HO CHI MINH – The Vietnamese home players are with four players in the top five at the World Cup in Ho Chi Minh on the second day of qualifiers. The home country's gala is impressive: with nine in the 16 group winners, three players in the top three runners up and only Korean Wan Young Choi, Japanese Ryuuji Umeda and Colombian Alexander Salazar competing in the Vietnamese dominance. The names are new and unknown in the billiard world. Le Nguyen Nhy and Le Quoc Ho lead the rankings. Ryuuji Umeda is the most striking name in the company of 16 group winners.
The 56-year-old Japanese, still a top player in his own country, shone this year with a win against Myung Woo Cho, the reigning world champion, at the World Nations Team Championships in Viersen. Ryuuji himself took his only world title back in 2007, just under 20 years ago in Cuenca ahead of Dani Sánchez and Dick Jaspers. A salient detail: Umeda became world champion with 1.426 on average, in the World Cup today the Japanese played 1.428(!!!) on average. Ryuuji, at home in Tokyo father of two sons aged 25 and 21, Tatsunosuke and Uujirou, was the winner on this Wold Cup day against Korean Yang Seungmo and Turk Ismet Esen. Tomorrow, Wednesday, the Japanese will face Riad Nady and Serdal Bas.
German Ronny Lindemann played the best match of the day against Korean Lee in 11 innings (2,727), but lost his next against Szivacz in 36 innings and was eliminated. Best-known players who disappeared from the World Cup stage on the second day were brothers Amir and Ali Ibraimov, David Pennör and Hyeong Kon Kim.
The 16 group winners on Tuesday:
- Nguyen Nhu Le 4-1,935-6
- Quoc Ho Le 4-1,875-10
- Wan Young Choi 4-1,621-6
- Le Duy Ngo 4-1,578-8
- Minh Kiet Doan 4-1,428-9
- Ryuuji Umeda 4-1,428-7
- Alexander Salazar 4-1,333-4
- Nguyen Dinh Luan 4-1. 250-5
- Quang Hao Truong 4-1,090-6
- Ufuk Kapusiz 4-1,090-6
- Nathan Duriez 4-0,952-6
- Inn Sziva z 4-0,869-6
- Hyung Mook Lim 4-0,821-6
- Dinh Quoc Nguyen 3-1,538-8
- Nguyen Chi Long 3-1,333-8
- Hoai Phong Nguyen 2-1,400-6
World Cup's best Nguyen Nhu Le on the second day in Ho Chi Minh
Ronny Lindemann, best start, bad finish
Nathan Duriez moving up to third day