Vietnamese billiards players make world history

Vietnamese cueist Bao Phuong Vinh exceled his teammate Tran Quyet Chien in the final of the World Championship 3-Cushion 2023 in Ankara, Turkey, winning the title for the first time in history on September 10.

Vietnamese cueists Bao Phuong Vinh and Tran Quyet Chien make world history at the World Championship 3-Cushion 2023 in Ankara, Turkey (Photo: VNA)

The final game saw a clash between two Vietnamese cueists - Tran Quyet Chien and Bao Phuong Vinh - after the duo beat their opponents in the semi-finals on the same day.

This is the first time in history two Vietnamese cueists have qualified for the semi-final and final games at the world championship. This is also the first time a Vietnamese cueist has triumphed at the world tournament.

Quyet Chien (World No.10) beat Turkey’s world defending champion Tayfun Tasdemir (World No.7) in a semi-final game, while Phuong Vinh (World No.21) stunned the Republic of Korea’s Cho Myung-woo in another semi-final game of the same day.

The final game saw both Vietnamese cueists chase the score, but stability helped Phuong Vinh continuously take the lead and finish the game at 50-34, winning the championship title.

Previously, Nguyen Duc Anh Chien finished second at the 2019 world championship.

By reaching the Ankara World Championship 3-Cushion 2023 finals, both Phuong Vinh and Quyet Chien will certainly move up the world rankings.

The Three-Cushion World Cup and World Championship are two tournaments from the World Billiard Union that feature the top players. While the World Cup can take place six or seven times in a year, the World Championship is hosted only once a year.

This year’s tournament took place in Ankara, Turkey from September 6-10.

(Source:VNA)