LINT/ANTWERP – Vietnamese player Phuong Vinh Bao made history at the World Cup in Lint, Antwerp. The 2023 world champion completed a 40-point match in 4 innings in his early Thursday evening match against Swede David Pennör, scoring a high run of 25. His 10.0 average over 40 equals the world record set by Dick Jaspers in 2018. Phuong Vinh Bao couldn't believe his luck, waving enthusiastically to the crowd and later saying: "I'm happy, excited, and gain a lot of confidence from a match like this." The Vietnamese admitted: "I really wanted to qualify for the main draw, because these two tournaments in Belgium are important for my ranking." Bao's best match so far was 30 points in 4 innings, a 7.50 average. Dick Jaspers made 40 in four innings on January 21, 2018, during a Bundesliga match against Andreas Efler, whom he defeated 40-0. The world record for 50 caroms is held by Eddy Merckx in six innings.
Phuong Vinh Bao's match started with a 3, then he made 25, followed by 2, and finally 10 for the end. "I missed the 26th point in the run of 25 because I wanted to play position," Bao later admitted. David Pennör made 2, 0, 2, and 1 in the historic match for a final score 40-5. Bao drew his first match against Joseba Escribano 40-40 in 33. Phuong Vinh Bao: "My ranking is super important; if I can reach the semifinals here, I'll be back in the top. I had a rough patch last year due to switching to a new cue and less effective training. My first match here wasn't good either, but after that, I suddenly found my form and rhythm.''
Phuong Vinh Bao became world champion in Turkey in 2023, succeeding Tayfun Tasdemir at the time, and was dethroned one year later by Myung Woo Cho. Bao is an economist after studying in Australia, he is the son of Bao Thanh Phuong, has a younger sister, and lives near Ho Chi Minh City in Binh Duong City. Tomorrow, Bao starts in Group F with Thanh Luc Tran, also from Vietnam, Tolgahan Kiraz from Turkey, and Ruben Legazpi from Spain.
Torbjörn Blomdahl was crowned the best day's winner with victories over Dutchmen Huub Wilkowski (40-22 in 15) and Sam van Etten (40-28 in 26), averaging 1.951 for the Swede. Glenn Hofman wasn't far behind with 1,860, defeating Jean Paul de Bruijn after a better final sprint, 40-33 in 25, and Maxime Panaia, 40-15 in 18. Myeong Jong Cha and Omer Karakurt finished tied on average with 1,777. Ruben Legazpi played for the Belgians, the last qualifying player out of the World Cup. Peter De Backer first defeated Beom Yeol Lee 40-31 in 31 and then lost to Legazpi 40-33 in 22. Sam van Etten, of the five Dutch players, was forced to leave the World Cup after defeating Huub Wilkowski with a final run of 9. Torbjörn Blomdahl was the stumbling block for the young Dutchman. Gökhan Salman shone, among other things, with a run of 16 against Dimitrios Seleventas. That was the verdict for the young Greek, who played a strong tournament. Korean Chang Hoon Seo started his quest with a victory over Do Hyeon Kim 40-21 in 20 and a stunning run of 20 in the second. Seo was eliminated by Sergio Jimenez 40-32 in 33. Omer Karakurt won a three-match series with evenly matched players. The Turk first defeated his compatriot Turgay Orak 40-28 in 22 and in his final match against Vietnamese Van Tai Nguyen 40-30 in 23. The averages in this group: Karakurt 1.777, Orak 1.545, Nguyen 1.533.
Pedro Gonzalez won his group with runs of 12 and 11 and an average of 1.509. The Colombian first defeated Jeffrey Jorissen 40-36 in 33 and was strong in his second match against TTT Nguyen, winning 40-23 in 20.
The final standings in the last qualifying round:
1. Torbjörn Blomdahl 4-1,951-7
2. Glenn Hofman 4-1,860-8
3. Myeong Jong Cha 4-1,777-13
4. Omer Karakurt 4-1,777-6
5. Ruben Legazpi 4-1,600-10
6. Pedro Gonzalez 4-1,509-12
7. Sergio Jimenez 4-1,428-7
8. Huberney Cataño 4-1,194-7
9. Hong Chiem Thai 4-1,081-8
10. Phuong Vinh Bao 3-2,162-25
11. Gökhan Salman 2-1.702-16
12. Bong Joo Hwang 2-1.184-9
Three runners-up:
1 Tran Thanh Tu Nguyen 2-1.852-12
2 David Pennör 2-1,666-10
3 Nick Polychronopoulos 2-1.652-9
Phuong Vinh Bao, the 2023 world champion
Torbjörn Blomdahl, best day winner
Glenn Hofman, the only Dutchman to qualify
Pedro Gonzalez, one of two Colombians
Omer Karakurt, winner In a tough group
Ruben Legazpi
The formats in the eight groups:
Group A:
Dick Jaspers, Glenn Hofman, Haeng Jik Kim, Nick Polychronopoulos
Group B:
Myung Woo Cho, Peter Ceulemans, Torbjörn Blomdahl, David Pennör
Group C:
Quyet Chien Tran, Tran Thanh Tu Nguyen, Martin Horn, Roland Forthomme
Group D:
Eddy Merckx, Frédéric Caudron, Myeong Jong Cha, Bong Joo Hwang
Group E:
Marco Zanetti, Gökhan Salman, Berkay Karakurt, Omer Karakurt
Group F:
Thanh Luc Tran, Phuong Vinh Bao, Tolgahan Kiraz, Ruben Legazpi
Group G:
Tayfun Tasdemir, Hong Chiem Thai, Jérémy Bury, Pedro Gonzalez
Group H:
Jung Han Heo, Huberney Cataño, Sameh Sidhom, Sergio Jimenez.