Dao Van Ly shocked 2 billiards "legends"

When the results of the round of 32 of the Seoul Billiards World Cup were announced, Dao Van Ly was in the group considered the toughest (compared to the other Vietnamese players), when he had to face Eddy Merckx (Belgium), Torbjorn Blomdahl (Sweden) and Lee Beom-yeol (Korea). Among them, Eddy Merckx (13-time World Cup champion) and Torbjorn Blomdahl (46-time World Cup champion) are two players ranked as "legends" in the world of 3-cushion carom billiards.

However, Dao Van Ly took fans from one surprise to another, when he defeated both of the above-mentioned veteran players. In the opening match of the 32nd round of the Seoul Billiards World Cup 2024 on the morning of November 8, Van Ly defeated Eddy Merckx with a score difference of 40-24, after only 13 shots. In the second match against Torbjorn Blomdahl, the Vietnamese player won even more quickly, 40-15 after 17 shots.

Two victories with high scoring efficiency helped Dao Van Ly quickly secure a ticket to the round of 16 of the Seoul Billiards World Cup 2024. In the final match of Group E, Van Ly faced off against the host country's player, Lee Beom-yeol. Although the Vietnamese player lost 37-40 to Lee Beom-yeol, he still advanced to the knockout round with the second place in Group E. Meanwhile, Eddy Merckx won the group, while Torbjorn Blomdahl was eliminated early.

Bao Phuong Vinh wins tickets dramatically

Bao Phuong Vinh had an unsuccessful start in the 32nd round of the Seoul 2024 Billiards World Cup, losing 30-40 to Sameh Sidhom (Egypt). This defeat put the Binh Duong player in a difficult position in competing for a ticket to the round of 16.

The 2023 World Championship champion played well in the second round, defeating Kang Ja-in 40-23 after 21 rounds. The situation in Group H forced Bao Phuong Vinh to win the final match against Jeong Sung-il (Korea) to have a ticket to the round of 16. On the other side, the Korean player has the advantage when only needing a draw against Phuong Vinh to enter the next round as second place in the group.

True to the nature of a direct competition for a ticket to the round of 16, the two players competed fiercely. Jeong Sung-il showed his formidable ability by scoring points regularly, continuously leading Bao Phuong Vinh in the early stages of the match. However, the Vietnamese player followed closely and overtook his opponent, bringing the match into the break.

In the second half, Bao Phuong Vinh continued to show stability, while his opponent had difficulty scoring. The player from Binh Duong raced to the finish line, winning 40-21 after 19 rounds.

Thus, Vietnam has 3 representatives participating in the round of 16 of the Seoul 2024 Billiards World Cup: Tran Quyet Chien, Bao Phuong Vinh and Dao Van Ly. The only Vietnamese player who had to stop from round 32 was Nguyen Hoan Tat. The round for the 16 strongest players will compete from the morning of November 9. The matches will be played to 50 points, not in the same turn. If they continue to win in the round of 16, the players will compete in the quarter-finals in the afternoon of the same day.