Dick Jaspers is currently ranked 3rd in the world, the person with the 2nd highest number of World Cup titles in history with 32 championships. Opening the match on the afternoon of May 23, Hong Thai with 2 series of 4 points and 6 points led 10-7.
Immediately after that, Dick Jaspers continuously scored points to lead 25-17 after the 1st quarter. Right at the beginning of the 2nd quarter, Hong Thai launched a 13-point series, leading back 31-28 before increasing the gap to 41-32. At this time, Dick Jaspers' class was once again shown. The Dutch superstar launched a 8-point series, leading back 45-41.
In the dramatic final minutes, Hong Thai unleashed a 5-point shot, winning back 50-46 after 29 shots. With this result, Chiem Hong Thai won the right to enter the semi-finals. His opponent will be the famous Belgian player Eddy Merckx - who is currently ranked 2nd in the world. In the match at the same time, Eddy Merckx with a series of up to 20 points won 50-23 after 19 shots against Kim Do Hyeon (Korea).
The semi-final match between Hong Thai and Eddy Merckx will take place at 11:30 a.m. on May 24.
Chiem Hong Thai is the only Vietnamese player still participating in the 3-bar curling billiards World Cup in Ho Chi Minh City this year. In the knockout round on May 23, other players Nguyen Tran Thanh Tu, Bao Phuong Vinh and Tran Thanh Luc were all eliminated.
In which, Tran Thanh Luc lost to Dick Jaspers with a score of 40-50 after 18 sets. Nguyen Tran Thanh Tu suffered a defeat of 37-50 after 33 sets against opponent Kim Do Hyeon. Bao Phuong Vinh lost to Chiem Hong Thai with a close score of 47-50 after 34 sets.
