Billiards: 5 Vietnamese players win in Korea

Vietnamese players had a smooth start in round 128 of the Korean professional billiards tournament - PBA season 2025 - 2026, when 5/6 representatives won the right to continue with convincing victories.

In the 128th round of the PBA billiards tournament on October 1, Nguyen Quoc Nguyen, Ngo Dinh Nai, Nguyen Duc Anh Chien and Nguyen Huynh Phuong Linh all had relatively convincing victories over their opponents, thereby affirming the stable performance of Vietnamese players on the opening day. Specifically, Nguyen Quoc Nguyen won 3-0 against Goo Min-soo (Korea), Nguyen Duc Anh Chien won 3-1 against Kim Jung-kyu (Korea), Ngo Dinh Nai won 3-1 against Hideaki Kobayashi (Japan), and Nguyen Huynh Phuong Linh won 3-1 against Mun Seong-won (Korea).

Tran Duc Minh won dramatically on penalty kicks

The most notable highlight belonged to Tran Duc Minh, when the Hue native won a thrilling victory, after a dramatic score chase. After 4 games, Duc Minh took the lead twice, but his opponent tied the score 2-2. The two players had to decide the winner on penalty kicks. In the opening round, Duc Minh scored 2 points in a row, then made a safe defensive shot to block his opponent's counterattack opportunity. Thanks to that, the Vietnamese player won the overall victory, taking a ticket to the round of 64.

Tran Duc Minh won after a dramatic score chase.

PHOTO: PBA

In contrast to the general joy, Ma Minh Cam - the only Vietnamese player to win a PBA stage (up to now) had to stop regretfully. After a 2-2 draw with Korean player Ko Kyeong-nam, the match also entered a penalty shootout. Ma Minh Cam's opponent scored 1 point, while the Vietnamese player failed to hit the ball in the decisive turn, thereby accepting defeat.

However, with 5 players advancing to the round of 64, Vietnamese billiards is still having a promising start at the exciting Korean tournament, opening up hope of continuing to make an impression in the next rounds.

In addition, round 128 also witnessed many surprises, when former world champions (under the UMB system) and PBA winners such as Choi Sung-won (Korea) and Daniel Sanchez (Spain) stopped early.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/billiards-5-co-thu-viet-nam-gianh-chien-thang-tai-han-quoc-185251001223339238.htm