BINH DUONG CITY - In his hometown Binh Duong City, 28-year-old Phuong Vinh Bao emerged the winner of a major tournament with some 200 players in the qualifiers. The Vietnamese, number 18 in the world rankings since his breakthrough in the World Cups, beat another Vietnamese, Nguyen Hoan Tat, 40-34 in 24 innings in the final match.
The tournament, the 11th Binh Duong International 3-cushion, also the Number 1 Cup, kicked off with three days of qualifications, in which 32 players qualified for the final rounds with 64. Those final rounds with 16 groups of four players went over seven days. The participants included many Vietnamese. The last winner of a World Cup, Quyet Chien Tran, was eliminated in the final rounds. Further well-known players included Xuan Cuong Ma, known from the World Cup circuit. Turkish youngster Burak Hashas was also invited. He made it to the quarter-finals.
The tournament venue, Binh Duong, is 25 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City. Phuong Vinh Bao, who studied economics in Australia for two years and speaks flawless English, finished in the top four of the Asian Championships and made it to the main draw of the World Cups in Porto, Las Vegas and Seoul.
Phuong Vinh Bao, the winner
Nguyen Hoàn Tát
