In the semi-finals, Chiem Hong Thai made a spectacular comeback, defeating Eddy Merckx with a score of 50-46 after 25 sets, even though he was previously behind 6-25. In the other match, Frederic Caudron defeated Marco Zanetti with a score of 50-39 after 34 sets.
Caudron, who ranked 6th in the world before entering the final, is rated much higher than Chiem Hong Thai. The Belgian player is known as the "alien" in the world of billiards, because of his impressive record and good performance in many different categories.
In the World Cup system managed by the World Carom Federation (UMB) alone, he has won the World Cup 21 times, and won the world championship 6 times in both individual and team events. In addition, he has won dozens of other titles in Belgian and European championships. For a time, Caudron switched to playing in the PBA system and also achieved many successes.
Specifically at the 3-cushion carom Billiards World Cup in Ho Chi Minh City, Caudron also won championships in 2016 and 2019. Entering the final match with Chiem Hong Thai on the evening of May 24, with the advantage of "de pa" first, Caudron made a 6-point series.
Immediately after that, the seasoned Belgian player continued to have a 5-point lead to increase the gap to 11-0. Chiem Hong Thai played hard, narrowing the score to 7-13. When leading 23-15, Caudron launched a 15-point series leading 38-15 after the first round.
Stepping into the second half, Caudron still showed extremely high class, maintaining the advantage to win 50-25 overall after 22 sets, thereby winning the championship. This is also the 3rd time he has been crowned champion in Vietnam. Meanwhile, Chiem Hong Thai won the runner-up title at home for the first time.
According to UMB's updated ranking, with the 2026 Ho Chi Minh City Billiards World Cup championship, Caudron has increased 4 places to world No. 2. Meanwhile, Chiem Hong Thai has also increased 2 places to world No. 20.
