>>> HCM City to host 10th Asian carom billiards championship
Last year, Vietnam dominated the category to make an all-Vietnamese semifinals before Ngo Dinh Nai took the top honour. Therefore, Vietnamese cueists headed into this year’s tournament with an ultimate goal of defending the championship crown.
However, surprise occurred right from the first round as the reigning champion Ngo Dinh Nai was ousted by Seo Hyun-min who then scored consecutive wins to advance into the final.
With Ngo Dinh Nai crashing out, the home side’s expectations were placed on the shoulders of Ma Minh Cam. The HCM City player did not let home fans down, demonstrating amazing form with successive victories against Tadashi (Japan) in the first round, Nguyen Phuoc Thanh in the quarterfinals and Nguyen Si Tuong in the semifinals to stroll into the title match.
In the final, despite suffering huge pressure, Ma Minh Cam proved himself as one of the leading continental players, taking the lead 46-23 after six cues before finishing off his opponent 100-51 after 15 cues to take the trophy and a cash prize of US$2,000. As the runner-up, Seo Hyun-min pocketed US$1,200, while Vietnam’s Pham Van Hung and Nguyen Si Thuong shared the third prize with US$600 for each.
Today (April 24), Vietnamese cueists will begin their three-cushion carom campaign with a top goal of dethroning the dominance of the Republic of Korea side.
