In the final match on the evening of 1/3, Quyet Chien continued his strong performance with a 40-30 victory over Martin Horn after 17 innings. The decisive point for the 42-year-old player came from a beautiful bank shot.

Thanh Tu (left) embraces Quyet Chien at the world 3-cushion carom team championship in Viersen, Germany on 1/3/2026. Photo: UMB

As Quyet Chien concluded his game, Thanh Tu also held a significant lead of 38-24 against Amir Ibraimov at the adjacent table. Thanh Tu later reached 39 points but squandered several opportunities to finish the match in subsequent innings. Only when Ibraimov narrowed the gap to 33-39 did Thanh Tu score the decisive point, securing a 40-33 victory. This performance allowed Vietnam to reclaim the championship with an absolute win over Germany.

The moment Thanh Tu scored the final point, Quyet Chien ran over to embrace his younger teammate in celebration. This marks Vietnam's second world 3-cushion carom team championship, following their 2024 victory with a team comprising Quyet Chien and Bao Phuong Vinh. Compared to the dramatic tie-break win against Spain in the final two years ago, this year's achievement for Vietnam came with greater ease.

Quyet Chien was instrumental in the team's victory this time. He finished the tournament with six undefeated matches, despite facing top players such as Horn, Tayfun Tasdemir, Torbjorn Blomdahl, and Jeremy Bury. In contrast, Thanh Tu concluded the tournament with two wins, one draw, and three losses. Thanh Tu's two victories were against Berkay Karakurt in the quarterfinals and Ibraimov in the final.

In the group stage, Vietnam defeated Mexico, drew with Germany and France, and advanced to the quarterfinals. Quyet Chien and Thanh Tu then successively eliminated Turkey, Sweden, and Germany to secure the title. These three opponents are also among the top five most successful teams in the tournament's history, collectively holding 20 championships.

The world 3-cushion carom team championship has been held annually since 1990. This year, 16 teams participated, divided into four groups of four teams each. They competed in a round-robin format to select eight teams for the quarterfinals. Each match was played on two separate tables, with two players from each team facing their respective opponents. In the event of a tie, players would compete in a tie-break using a doubles format on a single table.

Xuan Binh