Tran Quyet Chien lost to world number 1, Tran Thanh Luc continuously caused surprises

Round 16 of the 2025 Bogota Billiards World Cup will be played from the night of March 1 to the morning of March 2. Four Vietnamese players will participate in this round: Tran Quyet Chien, Tran Thanh Luc, Tran Duc Minh and Chiem Hong Thai.

Tran Quyet Chien lost to Dick Jaspers

In the highlight match of the round of 16, Tran Quyet Chien faced the world's number 1 player Dick Jaspers (Netherlands). The Vietnamese player was behind from the start, but at times he managed to overtake Jaspers. However, when the score was 26-27, Jaspers launched a series of 12 to create a turning point in the match.

Tran Quyet Chien stopped at the round of 16 of the 2025 Bogota Billiards World Cup

In the end, Dick Japers won 50-40 against Tran Quyet Chien after 32 rounds. Thus, Vietnam's number 1 player could not defend the championship he won at the 2024 Bogota Billiards World Cup.

Tran Thanh Luc convincingly entered the semi-finals

Meanwhile, Tran Thanh Luc has been playing excellently since the knockout round. In the round of 16, Thanh Luc defeated Roland Forthomme (Belgium) with a score of 50-31, after 36 rounds. In the quarter-finals, the Vietnamese player continued to face another Belgian star, Eddy Merckx. Eddy Merckx is considered a big challenge for Thanh Luc, as the Belgian player plays very good knockout matches and has won the World Cup championship 13 times.

Tran Thanh Luc started the match with a 9-point series to control the game. After that, the player born in 1990 scored steadily and had another 11-point series in the 16th round, leading 41-16. In the end, Thanh Luc defeated Eddy Merckx with a huge difference of 50-25, after 22 rounds.

Tran Thanh Luc entered the semi-finals of a World Cup for the first time.

With a surprise victory over Eddy Merckx, Tran Thanh Luc advanced to the semi-finals of the 2025 Bogota Billiards World Cup. He is also the only representative of Vietnam who still has a chance to compete for the title at the tournament taking place in Colombia.

The player born in 1990 is the current world runner-up, having finished second at the 2024 World Championship held in Binh Thuan. However, at the World Cup, this is the first time Thanh Luc has competed in the semi-finals.

Sorry for Chiem Hong Thai

The most regrettable Vietnamese player was Chiem Hong Thai. In round 16, the player born in 1999 excellently defeated the person considered a "living legend" of the world's 3-cushion carom billiards - Torbjorn Blomdahl with a score of 50-29, after 26 turns.

In the quarterfinals, Chiem Hong Thai faced Tolgahan Kiraz (Türkiye). The two players brought a very dramatic match, fiercely competing in terms of points until the last moment. Hong Thai was held by his opponent in the final stages of the match, but broke away to lead 49-48. However, his lack of "bold" handling of the final score caused the opportunity to slip away for the young Vietnamese player. Tolgahan Kiraz immediately took advantage to win 50-49 against Hong Thai, after 38 turns.

The remaining Vietnamese player competing in the knockout round of the 2025 Bogota Billiards World Cup is Tran Duc Minh. The Hue native faced Berkay Karakurt (Türkiye) in the round of 16. Against an opponent in good form, Duc Minh had to lose the match with a score of 26-50, after 20 rounds.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tran-quyet-chien-thua-so-1-the-gioi-tran-thanh-luc-lien-tiep-gay-bat-ngo-185250302091711453.htm