The final match on the evening of June 15 was an exciting score chase. Before the break, Tran Quyet Chien and Eddy Merckx drew 24-24. But then, the Belgian player had 2 series of scoring 5 and 9 points, thereby creating a big advantage.
Tran Quyet Chien excited the audience with some beautiful actors. But that was not enough to catch Eddy Merckx. The Belgian player ended the match with a 50-40 victory after 27 turns, thereby winning the 3-cushion carom billiards World Cup in Ankara.
This is also Eddy Merckx's 14th World Cup title after 16 appearances in the final. In addition, he has also won the world championship twice.
For Tran Quyet Chien, even though he did not win the championship, he still had a successful tournament. The No. 1 player of Vietnam showed his mettle in the group stage when he beat Kang Ja In and Muammer Rahmet, after losing to Bao Phuong Vinh in the opening match, to get a ticket to the next round.
In the knockout round, Tran Quyet Chien defeated world-class 6th-ranked player Heo Jung Han (Korea) with a score of 50-41. He then continued to beat Jeremy Bury with a score of 50-35 after 29 turns. In the semi-finals, Tran Quyet Chien won with a score of 50-22 after 19 turns against Sameh Sidhom (Egypt).
With the runner-up position in Ankara, Tran Quyet Chien will receive 54 bonus points, thereby continuing to maintain his position in the top of the world 3-rade carom. In addition, he also received a bonus of 10,000 Euros.
To date, Tran Quyet Chien has won the World Cup 4 times. He is the most successful Vietnamese player in this playground. Tran Quyet Chien will aim for the next World Cup, taking place in Porto ( portugal) from June 29 to July 5.
