Six out of seven Vietnamese players who compete at the 76th World Championship 3-Cushion Individual in Binh Thuan Province, south-central Vietnam have qualified for the knockout round.
Bao Phuong Vinh, Tran Quyet Chien, Tran Duc Minh, Chiem Hong Thai, Tran Thanh Luc, and Nguyen Van Tai have all advanced to the knockout stage.
On Thursday, the second day of the tournament, the Vietnamese players continued to shine.
Notably, Chien and Vinh absolutely dominated their opponents.
In Group A, Vinh secured an easy 40-18 victory over Nasser Awwad from Jordan to maintain the top spot.
In Group C, Chien claimed first place after a dramatic 40-40 draw with Kostantinos Kokkoris from Greece.
Another standout player, Tran Duc Minh, continued his impressive performance by defeating Ronny Lindemann from Germany 40-18 in Group F.
Earlier, he surprised fans by beating world No. 6 Martin Horn, also from Germany.
With two wins, Minh rose to the top of his group.
The biggest surprise among the Vietnamese players was Nguyen Van Tai.
Although not highly rated, he won both matches in Group P against formidable opponents Berkay Karakurt from Turkey and Polychro Nikos from Greece.
His unexpected progression to the next round was made even more remarkable by his finish at the top of his group.
Vietnamese billiard player Nguyen Van Tai in his second match at the 76th World Championship 3-Cushion Individual held in Binh Thuan Province, south-central Vietnam, September 26, 2024. Photo: Duc Phong / Tuoi Tre |
In Group B, Chiem Hong Thai did not compete on Thursday, having defeated Turgay Orak from Turkey and losing to world No. 1 Dick Jaspers from the Netherlands the day before.
However, Jaspers’ victory over Orak allowed Chiem Hong Thai to advance to the knockout round as the second-place finisher in his group.
Vietnam’s final qualifier for the knockout stage was Tran Thanh Luc, who finished second in Group N.
Le Thanh Tien, however, exited the tournament after placing third in his group.
With six qualified players, Vietnam dominates the knockout stage.
The 76th World Championship 3-Cushion Individual kicked off on Wednesday and will conclude on Sunday.
The five-day event attracts 48 players from 26 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
Seven players represent Vietnam at the tournament.
In the group stage, 48 players were divided into 16 groups, competing in a round-robin format to determine the top 32 players -- those who finished first and second in each group -- who would advance to the knockout round.
The tournament features a total prize pool of €200,000 (US$222,815), with the champion receiving €20,000 ($22,282).
The event’s matches are broadcast live in four languages by Afreeca TV.
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