Tran Quyet Chien from the southern province of Ca Mau has cued in a new chapter in Vietnam’s billiards history, claiming his maiden championship at the 2018 Three-Cushion Carom Billiards World Cup held in Ho Chi Minh City from May 21 to 27.
In nail-biting encounter, Tran Quyet Chien, 35, inched past his compatriot Ngo Dinh Nai 40-39 win in the final on Sunday, earning the first-ever gold for Vietnam on the international stage.
Chien made it to the final to compete with his countryman Ngo Dinh Nai after beating the current world No.1, Belgian professional Frederic Caudron, in similar fashion in the semifinal.
Thanks to his breathtaking victory, Chien, who won the second place at the 2016 billiards world cup in South Korea, fetched him $19,000 in cash and thrust him into the spotlight as one of the world’s top 10 cueists.
The tournament had drawn 149 leading cueists from 17 countries and territories worldwide.
Vietnamese cueists had thus far won three silver and six bronze medals at previous world cup tournaments.
According to Kozoom News, one of the leading magazines for carom billiard fans worldwide, the first World Cup victory by Chien was an "irreversible breakthrough" and this could be a motivation to inspire "a string of successes for the new generation."