Belgium, 12 October 2025 – Continuing his impressive form, Vietnamese billiards player Bao Phuong Vinh has advanced to the semifinals of the 3-Cushion World Cup in Antwerp.
On October 11, Phuong Vinh played two matches. In the Round of 16 against Salman (Turkey) in the afternoon, he had a slow start and trailed by a wide margin. However, at 24–14, he made a 7-point run to narrow the gap to 21–24, then added a 4-point run to take the lead 25–24 before the break.
After the interval, Salman regained the advantage at 31–25, but Phuong Vinh found his rhythm, producing successive runs of 9, 3, 4, 6, and 3 points to win 50–36 after 21 innings, with a remarkable average of 2.381 points per inning.
In the quarterfinals later that evening, Phuong Vinh faced world No.7 Sameh Sidhom from Egypt. The Vietnamese player maintained his excellent form, combining careful calculation with precise shots. He built commanding leads of 10–2, 17–7, 27–9, and 35–13. While Phuong Vinh kept scoring steadily, Sidhom appeared unsettled, missing several easy shots. Capitalizing on this, Phuong Vinh sealed a 50–27 victory after 25 innings, with a 2.0 average.
While his younger teammate impressed, Vietnam’s top cueist Tran Quyet Chien was less fortunate. In his Round of 16 match against Martin Horn (Germany), Quyet Chien trailed for most of the game, at one point by over 10 points. He managed to close the gap to 32–34, but the match was abruptly halted when the venue in Antwerp suffered a power outage.
The long delay disrupted both players’ rhythm and focus. After play resumed, Quyet Chien made several unforced errors, while Horn stayed composed and extended his lead, eventually winning 50–45 after 27 innings, with a 1.852 average.
Vietnam’s remaining player, Chiem Hong Thai, was unable to cause an upset and lost 36–50 to Legazpi (Spain).
The Antwerp World Cup, held from October 6 to 12, is the fifth stop of the 2025 World Cup circuit, following events in Bogota (Colombia), Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), Ankara (Turkey), and Porto (Portugal). Belgium has a strong billiards tradition, particularly in 3-cushion carom, with four world team titles.
Semifinal schedule (Hanoi time) — October 12:
17:00: Bao Phuong Vinh vs Tasdemir Tayfun (Turkey)
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