Former world number one Dick Jaspers praised Vietnam's victory over Spain in the dramatic world carom 3-cushion team final.
Phuong Vinh scored the decisive point to win the championship.
For the first time in the history of the tournament, the final reached a tie-break score of 14-14, meaning both teams had the chance to score a decisive point to win the title. Vietnam missed two chances, then it was Spain's turn to squander a situation. After that, the game went back to Bao Phuong Vinh and he did not let the opportunity pass again, with the final point helping Vietnam beat Spain 15-14.
Tran Quyet Chien (left) and Bao Phuong Vinh on the final day of the world 3-cushion carom team tournament in Viersen, Germany on March 24, 2024. Photo: Kozoom
"I watched the match and was very happy for Vietnam," Jaspers told VnExpress . "The match was very dramatic. The result was great for the Vietnamese people. They will never forget this match."
Although the match lasted nearly three hours, in the early morning of March 25, Hanoi time, at one point it still attracted nearly 30,000 simultaneous views on the tournament's organizing platform. Most of the viewers' comments were written in Vietnamese, cheering on Tran Quyet Chien and Phuong Vinh. "Quyet Chien and Phuong Vinh both played very well, and they are both friendly guys. I really like them," Jaspers added.
Jaspers has won 37 world titles, including 29 World Cups, 5 World Championships and 3 team titles with the Netherlands. The 59-year-old is considered a legend, along with Torbjorn Blomdahl, Raymond Ceulemans and Frederic Caudron. They have all won dozens of world titles.
Dick Jaspers at the semi-finals of the 3-cushion carom world team championship in Viersen, Germany in 2023. Photo: Billard1
Jaspers said that both Vietnam and Spain deserved to win the match, and the losing team would be very disappointed because the difference was only one point. Meanwhile, billiards expert Bert van Manen assessed that Vietnam deserved to win. "Quyet Chien and Phuong Vinh both made unnecessary mistakes in the final, but also scored key points," Manen told VnExpress . "Vietnam deserved to win, and this title is beautiful. I like to see the happy faces of Quyet Chien and Phuong Vinh."
The main round of the final took place on two tables, with Phuong Vinh quickly defeating Sergio Jimenez, while Quyet Chien had to chase the score with Ruben Legazpi. When Legazpi led 40-36, Vietnam's number one player had to score four more points to help his team win the championship, but he only recovered two more points, so the match had to go into a tie-break.
After the tie-break point, Quyet Chien and Phuong Vinh repeatedly pumped their fists in the air and shouted. On the medal podium, the two players continued to do so, sometimes kissing each other's medals, kissing the cup, or making celebratory gestures. Quyet Chien and Phuong Vinh have both won the individual world championship, but this is the first time they have won the team title for Vietnam.
The 2024 World Team Championship will still consist of 16 teams, divided into four groups of four teams each, playing a round-robin to select eight teams to enter the knockout round, from March 21 to March 24 in Viersen, Germany. Each team will have two players, competing at the same time. This is Phuong Vinh's first time participating in the tournament, while Quyet Chien has represented Vietnam in the last five editions. As in the individual World Championship, Phuong Vinh won the championship in his first participation.
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