Billiard player Pijus Labutis won the Hanoi Open Pool Championship for the first time.

Player Pijus Labutis won the Hanoi Open Pool Championship 2025.

After 5 days of competition at the My Dinh Indoor Sports Center, this year's tournament continued to affirm its international stature with the participation of 256 top players from all over the world, with a total prize value of up to 200,000 USD, of which the champion received 40,000 USD. Despite the weather causing the first day of competition to be postponed, the tournament still went smoothly, attracting a large number of fans.

A special highlight of the tournament was the achievement of young player Dinh Chan Kiet - the only representative of Vietnam in this round to reach the round of 16. Although not expected as much as his seniors Duong Quoc Hoang, Luong Duc Thien or Nguyen Anh Tuan, Chan Kiet created a phenomenon and a memorable milestone for himself at the international Major playground.

In the semi-finals, Labutis defeated talented young player Robbie Capito (Hong Kong, China) with a score of 11-8 in a nerve-wracking match. Meanwhile, Moritz Neuhausen (Germany), who just won the Peri Open 2025, easily defeated Harry Vergara (Philippines) with a score of 11-4, winning a ticket to the final.

The final match took place at 7 p.m. the same day, attracting nearly 2,000 spectators to fill the stands. The two players Labutis and Neuhausen gave a top-notch, emotional match.

The match started off with a 4-4 draw, before Labutis showed his mettle, taking a 10-4 lead with solid, precise play. Neuhausen tried to reduce the gap to 7-10, but a mistake at rack 18 gave Labutis the opportunity to close the match 13-7, thereby winning the prestigious Major tournament for the first time.

Pijus Labutis played with full concentration.

Speaking after the match, Labutis was emotional: “I really didn’t think I could win. Thank you to the Vietnamese audience for creating a great atmosphere, giving me an unforgettable experience. I also want to thank my girlfriend - who has always been by my side.”

The victory at Hanoi Open Pool 2025 also ended the Lithuanian player's streak of reaching the semi-finals of the Major four times but not being able to go further. With this title, he received a prize of 40,000 USD and affirmed his position on the international billiards map.

In another development, Philippine billiards legend Bustamante - captain of the Asian team, officially awarded a special ticket to the Reyes Cup 2025 to player Duong Quoc Hoang, as a recognition for his contributions and performance in recent times.

Along with the main tournament, the Hanoi Junior Open also ended with the championship title belonging to Jack Beggs (New Zealand). He defeated Nguyen Tien Trung of Vietnam with a score of 9-7 in the final match. Despite missing the opportunity to level the score at 8-8 at the crucial moment, Tien Trung, although only 16 years old and a member of the Magics training center, still made his mark by becoming the first Vietnamese player to reach the final of the Hanoi Junior Open after 2 seasons.

The tournament attracted a large audience.

Hanoi Open Pool Championship 2025 is organized by Matchroom Multi Sport (UK) in collaboration with the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports and Vietcontent. This is a prestigious international sporting event, contributing to making Hanoi an important destination on the global billiards map. The previous two seasons have been marked by the presence of superstars such as Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, Albin Ouschan, Jayson Shaw, Joshua Filler..., and thousands of enthusiastic Vietnamese spectators every day of competition.

Not only a billiards tournament, Hanoi Open Pool Championship also contributes to promoting the image of the friendly, hospitable, and dynamic capital Hanoi to international friends. Thereby, showing a youthful, integrated Vietnam ready to reach the world through top sports activities.

PHAN THACH

Source: https://nhandan.vn/co-thu-pijus-labutis-lan-dau-tien-vo-dich-hanoi-open-pool-championship-post914891.html