet Chien's runner-up position also propels him back into the top five of the world rankings.
