Vietnamese cueist thrashes world champion at int’l tournament

Hoang got to go first and he won the first two rounds without giving Szewczyk a turn. The 36-year-old didn’t make any mistakes in the next five rounds, using every single chance he had to clear the table and lead 7-0. Szewczyk only got one round back before losing another four. Overall, Hoang won 11-1, his biggest win so far in the tournament. This is the first time he has advanced to round 16 of the tournament.

"It’s such an excellent performance," a Matchroom commentator said. "I hope he can speak English to comment on the game. What a masterful 9-ball performance."

Poland’s Szewczyk was the 10-ball world champion in 2022. He’s currently 25th on the 9-ball world ranking.

Hoang’s opponent in round 16 is the defending 9-ball world champion, Shane van Boening, the American who defeated Singapore’s Aloysius Yapp 11-9 in round 32. The match between Hoang and Boening will begin at 8 p.m. (Hanoi time) on Saturday.

Hoang is the only Vietnamese cueist left in the tournament. Luong Duc Thien was eliminated in round 48, losing 8-11 to Canada’s John Morra, while Nguyen Anh Tuan lost 5-11 to England’s Dennis Grobe in round 32.

Hoang will win at least $6,000 for advancing to round 16.

The World Pool Championship, or World 9-ball Championship, is an annual pro tournament that has been held since 1990. It’s sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association and is organized by Matchroom Sport. This year’s championship takes place from February 1 to 5 in Kielce, Poland with 128 cueists playing for a prize pool of $325,000.

Hoang is the only Vietnamese cueist in the world’s top 100. He first made headlines at the Beijing Open in 2018 when he defeated Scottish star player Jayson Shaw 9-0.