Billiards: Young talent causes big surprise, excellently advances to the next round at the World Cup in Ho Chi Minh City

The 2025 Ho Chi Minh City 3-cushion carom billiards World Cup kicked off in the first qualifying round (May 19), with 48 players divided equally into 16 groups. Of the 30 Vietnamese players participating in this round, 18 competed from the first qualifying round. After 1 day of competition, 10 home players excellently won tickets to the next round.

22-year-old player has 2 first wins at Ho Chi Minh City Billiards World Cup 2025

Much attention was paid to Group M, where the 2003-born player from An Giang - Nguyen Hoai Phong participated in the World Cup billiards arena for the first time. In the opening match, Hoai Phong played impressively, winning overwhelmingly with a large difference of 30-4 against Henk Overmars (Netherlands), including a series of 7 points. Next, this 22-year-old player defeated Masayuki Sawaoka (Japan) with a score of 30-14. The result of 2 wins helped Nguyen Hoai Phong take the top spot in the group to continue to the second qualifying round.

This is the first time Hoai Phong has participated in a World Cup billiards tournament.

PHOTO: LE PHONG

Besides Nguyen Hoai Phong, there are 9 other Vietnamese players who have won tickets to continue after the opening day of the 2025 Ho Chi Minh City 3-cushion carom billiards World Cup. In turn, Tran Quang Hung, Nguyen Nhu Le, Truong Quang Hao, Doan Minh Kiet, Nguyen Dinh Quoc, Ngo Le Duy, Dinh Quang Hai, Le Quoc Ho and Nguyen Dinh Luan.

Another notable name is commentator Le Phuoc Minh Dien, who also created some surprises in the first qualifying round of the 3-cushion billiards World Cup in Ho Chi Minh City 2025. The commentator born in 1984 lost to his compatriot Nguyen Dinh Luan in the opening match, with a score of 16-30. However, commentator Minh Dien played well in the remaining match, defeating Thierry Duson (Belgian) with a score of 30-18. The record of 1 win, 1 loss in Group P was not enough to help the commentator from Quang Nam pass the first qualifying round.

Commentator Minh Dien also participated in the World Cup billiards for the first time, and left an impression with a big win against a foreign player.

PHOTO: M.D

Meanwhile, player Ly The Vinh, despite finishing the group stage undefeated (1 win, 1 draw), was unfortunately eliminated. The U.70 veteran was only 1 shot behind Tran Quang Hung and had to give up his ticket to the next round to his junior.

On May 20, the 3-cushion carom billiards World Cup will continue with the second qualifying round. In addition to the players who passed the first qualifying round, the second qualifying round will also feature notable Vietnamese players such as Thon Viet Hoang Minh, Nguyen Hoan Tat, and Nguyen Chi Long.

The 16 players who passed the first round will join the 32 players who are already in the second round (according to the UMB rankings) and be divided into 16 groups, playing a round-robin to calculate points. The matches are played for 30 points, with the same number of shots. The top 16 players in each group will advance to the third round.

The 2025 Ho Chi Minh City 3-Cushion Carom Billiards World Cup will take place from May 19 to 25 at Nguyen Du Stadium (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City) organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Billiards & Snooker Federation (HBSF). The tournament will have the participation of 149 players, including the world's top superstars. The champion of the 2025 Ho Chi Minh City 3-Cushion Carom Billiards World Cup will receive 16,000 euros (about 467 million VND), the runner-up will receive 10,000 euros (about 291 million VND), and the two third-place players will receive a prize of 6,000 euros each (about 175 million VND).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/billiards-tai-nang-tre-gay-bat-ngo-lon-xuat-sac-di-tiep-tai-world-cup-tphcm-18525051923262459.htm