In the semifinal, Vinh made a cautious start but soon found himself chasing Cho who scored 21 points consecutively, and rapidly widened the gap.

Vinh tried to fight back with a series of scoring runs but was unable to turn the tide. He eventually lost 30-50 in 15 innings, ending his campaign in the semifinals and sharing third place with Berkay Karakurt.

Before taking on Cho, the Vietnamese cueist enjoyed an impressive run at the tournament.

In the main draw, the 2023 world champion faced Martin Horn (Germany), Berkay Karakurt (Turkey) and Rubén Legazpi (Spain). His 40-12 win over Legazpi in just 10 innings was particularly impressive, as he averaged 4.000 points per inning, the highest single-match average recorded at the tournament.

In the round of 16, he edged Belgian legend Eddy Merckx 50-48 in 27 innings. He then continued his strong run by defeating Marco Zanetti (Italy) 50-38 in 20 innings in the quarterfinals. A 15-point run gave Vinh a crucial advantage before he closed out the win.

The results earned Bao Phuong Vinh a joint-third-place finish alongside Berkay Karakurt. He ended the tournament with an overall average of 2.163 points per inning and collected 36 World Cup ranking points.

In the final, Cho continued his impressive form by defeating Dick Jaspers 50–38 in 18 innings to claim the title.

The 2026 Lier 3-Cushion Carom World Cup from August 31 to September 6 is a key tournament in the World Cup system organised by the Union Mondiale de Billard (UMB). His performance in Belgium reaffirms Bao Phuong Vinh's standing among the world's elite players.

Vietnamese cueist makes history at 2026 Asian Carom Billiards Championship

VOV.VN -Vietnam’s Nguyen Duc Yen Sinh has marked a historic milestone for Vietnamese billiards after winning the women’s three-cushion carom title at the 2026 Asian Carom Billiards Championship in Ho Chi Minh City.