In Group D, Phuong Vinh started by defeating Quyet Chien 40-29 in 25 innings. This was the Binh Duong native's third consecutive victory over his senior counterpart. However, in his subsequent two matches, Phuong Vinh lost to Greece's Polychro 19-40 in 18 innings and then to Belgium's Ceulemans 23-40 in 23 innings. These results placed him at the bottom of the group, leading to his early exit from the tournament.
After losing to Phuong Vinh, Quyet Chien rallied to beat Ceulemans 40-38 in 22 innings. But in his final match, the veteran star lost to Polychro 27-40 in 17 innings, finishing third in the group and joining his younger colleague in departing the competition.
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World number two Tran Quyet Chien was eliminated after the group stage of the 3-Cushion Billiards World Cup 2025 Porto leg, Thursday morning. Photo: Billards |
World number two Tran Quyet Chien was eliminated after the group stage of the 3-Cushion Billiards World Cup 2025 Porto leg, Thursday morning. Photo: Billards
In Group C, Chiem Hong Thai also managed only one win, against Spain's Legazpi, while losing to Belgium's Eddy Merckx and Portugal's Jose Miguel Soares. This left him in third place, resulting in an early elimination.
Tran Thanh Luc struggled with consistency in Group E, losing all three matches against Turkey's Berkay Karakurt, Colombia's Jose Juan Garcia, and France's Jeremy Bury. He finished last in his group.
The only Vietnamese player to shine in the group stage was Dao Van Ly. He delivered an impressive performance, securing victories against South Korea's Cho Myung-woo, Portugal's Rui Costa, and fellow countryman Thon Viet Hoang Minh to top Group B. Despite beating the host nation's representative, Rui Costa, Hoang Minh was also eliminated, finishing third in the group.
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Dao Van Ly during his victory against Cho Myung-woo in Group B of the 3-Cushion Billiards World Cup 2025 Porto leg, Thursday morning. He is the only Vietnamese representative to advance to the round of 16. Photo: Billards |
Dao Van Ly during his victory against Cho Myung-woo in Group B of the 3-Cushion Billiards World Cup 2025 Porto leg, Thursday morning. He is the only Vietnamese representative to advance to the round of 16. Photo: Billards
The Porto leg of the 3-Cushion Billiards World Cup took place from 29/6 to 6/7. This marks the first time five out of six Vietnamese players have been eliminated in the group stage. Other top-ranked players who exited the competition include world number one Dick Jaspers, number six Tayfun Tasdemir, number seven Sidhom Sameh, number eight Heo Jung-han, and number 15 Martin Horn.
Duc Dong
