Player Quoc Hoang defeated the former world champion

Quoc Hoang Ha Ko Pin-Yi (Kha Binh Dat) in just two halves with the score 4-3, 4-2 in the 1/8 round, for the second time in a row to enter the quarterfinals of a major tournament after the world pool of 9 balls. early February 2023.

Ko from Taiwan, 34 years old, won the world 9 and 10 ball pool champion in 2015, and more than 20 international titles in his career. According to the WPA world pool table, Ko is 32nd, and Quoc Hoang is in 62nd place.

Quoc Hoang's opponent in the quarterfinals is Shane van Boening, in the match taking place at 10 am on February 26, Hanoi time. The number one player in Vietnam once won a dramatic 11-10 Boening in the 1/8 round of the world 9-ball pool in Poland on February 4. The American player has won more than 100 international titles in his career, in all three categories of 8-ball, 9-ball and 10-ball pool.

The Las Vegas Open is an annual tournament, taking place a few days before the world pool of 10 balls. This year's 2023 tournament has 192 players participating, taking place from February 22 to February 26. In the first stage, the players were double-eliminating, selecting 64 knockout players in the second stage. The prize fund of the prize is 125,000 USD, of which Quoc Hoang has guaranteed at least 4,000 USD.

On the way to the quarterfinals, Quoc Hoang defeated Joshua Watson and Prathamesh Sawant respectively, then lost to Alex Kazakis and dropped to the losing bracket. The 36-year-old player then beat Lukas Fracasso-Verner, Roland Garcia and Ko.

Vietnam has three other players to attend the tournament, Nguyen Anh Tuan, Dang Thanh Kien and Luong Duc Thien, but they did not make it to the knockout round.

The 2023 World 10 Ball Pool Tournament will also take place in Las Vegas, from February 28 to March 4.