The quarter-final match between Vietnam and Belgium is considered the most evenly matched match of this round. While Tran Quyet Chien (ranked 2nd in the world ) and Bao Phuong Vinh (ranked 8th in the world) have the advantage of youth and higher rankings, the Belgian team has superior experience with the presence of 13-time World Cup champion Eddy Merckx.
Tran Quyet Chien and Bao Phuong Vinh overcome dramatic quarter-finals
In the match between the two main players, the 55-year-old Belgian started the match better and continuously led Tran Quyet Chien. Although the Vietnamese player tried his best to keep the score to shorten the score to 30-31 against his experienced opponent. However, at the end of the match, Tran Quyet Chien slowed down and let Merckx win with a score of 40-30 after 19 turns.
At this point, all hopes of Vietnamese billiards fans were focused on the table next to Bao Phuong Vinh, who was facing 59-year-old Jozef Philipoom. Despite having a better start and a large lead, Bao Phuong Vinh stopped at 27 points for a long time and was overtaken by Philipoom.
Bao Phuong Vinh becomes the 'hero' of Vietnamese billiards
However, the young Vietnamese player managed to come back and had 2 series of points to win 40-34 after 24 rounds. With this result, the Vietnamese and Belgian teams had to enter the doubles match (each player took turns playing 1 round) with only 15 points. Boosted by the equalizing victory, Bao Phuong Vinh and Tran Quyet Chien entered the match very well with a series of 13 points.
Although the Belgian team was determined to chase the points, the two veteran players Merckx and Philipoom only scored 3 points. With their courage and high spirit, the Vietnamese duo ended the match with a score of 15-3 after only 2 rounds and officially got a ticket to the semi-finals. With this achievement, Tran Quyet Chien and Bao Phuong Vinh helped the Vietnamese 3-cushion carom billiards team reach the semi-finals of the world team championship for the first time in history after many times participating.
Tran Quyet Chien and Bao Phuong Vinh create a historic milestone for Vietnamese 3-cushion carom billiards
Tran Quyet Chien and Bao Phuong Vinh will face the US team in the semi-final with Hugo Patino (ranked 31st in the world) and Raymon Groot (ranked 71st in the world). The semi-final match between Vietnam and the US will take place at 5:00 p.m. on March 24 (Vietnam time).
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