Ho Chi Minh City (VNA) – The 14th Asian Carom Championship officially opened in Xuan Hoa ward, Ho Chi Minh City, on May 7, bringing together 80 leading cueists from Vietnam, the Republic of Korea (RoK) and Japan.
Organised by the Ho Chi Minh City Billiards & Snooker Federation, the tournament features four events: men’s three-cushion carom, women’s three-cushion carom, men’s one-cushion carom, and the men’s U22 three-cushion category.
The men’s three-cushion event has drawn the largest number of participants, with 32 players divided into eight groups competing on May 7-8. The category is regarded as the tournament’s highlight as it features many of Asia’s top-ranked players.
In the opening match, world No. 1 and defending champion Cho Myung Woo of the RoK defeated Japan’s Yoneyama Satoru 40-17 after 15 innings in Group A.
Vietnamese cueist Tran Quyet Chien also secured a win in Group C, beating Takahashi Tomotaka of Japan 40-22 after 31 innings. Bao Phuong Vinh overcame teammate Nguyen Huu Thanh 40-35 in Group D.
Other leading players competing for knockout-round spots include world No. 11 Tran Thanh Luc of Vietnam, world No. 14 Heo Jung Han and world No. 16 Kim Haeng Jik of the RoK.
The remaining three events will take place on May 9-10.
In the women’s three-cushion category, Vietnam has five representatives among 16 competitors. Defending champion Heo Chae Won of the RoK is grouped with Vietnam’s Phung Kien Tuong, Japan’s Fukao Noriko and Yeom Hee Ju of the RoK. World No. 2 Kim Ha Eun will face Vietnam’s Le Thi Ngoc Hue in Group D.
In the men’s one-cushion event, defending champion Ho Hoang Hung of Vietnam will meet Jang Sung Won of the RoK in a direct knockout format.
The U22 men’s three-cushion category features 16 players divided into four groups, including Vietnam’s Nguyen Minh Tri and Huynh Ngoc Khac Huy.
The championship runs through May 10 at the Ho Xuan Huong Competition Hall and is open free of charge to spectators./.
