Vietnamese young billiards talent Chiem Hong Thai.

Vietnamese young billiards talent Chiem Hong Thai has left a remarkable mark on the ongoing Veghel World Cup 3-Cushion 2023 in the Netherlands by defeating the world's No.1 player, Marco Zanetti from Italy, and securing a spot among the top 16 players in the tournament.

Vietnam had four billiards players who successfully navigated the qualifying rounds, namely Tran Thanh Luc, Nguyen Tran Thanh Tu, Chiem Hong Thai, and Bao Phuong Vinh. The world's 5th-ranked player, Tran Quyet Chien, was chosen as a seeded player and automatically progressed to the next round.

Tran Quyet Chien swiftly won the ticket to the knock-out stage of Group H after just two matches. He defeated his fellow countryman, Nguyen Tran Thanh Tu, with a score of 40-36, and Peter Ceulemans from Belgium, with a score of 40-22, consolidating his position as the leader of the group. Despite a loss in his final match to Kim Haeng Jik from South Korea with a score of 25-40, the top-ranked Vietnamese billiards player retained his top position in the group.

Following his defeat to Tran Quyet Chien, Nguyen Tran Thanh Tu rebounded by defeating Kim Haeng Jik with a score of 40-36, and he had a chance to control his destiny by winning the final match against Peter Ceulemans. Unfortunately, he ultimately lost to the Belgian player with a score of 35-40, leading to his exit from the tournament.

While Tran Quyet Chien secured a spot in the next round relatively easily, Chiem Hong Thai had to anxiously wait until the last moment. Placed in Group B, the young talent Chiem Hong Thai had an impressive debut, defeating the world's No.1 billiards player, Zanetti, with a score of 40-25. However, he faced a setback in his second match, losing to the Dutch player Van Etten with a score of 32-40. Therefore, in the final match, even if Chiem Hong Thai were to win against the South Korean player Jeong Ye Sung, it would still be unlikely for him to reach the top two rankings. It is because if Zanetti were to win in the remaining match happening concurrently, the three players would likely have two wins and one loss, but Chiem Hong Thai would have a lower tiebreaker score than the other two opponents.

At the neighboring table, Zanetti maintained a steady lead over Van Etten, with a score of 32/21, reducing the opportunities for the young Vietnamese player. It appeared that victory was almost guaranteed for the world's No.1 billiards player. Nevertheless, in a surprising turn of events, Van Etten executed an impressive comeback, clinching an exhilarating win against Zanetti with a narrow score of 40-39. This triumph granted him a flawless record of three wins, positioning him at the top of Group B.

With the Dutch player's impressive comeback, Chiem Hong Thai triumphed over Jeong Ye Sung with a score of 40-33, officially earning the second spot in the group to progress to the knock-out stage.

Bao Phuong Vinh, the newly crowned world champion, encountered difficulties in Group D as he suffered a defeat to Heo Jung Han from South Korea with a score of 24-40. Although he managed to secure a win against Sidhom from Egypt with a score of 40-27, Bao's subsequent loss to Karakurt from Turkey, with a score of 36-40, dashed his hopes of advancing.

On the other hand, Tran Thanh Luc in Group E had a promising start with a successful debut, defeating the "prodigy" Cho Myung Woo from South Korea with a score of 40-36. However, he faced setbacks later on, losing to Polychro from Greece with a score of 25-40 and Van Beers from the Netherlands with a score of 39-40, leading to his elimination.

Source: SGGP