Hoang 'Sao' lost on penalty after nearly 5 hours of playing 10-ball world pool

Vietnam's No. 1 pool player Duong Quoc Hoang (Hoang "Sao") lost 2-3 to Aloysius Yapp after a penalty shootout in the quarter-finals of the Predator WPA Men's 10-Ball World Championship 2025.

Hoang "Sao" proposes, God disposes - Photo: BOX

On the afternoon of September 26, the quarter-final match (Last 32) of the WPA Men's 10-Ball World Championship 2025 between Duong Quoc Hoang and player Aloysius Yapp (Singapore) ended after 4 hours and 47 minutes of play at the Military Zone 7 gymnasium (HCMC).

This was arguably one of the longest matches of the tournament so far. Both players started at 10:36 am and only let go at around 3:30 pm, with Aloysius Yapp emerging victorious.

With the advantage and good initial mentality, Hoang "Sao" won the dramatic first set with a score of 4-3. Both players reached hill-hill points (3-3), so it took nearly an hour for the first game. In the second set, Yapp won 4-2 to tie the score.

Set 3 was still a tight affair between the two players who were playing against each other for the first time. Neither player would give in, so it took Yapp 7 breaks to find the winner. The Singaporean player led 2-1, taking the advantage.

The audience at the Military Zone 7 gymnasium cheered enthusiastically to help Hoang "Sao" tie the score 2-2, bringing the match into the decisive 5th set. At this point, the game had been going on for a very long time and showed no signs of stopping.

In the qualifying round, Aloysius Yapp set a match that lasted 3 hours and 47 minutes. However, this record was erased by the match between Ko Pin Yi and Mark Estiola which ended after 4 hours and 22 minutes with a score of 3-2 for Mark.

Aloysius Yapp defeated Vietnam's number 1 pool player - Photo: BOX

In the deciding set 5, both players continued to score hill-hill at 3-3. According to the rules, when the final set is tied, the match will go into a fixed target shot with 4 turns for each player.

After making many mistakes in set 5 and letting Yapp tie, Hoang "Sao" continued to make mistakes in the second shot. He missed the ball quite far from the hole, much to the regret of the surrounding audience. Yapp was incredibly calm to successfully hit the last 2 shots, winning the right to enter the semi-finals of the World 10-ball Pool.

Hoang "Sao" was really shocked, when in the match he won against Naoyuki Oi, he shot the penalty ball very accurately. Losing in the quarter-finals, Vietnam's number 1 pool player was eliminated and the host no longer had any representatives in the 10-ball world tournament.

The 2025 World 10-Ball Pool semi-final schedule will be broadcast live at 4:00 p.m. on September 26.

The 8 players entering the semi-finals are : Carlo Biado (Philippines), Olivér Szolnoki (Hungary), Ko Ping Chung (Chinese Taipei), Shane Van Boening (USA), Marco Teutscher (Netherlands), Alex Kazakis (Greece), Mark Estiola (Philippines) and Aloysius Yapp (Singapore).

QUANG THINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hoang-sao-thua-penalty-sau-gan-5-gio-dau-pool-10-bi-the-gioi-20250926161353558.htm