Pool player Pijus Labutis excellently won the 9-ball pool tournament, Duong Quoc Hoang received very good news

The 9-ball pool tournament - Hanoi Open Pool Championship 2025 ended on October 12 and found a worthy winner.

Pijus Labutis was awarded 40,000 USD in the Hanoi Open 9-ball pool tournament.

Following the success of the previous two seasons, Hanoi Open Pool Championship 2025 continues to affirm its position as one of the most prestigious 9-ball pool billiards tournaments in Asia and the most prestigious international sporting event held in Vietnam.

The joy of victory...

Pujis Labutis - Lithuanian deserved champion of 9-ball pool

Photo: Organizing Committee

After 5 days of competition, Hanoi Open Pool has found a new champion, that is player Pijus Labutis from Lithuania.

Despite weather problems and the postponement of the first day of competition, this year's Hanoi Open Pool Championship 2025 took place from October 8 to October 12 at the My Dinh Indoor Athletics Stadium (Hanoi), gathering 256 of the world's top players, including many prestigious champions of the World Nineball Tour (WNT) system.

With a total prize value of up to 200,000 USD, of which the champion receives 40,000 USD, Hanoi Open Pool Championship 2025 continues to bring a vibrant, dramatic and attractive competition atmosphere to Vietnamese sports fans.

Moritz Neuhausen - the German who lost in the final

The tournament was a great success.

The crowning moment of player Pijus Labutis (Lithuania)

Photo: Organizing Committee

One of the highlights of this year's tournament, after 2 seasons of organization, is that in the round of 16, the best players have Dinh Chan Kiet representing host Vietnam.

Not highly appreciated and expected like Duong Quoc Hoang, Luong Duc Thien, Nguyen Anh Tuan, but Dinh Chan Kiet has become a phenomenon, setting a milestone in his personal career with an achievement at a prestigious Major tournament in the WNT system.

The final day of the tournament dedicated to Vietnamese and international billiards pool fans the semi-finals and finals with high professional quality. After two semi-finals, the Hanoi Open Pool Championship 2025 has determined the two players who will compete for the championship cup, namely Moritz Neuhausen from Germany and Pujis Labutis from Lithuania.

How was Pijus Labutis crowned?

In the first semi-final, Labutis excelled in defeating talented young opponent Robbie Capito with a score of 11-8, in a match of high technical quality and drama. Meanwhile, the recent Peri Open 2025 champion Moritz Neuhausen had no problems against Harry Vergara of the Philippines when he won 11-4 in the second semi-final.

At exactly 7:00 p.m. on October 12, the final match between Morizt Neuhausen and Pujis Labitis took place under the cheers of nearly 2,000 fans who came to watch live at My Dinh Indoor Athletics Palace, creating a vibrant atmosphere.

The two players played a balanced and close game in the early stages. However, when the score was 4-4, Labutis started to take the lead. With a calm and precise play in every situation, the Lithuanian player gradually increased the gap to 10-4.

The lack of chances to hold the ball didn't seem to slow Neuhausen down. He still took advantage of the opportunities when they were given, and managed to hold on to hope by reducing the score to 7-10. However, at the highest level, a mistake can be costly. A failed 2-ball run on rack 18 saw Neuhausen hand the trophy to Labutis.

The Lithuanian stepped up to the table and made it 11-7. Two perfect rack breaks and clears followed to give Labutis a 13-7 win.

"I felt nervous, I didn't know how I could win. I thank the Vietnamese fans for creating a crazy atmosphere, making Neuhausen and I both feel happy to play in this atmosphere. I also thank my girlfriend, who always supports and follows me," Labutis shared after the match.  

Great news for Duong Quoc Hoang

Also on the last day, the Organizing Committee announced that the captain of the Asian team, Philippine billiards legend Bustamante, decided to choose Duong Quoc Hoang for a special ticket to attend the Reyes Cup 2025.

The Hanoi Junior Open, a tournament running alongside the Hanoi Open Pool Championship, also found a new champion. Jack Beggs from New Zealand and Nguyen Tien Trung from Vietnam delivered an exciting final. Despite being behind his opponent at the start, Tien Trung was not under any psychological pressure and remained confident in handling situations to gradually narrow the gap. However, when he had the chance to level the score at 8-8, the 16-year-old player from Tu Son, Bac Ninh missed the chance to put the 5 ball down the hole and accepted the final defeat 7-9 after Jack Beggs entered the table and neatly handled the remaining 5 balls on the table.

Despite losing, the player who is currently training at Magics of the famous Dang Thanh Kien made history by helping Vietnam have a representative enter the final of Hanoi Junior Open for the first time after 2 seasons, and showed the potential to succeed his teacher Dang Thanh Kien or Duong Quoc Hoang, Luong Duc Thien, Nguyen Anh Tuan... Organized by Matchroom Multi Sport (UK) - the world's leading unit in organizing professional billiards tournaments, in coordination with the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Vietcontent, the Hanoi Open Pool Championship has become a symbol of international sports integration, contributing to raising the image of Hanoi on the world billiards map.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/co-thu-pijus-labutis-xuat-sac-dang-quang-giai-pool-9-bong-duong-quoc-hoang-nhan-tin-cuc-vui-185251012231146742.htm