Billiards 

HÀ NỘI — Nguyễn Thị Liên will vie for the best achievement of her career against international elites in the 2025 World Championship Three-Cushion Ladies in Murcia, Spain from September 23 to 25.

Liên landed in Spain on Saturday and had two days of practice ahead of the event, which is the largest annual tournament of three-cushion for women by the World Billiards Union (UMB).

The 27-year-old is the only representative of Việt Nam after she successfully won the National Billiards and Snooker Championship in June.

“Despite financial difficulties, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an athlete to participate in a prestigious world-class tournament. I, fortunately, have received strong support from the HCM City Billiards Federation, family and sponsors to gain the opportunity to compete in this tournament,” Liên said.

Other challenges include the fact that the Vietnamese champion will be competing without coach, also due to the shortage of funding, and the time difference and weather in Spain, which may prevent her from showing her top form and mentality.

The event marks the first time that Liên will compete at such a high-level tournament, but she said she still expects to reach the top and bring home the best result.

In Murcia, Liên will go up against 23 outstanding rivals from several three-cushion powerhouses, such as South Korea, Belgium, the Netherlands, Turkey, Colombia and the hosts.

Competitors are divided into eight pools of three, with matches taking place in the round robin format. The two strongest in each pool will qualify for the next stage.

Liên is in Group G, and will play her first match against Estela Cardoso of Spain before facing Claudia Lalinde of Colombia.

The Vietnamese competitor has yet to make her name on the world billiards scene. Her career highlights include some time spent playing in the South Korean Professional Billiards Association league several years ago.

“This trip will be full of surprises and pressure for me. I have tried to train my health, mentality and technique in preparation to give my all in the tournament," said Liên.

"I have also received useful advice and improved my skills with experienced seniors, such as four-time World Cup winner Trần Quyết Chiến, former world champion Bao Phương Vinh and 2025 World Cup champion Trần Thanh Lực. I hope that this will be helpful when I am in the world arena.”

In other billiards news, the national No 1 cueist in pool, Dương Quốc Hoàng, confirmed Việt Nam's aim for a victory at the Predator WPA Men’s 10-Ball World Championship 2025, which is ongoing in HCM City. 

The 2024 Scottish Open champion made an impressive beginning with a 2-0 win over Marco Spitzky and a 2-1 win over Thorsten Hohmann, both of Germany, in the first two matches.

He is one of four Vietnamese in the finals and will see Japanese Naoyuki Oi in his next match. Other big Vietnamese names at the tournament are Nguyễn Văn Huynh, Phạm Phương Nam and Nguyễn Bảo Châu.

Nam grabbed a 2-1 win over Mieszko Fortuński of Poland, and will play Jeffrey De Luna of the Philippines in the next round.

Meanwhile, Châu lost 0-2 to Mateusz Śniegocki of Poland and Huynh suffered a 2-1 defeat to Wesam Hamamm of Egypt. Both were dropped to the lower branch.

“This time, it's no longer about gaining competition experience, but about fighting to win for Vietnamese athletes," said Hoàng, known as 'The Martian' for his playing, which is sometimes described as 'out of this world'.

"The position of Vietnamese billiards has changed. Previously, we had to go abroad to watch and compete in big tournaments. Now, the world has come to Việt Nam. This proves that Vietnamese billiards is making strong progress. We're taking part in the world tournament with the desire to win.”

The championship brings together a field of 96 cueists chasing a lucrative total purse of US$250,000, with the winner set to pocket $70,000. The runner-up will take home $40,000, while third place earns $17,500.

Alongside the men’s 10-ball showdown, HCM City is also staging the Poison Cues Saigon Women’s 9-Ball Open. 

At the Box Billiards Mixed Doubles Open that ended on September 19, husband and wife team Joshua and Pia Filler took the title and pocketed $40,000. — VNS