Nguyện wins bronze at Three-cushion Champ

Nguyện wins bronze at Three-cushion Champ

Kicker: Nguyện (first from right) wins bronze in the semi-final of UMB World Three-cushion Champ. — Photo nld.com.vn

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s top carom billiards player Nguyễn Quốc Nguyện won a bronze medal of UMB World Three-cushion Championship, held yesterday in Egypt.

Nguyện lost in the semi-final to Jeremy Bury from France, ranked  二0th in the UMB. 

Nguyện started the semi-final smoothly and led  一 五/ 七, then  一 六/ 一 一, but failed to capitalise.

Many fans hoped he would beat Bury so for the first time in history Việt Nam had a player in the final of the tournament. Last year, Mã Minh Cẩm also finished third.

Coach Nguyễn Việt Hòa said many Vietnamese players had a good start but lost eventually as “losing nerve and confidence after once and twice broken turns and then lost focus”.

Meanwhile, Bury took an upturn at  三 三/ 一 六, scoring  二 二 points.

Nguyện’s later efforts only got him four more points before accepting the loss.

Previously, Bury also beat another top Vietnamese player Trần Quyết Chiến in the quarter-final.

However, after the tournament, Chiến and Nguyện still entered the top  一0 of the World UMB list, with Chiến eighth and Nguyện ninth. — VNS