Vietnamese star to strike against top cueists at World Pool Masters

It will be the 30th edition of the tournament, an official World Nineball Tour (WNT) Invitational event, which will be held from April 25-28 in Hildesheim, Germany.

The event will boast a world-class field, with the top 14 taken from the WNT Rankings, plus two additional wild cards across four days of elite action.

On its Facebook fanpage, Matchroom posted: "Xin chao (Hello) Duong Quoc Hoang! We are pleased to announce that Duong Quoc Hoang has received our first wildcard. Get your tickets now so you can join this amazing event".

"Feeling extremely proud, because this is a tournament that I am looking forward to," Hoang responded to the wildcard announcement.

"Last year I missed it. This year the opportunity opens again. Upon receiving the invitation from Matchroom at 3 a.m., I couldn't sleep because of happiness. I hope to improve my current form (for the event)."

Hoang was invited to take part in the 2023 event after Fedor Gorst could not join because of a visa issue. The Vietnamese accepted the invitation before he recognized that the entry date in his visa was nearly 10 days after the opening match of the tournament, causing him to miss the event.

Hoang has been known in the pool community for years, but he caused a stir in 2023 with a win over reigning world 9-ball and 10-ball champion at the World Pool Championship.

In the World Pool Masters, he will play against world leading athletes such as reigning European Open champion David Alcaide, world No 1 Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, American legend Shane Van Boening, Hanoi Open Pool Championship winner Jayson Shaw, Wiktor Zielinski, Max Lechner, Ko Ping Chung, Eklent Kaci and defending champion Ko Pin Yi. The second wildcard holder will be announced in the next few days.

A big bonus of $125,000 is up for grabs with the winner to pocket 40,000 USD.

World Pool Masters is the most sought-after annual invitational event in the world of pool. The first event was organized in 1993 in England.