Player Phuong Vinh: 'I am happy to make history'

2023 world billiards champion Bao Phuong Vinh said he was happy to help Vietnam win the biggest 3-cushion carom tournament for the first time.

Phuong Vinh was extremely happy after defeating "Korean prodigy" Cho Myung-woo 50-48 in the semi-finals on the afternoon of September 10. When he defeated Tran Quyet Chien 50-34 in the finals that same evening, the 28-year-old player did not appear as happy. Explaining this, Phuong Vinh told VnExpress after winning the title: "Beating Cho means I helped make history for Vietnam, because I met Quyet Chien in the final. The result of the final is not so important anymore. If I lose the final, I don't think it's a big deal, of course if I win I'll be happier."

Player Bao Phuong Vinh at the 2023 Carom 3-Cushion World Championship in Ankara, Turkey. Photo: UMB

Phuong Vinh was born in 1995 in Binh Duong and started competing professionally over a year ago. This was his first time participating in the World Championship, but he immediately won with a perfect record. In the group stage, he defeated Radovan Hajek 40-32, and Nikos Polychronopoulos 40-28 to advance to the knockout round. After that, Phuong Vinh defeated Ahn Ji Hun 50-31, Gwendal Marechal 50-45, Pedro Piedrabuena 50-49, then defeated Cho and Quyet Chien in the last two matches.

The new world champion said his toughest match was probably in the quarterfinals, when Uruguayan-American Piedrabuena led for most of the match. His opponent had a chance to finish the match at 49-48, but failed to capitalize. "I was lucky that his decisive shot was not strong enough, so when the opportunity came I couldn't miss it," he added.

In the semi-finals, the situation was reversed when Phuong Vinh led Cho for most of the time, but let his opponent equalize 48-48. At that time, the Korean prodigy missed his chance and Phuong Vinh once again did not give his opponent a chance to correct his mistake. "When it was Cho's turn to play, I could only hope for luck," he added. "Cho is very good, he has beaten Vietnamese players many times, so this victory is very meaningful."

Phuong Vinh and Quyet Chien are the two Vietnamese representatives in the tournament, and are also the two top players in the country according to the current World Billiards Federation (UMB) rankings. The final match between the two players was not as dramatic as the two semi-final matches. Quyet Chien seemed to decline at the end of the match, when he only scored four points in the last 12 shots. Phuong Vinh believes that his senior's problem in this match was not psychological, but having to fall into difficult shapes or miss shots by a small margin. "Actually, any player will be psychological at certain times," the 28-year-old player added. "In top-level 3-cushion carom, luck affects about 20% of the match result."

Phuong Vinh also defeated Quyet Chien at the National Sports Festival in Hanoi in December 2022, but this victory is more meaningful. The World Championship takes place annually, starting in 1928. The World Cup has many stages throughout the year, held since 1986. If Quyet Chien made Vietnamese history by winning the World Cup twice, Phuong Vinh is the first player from the country to win the world championship.

Vnexpress.net