Vietnam's hope for the finals

Chiem Hong Thai is making a strong impression at the Sharm el Sheikh 2024 Billiards World Cup, becoming the Vietnamese player who has gone the furthest in the tournament held in Egypt. On the competition day of December 6, when experienced seniors such as Tran Quyet Chien and Tran Thanh Luc stopped at the round of 16, Hong Thai played explosively to win a ticket to the semi-finals. Notably, the two victories of the 1999-born player were both against very strong players, respectively the world number 1 Dick Jaspers (Netherlands) and the reigning world champion Cho Myung-woo (Korea).

Today (December 7) is the final day of the Sharm el Sheikh Billiards World Cup 2024. Chiem Hong Thai will play in the semi-finals, facing Eddy Merckx (Belgium) at 3:00 p.m. (Vietnam time).

Chiem Hong Thai is very confident when facing strong opponents.

PHOTO: VIETNAM SPORT PHOTO

This is another formidable opponent that Chiem Hong Thai needs to overcome. Eddy Merckx is a veteran of the world's 3-cushion carom billiards, having won 13 World Cup tournaments. However, the Vietnamese player is in good form and in good spirits and can completely cause a surprise.

Up to now, Hong Thai's best achievement at the World Cup arena is reaching the semi-finals (losing to Tran Quyet Chien) and winning the bronze medal in Porto - Portugal in 2023. The player born in 1999 is expected to surpass the above milestone, to have the first time in his career to participate in a World Cup final.

Eddy Merckx was a 13-time World Cup champion

The remaining semi-final is the confrontation between Marco Zanetti (Italy) and Torbjorn Blomdahl (Sweden), taking place at 5:30 p.m. (Vietnam time).

The two semi-final winners will compete for the championship in the final, at 9:00 p.m.

All matches of the Sharm el Sheikh Billiards World Cup 2024 will be broadcast live on the SOOP Live platform (link: https://billiards.sooplive.co.kr/schedule/113).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lich-thi-dau-billiards-hom-nay-niem-hy-vong-cua-viet-nam-tranh-ve-chung-ket-185241207070959411.htm