In the quarter-final round of the 2024 Molinari 3-cushion carom billiards tournament taking place this afternoon (December 17) in Ho Chi Minh City, Tran Quyet Chien faced Dao Van Ly. Although Quyet Chien is in quite high form, Dao Van Ly is still considered a formidable opponent and will bring many difficulties to the number 1 player in Vietnam.
Tran Quyet Chien joined the game very quickly. Right after Dao Van Ly missed the opportunity to score in the first round, Quyet Chien scored a series of 8 points. In the second turn, the 4-time World Cup champion continued to add a series of 5 points, taking a 13-0 lead.
However, the next developments saw a very slow pace of play for both players. Tran Quyet Chien scored 13 points after 2 shots, but needed 9 more shots to score 7 points and bring the match to halftime after 11 shots (leading 20-9).
Tran Quyet Chien had a ball fight situation in the quarterfinals with Dao Van Ly
In the second half, Tran Quyet Chien made a rare mistake. On the 16th turn, while having series 5, Quyet Chien (holding gold) suddenly misplayed the white ball and lost his turn, leading Van Ly 25-11. It is quite rare for a professional player to fight the cue ball, but it has happened many times. In a match that is stressful and requires high concentration, players can easily make such ridiculous mistakes.
In the 20th round, while leading 16-30, Dao Van Ly launched a series of 9 points to “heat up” the match in the final stages, when the gap was only 2 points (25-30). However, Tran Quyet Chien sensed the danger and began to speed up. Tran Quyet Chien won the final 40-29 against Dao Van Ly, after 24 chances. The number 1 player in Vietnam won a ticket to play in the semi-finals of the 2024 Molinari 3-band carom billiards tournament.
In the match at the same time, Nguyen Duc Anh Chien won 40-34 against veteran player Ly The Vinh, after 31 rounds. Thus, Tran Quyet Chien will face Nguyen Duc Anh Chien in the final match, taking place on the afternoon of the same day. The remaining semi-final pair is the confrontation between Bao Phuong Vinh (beat Tran Thanh Luc 40-37 in the quarter-finals) and Pham Quoc Thich.
