Tran Quyet Chien faces a big challenge at the World Cup billiards

Tran Quyet Chien once set a historical milestone for Vietnamese billiards when he climbed to the top of the World Carom Billiards Federation (UMB) rankings in June. But just one month later, the player born in 1984 dropped back to his familiar second place, yielding to Dick Jaspers (Netherlands). By the time the 2024 World Championship (September, in Binh Thuan ) concluded, the Korean "prodigy" Cho Myung-woo had risen to second place, while Tran Quyet Chien dropped to third.

Tran Quyet Chien has not been in good form recently.

At this moment, fans are hoping that Tran Quyet Chien will reclaim his previous ranking. However, improving his ranking at the upcoming World Cup Veghel 2024 will be a major challenge for him. He may even struggle to maintain his current number 3 position.

It's difficult because the number one ranked player in Vietnam is currently not in top form. In recent tournaments, Tran Quyet Chien has consistently underperformed and failed to advance far. In international ranking competitions, Quyet Chien was eliminated twice in the round of 16 at the World Championship 2024 (September) and the Porto World Cup 2024 (July).

A realistic goal for Tran Quyet Chien (currently with 318 points) at the 2024 Veghel World Cup is to reclaim the number 2 spot from Cho Myung-woo (with 350 points). The Vietnamese player has a slight advantage, needing to defend only 18 points (meaning he must reach the round of 16 to maintain his current points), while the Korean "prodigy" needs to defend 26 points (reaching the quarterfinals to avoid point deductions). That's the theory, but the reality is causing concern for Vietnamese billiards fans, as Cho Myung-woo is currently at the peak of his form. In just over a month (from August 25th to September 29th), the player born in 1998 won two championships, first at the 2024 World 3 Cushion Survival and most recently at the 2024 World Championship, pocketing over $80,000.

Tran Quyet Chien's rivals are currently in top form, while lower-ranked players like Eddy Merckx (ranked 4th, 294 points) and Kim Jun-tae (ranked 5th, 288 points) are formidable contenders poised to move up. If he fails to regain his form at the 2024 Veghel World Cup and continues to be eliminated early, Vietnam's number one player is likely to drop out of the top 3 in the world rankings.

11 Vietnamese players to participate in World Cup V Eghel 2024

Vietnam has 11 players participating in the 2024 Veghel World Cup, including: Tran Quyet Chien, Bao Phuong Vinh, Tran Thanh Luc, Tran Duc Minh, Chiem Hong Thai, Nguyen Tran Thanh Tu, Thon Viet Hoang Minh, Le Thanh Tien, Nguyen Hoan Tat, Nguyen Chi Long, and Nguyen Dinh Luan.

Tran Quyet Chien and Bao Phuong Vinh were both guaranteed a spot in the final round (round of 32) from the start. Tran Quyet Chien was in Group B, which included the very strong player Glenn Hofman (Netherlands, world No. 24). Meanwhile, Bao Phuong Vinh was in Group H and his first opponent was Sameh Sidhom (Egypt, world No. 8).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tran-quyet-chien-doi-mat-thu-thach-lon-tai-world-cup-billiards-185241018224834897.htm