Tran Quyet Chien dominates Mexican master, Vietnam starts strong at world three-cushion carom championship

Vietnam's number one cueist Tran Quyet Chien achieved an overwhelming win against a Mexican master, thereby helping his team begin smoothly in the 2026 World Team Three-Cushion Carom Championship.

Tran Quyet Chien leads the Vietnamese team to a successful debut at the world championship

This year's tournament takes place in Viersen (Germany), gathering many top powerhouses in three-cushion carom. Vietnam is placed in Group B with Germany, France, and Mexico. In the opening match late on February 26th, Vietnam's two representatives, Tran Quyet Chien and Nguyen Tran Thanh Tu, both competed, facing Christian Hernandez and Luis Sobreyra respectively.

In his match, Tran Quyet Chien did not have the smoothest start, allowing Hernandez to take an early lead. However, the turning point came in the 8th inning when Vietnam's top cueist unleashed an 8-point series to reverse the situation, taking a 12-7 lead. Not stopping there, he added a 6-point series in the 12th inning, concluding the first session with a comfortable 21-7 advantage.

Entering the second session, the match was completely under the control of the cueist from Ha Tinh. Consecutive 5 and 6-point series in the 21st and 22nd innings helped Quyet Chien extend his lead before closing the match with a convincing 40-18 victory.

At the other table, Nguyen Tran Thanh Tu experienced a breathless chase with Sobreyra. Despite holding a significant lead at one point, Thanh Tu allowed his opponent to explode with an 11-point series and reach 40 first. However, in the subsequent equalizing inning, the Vietnamese player calmly scored to level at 40-40 after 32 innings, thereby securing a crucial draw.

Overall, Vietnam won against Mexico in the opening match. In the other Group B fixture, Germany defeated France to temporarily lead the group. Vietnam currently ranks second and will face host Germany in the next round, while France takes on Mexico.