After consecutive victories over current world No. 1 Dick Jaspers (Netherlands) and former world champion Tasdemir Tayfun (Turkey), Vietnamese cueist Tran Thanh Luc broke the “runner-up curse” to win the 2025 Bogota Billiards World Cup, which concluded this morning in Colombia.
Defeating world No. 1 Dick Jaspers in the semifinals
In the semifinals at 1:00 AM (March 3), Tran Thanh Luc faced off against world No. 1 Dick Jaspers, a familiar opponent for the Vietnamese cueist. Despite his status as a world-class player, Jaspers has struggled against Tran in previous encounters. Luc had already defeated him in the group stage of the 2023 Egypt World Cup and later in the 2024 World Championship semifinals in Binh Thuan, where he secured Vietnam’s first-ever silver medal in the competition.
Jaspers started strong, delivering consistent series of 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 points, quickly building a 24-10 lead. However, Luc soon found his rhythm, firing off four consecutive series of 5, 4, 3, and 2 points to narrow the gap to 24-25 after 13 turns. From there, the Vietnamese cueist surged ahead with a 5-point series followed by a 7-point series, overtaking Jaspers at 40-28. Maintaining his momentum, Luc completed a sensational comeback, defeating the world No. 1 50-37 to reach the final.
A dominant final against former world champion Tasdemir Tayfun
In the final this morning, Tran Thanh Luc faced 2022 world champion Tasdemir Tayfun. The Vietnamese cueist controlled the match from start to finish. At the 13th turn, leading 15-12, Luc delivered a 7-point series to extend his advantage to 22-12.
Maintaining his dominance, Luc reached 49-40 and had a golden opportunity to close out the match. However, an unfortunate rail shot miss kept fans on edge as Tayfun fired back with a 7-point series, cutting the deficit to 47-49. Luc then endured two more scoreless turns, but Tayfun failed to capitalize, and at his fourth opportunity, Luc executed a perfect three-cushion shot, securing a 50-47 victory and his first-ever World Cup title.
Breaking the “runner-up curse”
Throughout 2024, Luc endured heartbreak as he finished runner-up in three major tournaments, including the World Championship, earning him the nickname “The King of Second Place” in Vietnamese billiards circles. With this long-awaited triumph, he has not only broken his “runner-up curse” but also reinforced Vietnam’s standing on the world billiards stage.
Luc will receive 80 ranking points, propelling him from world No. 11 to No. 5.
Vietnam’s growing presence in world billiards
Tran Thanh Luc becomes the third Vietnamese cueist to win a World Cup title, following Tran Quyet Chien and Tran Duc Minh, alongside Bao Phuong Vinh’s World Championship victory. His success marks another milestone for Vietnamese billiards on the international stage.
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