Regrettable defeat to former world champion
In the round of 64 of the PBA 2025 - 2026 taking place on the afternoon of June 19, Tran Duc Minh faced Choi Sung-won. Choi is a top player in Korea, where the 3-cushion carom scene is the most developed in the world. The 1977-born Korean player won the World Championship in 2014. Previously, Choi Sung-won also won a World Cup billiards stage in 2012. Choi said goodbye to the World Carom Billiards Federation (UMB) to join the PBA at the end of 2023.
Against the world champion, Tran Duc Minh created an extremely attractive tug-of-war. Choi Sung-won and the Vietnamese player had a thrilling chase in 4 games. In the first game, Choi Sung-won won 15/4. In the second game, Tran Duc Minh won against the Korean player 15/9. In the third game, Choi won 15/12. The Vietnamese player once again leveled the score, winning 15/9 in the fourth game.
Tran Duc Minh stopped at the round of 64 of PBA, when he lost to former world champion Choi Sung-won.
PHOTO: DONG HUYEN
Tied 2-2, Duc Minh and Choi had to decide the winner on penalties. Choi Sung-won scored 5 points, while Tran Duc Minh regrettably missed a point after a beautiful a-ban. In the end, Choi Sung-won won 3-2 and won a ticket to the round of 32. Meanwhile, Tran Duc Minh stopped at round 64, in his first PBA stage since arriving in the Korean tournament.
Tran Duc Minh on the same team as Nguyen Huynh Phuong Linh and Kim Jun-tae
In 2021, Tran Duc Minh also went to PBA to try his hand but was unsuccessful. After that, the player born in 1981 returned to UMB and "reaped sweet fruit" with the championship at home at the 2024 Ho Chi Minh City Billiards World Cup. This is the first World Cup Billiards championship in the career of the Hue -born player.
After winning the championship in Ho Chi Minh City in 2024, Tran Duc Minh continued to appear in many World Cup billiards tournaments held abroad, but could not make it into the medal group.
This is the second time Tran Duc Minh has come to Korea to conquer the PBA. In the land of kimchi, the Vietnamese player competes in the PBA Team League for the Harim team. Notably, Duc Minh's teammates include Nguyen Huynh Phuong Linh and Kim Jun-tae.
Kim Jun-tae lost to Duc Minh in the final of the 2024 Ho Chi Minh City Billiards World Cup
PHOTO: INDEPENDENCE
Kim Jun-tae is also a player who has just said goodbye to UMB since the 2025 Ho Chi Minh City Billiards World Cup held in May. Tran Duc Minh and Kim Jun-tae are also two players who have a predestined relationship with each other. At the 2024 Ho Chi Minh City Billiards World Cup, Duc Minh defeated Kim Jun-tae in the final match.
In addition, Kim Jun-tae is a very talented player and often leaves an impression with very large score series. However, up to now, the Korean player has not won any prestigious title in the UMB tournament system.
Kim Jun-tae and the "huge" 28-point series
In 2024, Kim Jun-tae rose to the number 1 position in the world. In the same year, at the Seoul Billiards World Cup 2024, the Korean player also made history in the world of 3-cushion carom with a 28-point game. Because he had scored 40 points and won, Kim was forced to stop. If he could continue playing, Kim Jun-tae might even break the world record.
Kim Jun-tae is the fifth player to set a 28-point series record. The four players who hold the 28-point series record are Junichi Komori (1993), Raymond Ceulemans (1998), Roland Forthomme (2012) and Frederic Caudron (2013). Unfortunately, the Korean player missed the chance to take home 29,000 euros (equivalent to 861 million VND). Accordingly, to encourage players to break this record that has existed for more than 30 years, UMB has announced a reward of up to 29,000 euros for any player who breaks the above milestone.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/billiards-bat-ngo-roi-umb-tran-duc-minh-thua-cuu-vo-dich-the-gioi-tai-pba-185250619195338406.htm
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