Billiards: Tran Quyet Chien lost to the PBA player, the ‘dark horse’ created a big surprise

Tran Quyet Chien could not enter the final

In the quarter-finals of the 2024 Molinari 3-cushion carom billiards tournament, which took place at noon on December 17 at Rach Mieu Gymnasium – Ho Chi Minh City, Tran Quyet Chien continued to play excellently to defeat Dao Van Ly convincingly with a score. 40-29. The number 1 player in Vietnam entered the “two battles” match in the semi-finals. Accordingly, Quyet Chien must face Nguyen Duc Anh Chien – a player competing in Korea’s professional 3-cushion billiards tournament (PBA).

Against Tran Quyet Chien, who was in high form, Nguyen Duc Anh Chien played closely and somewhat restrained the opponent. Anh Chien was the better player, leading 23-9 and taking the match to halftime after 9 innings.

In the second half, Nguyen Duc Anh Chien was unlucky many times in handling situations. Tran Quyet Chien knew how to take advantage of opportunities to make a breakthrough. In the 15th round, while leading 24-32, Vietnam’s number 1 player launched a series of 10 points to lead 34-32.

The final scores witnessed a fierce competition between the two players. The scores were equal many times, then Quyet Chien and Anh Chien continuously surpassed each other. The player playing for the PBA showed that he was more brave at the decisive moment, thereby winning the final 40-36 against Tran Quyet Chien, after 21 rounds.

Nguyen Duc Anh Chien won the right to participate in the final match, meeting player Pham Quoc Thich.

Quoc Thich shocked with the championship

Pham Quoc Thich is a player who has participated in many domestic tournaments, but has not made a splash and is still quite unfamiliar to most Vietnamese 3-cushion carom billiards fans. At the 2024 Molinari 3-band carom billiards tournament, Quoc Thich was considered the “dark horse” as he advanced all the way to the finals. Before entering the championship match, Quoc Thich defeated many strong players (most recently beating Bao Phuong Vinh in the semi-finals).

The sublimation continued to be shown by Pham Quoc Thich in the final match with Nguyen Duc Anh Chien, which took place on the evening of December 17. Quoc Thich scored very regularly and led with a large margin (27-13), before the match entered halftime.

The match remained one-sided in the second half, which saw Pham Quoc Thich maintain his scoring performance to reach the finish line. In the end, Quoc Thich won convincingly against the PBA player with a score of 50-31, after 28 rounds.

Pham Quoc Thich was crowned champion of the well-deserved Molinari Open 2024 3-cushion carom billiards tournament. With this championship, Quoc Thich received 146 million VND in prize money.

Nguyen Duc Anh Chien finished runner-up, receiving 51 million VND in prize money. Bao Phuong Vinh and Tran Quyet Chien are the two players who won the third-place bronze prize, receiving 16.5 million VND/person.