Former world number one Dick Jaspers praised Vietnam's victory over Spain in the dramatic world three-band carom final.
Phuong Vinh scored the points that decided the championship.
For the first time in tournament history, the final match reached a score of 14-14 in the tie-break, meaning both teams had a chance to score a decisive point to win the championship. Vietnam missed two opportunities, then it was Spain's turn to squander a situation. Then it was 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 competition at the world 3-band carom championship in Viersen city, Germany on March 24, 3. Photo: Kozoom
"I watched the match and was very happy for Vietnam," Jaspers said VnExpress. “The match was dramatic. The results were great for Vietnamese people. They will never forget this match."
Even though the match lasted nearly three hours, in the early morning of March 25, Hanoi time, at one point it still attracted nearly 3 concurrent views on the tournament organizing platform. Most of the viewer comments were written in Vietnamese, cheering for Tran Quyet Chien and Phuong Vinh. “Quyet Chien and Phuong Vinh both play very well, and 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 tournaments with the Netherlands. The 59-year-old player is considered a legend, along with Torbjorn Blomdahl, Raymond Ceulemans or Frederic Caudron. They have all won dozens of world titles.
Dick Jaspers at the semi-finals of the world 3-band carom championship in Viersen, Germany in 2023. Photo: Billard1
Jaspers thinks that Vietnam and Spain both deserve to win the match, and the losing team will be very disappointed because the difference is 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 deserves to win, and this title is beautiful. I like to see the happy faces of Quyet Chien and Phuong Vinh."
The main half of the final took place on two tables, when Phuong Vinh quickly defeated 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 the team win the championship, but he only recovered two more points so the match had to go to a tie-break.
After the deciding tie-break point, Quyet Chien and Phuong Vinh repeatedly shook their fists in the air and shouted. On the medal awarding podium, the two players continued to do so, sometimes kissing each other's medals, kissing the cup together, or making congratulatory gestures. Quyet Chien and Phuong Vinh have both won world championships in individual events, but this is the first time they have won a team title for Vietnam.
The 2024 World Team Championship still includes 16 teams, divided into four groups of four teams each, with a round-robin match to select eight teams to enter the knockout round, from March 21 to March 3 in the city of Viersen, Virtue. Each team will have two players, playing at the same time. Phuong Vinh participated in the tournament for the first time, while Quyet Chien has represented Vietnam in all five recent tournaments. Just like in the individual World Championship, Phuong Vinh won the championship the first time he participated.
