'19-Year-Old World Champion' Kim Young-won survives a cliffhanger in the Round of 128; Jo Jae-ho and Semi Signer also advance to the Round of 64 [PBA]

*This content was translated by AI.

'Youngest World Champion' Kim Young-won (19, Harim) barely advanced to the Round of 64 after a tense tiebreaker in his season-opening match.

On the 19th, Kim Young-won defeated Kim Gyu-jun in a tiebreaker at the PBA 128-round of the 'Woori Financial Capital PBA-LPBA Championship,' the opening tour of the 2026-2027 professional billiards season, held at 'Goyang KINTEX PBA Stadium' in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, to advance to the Round of 64.

It was widely expected that 'Youngest World Champion' Kim Young-won would easily defeat Kim Gyu-jun, who had been promoted from the Dream Tour (second division) in the previous season. Kim Young-won won the first set 15-0 (6 innings) and the second set 15-8 (8 innings) with a high run of 13 points, taking an immediate 2-0 lead in sets.

However, Kim Young-won's form declined from the third set. He managed only 4 points in the third set, losing 4-15 (4 innings), and then lost the fourth set 11-15 (16 innings), forcing a tiebreaker.

In the tiebreaker, Kim Young-won's 'strong heart' shone through. Both players scored 2 points in the first inning, moving to the second inning. After Kim Gyu-jun, the first player to shoot, managed only 1 point, Kim Young-won, shooting second, immediately succeeded with a bank shot to take a 4-3 lead and barely advance to the Round of 64. Kim Young-won's career tiebreaker win rate rose to 77.8% (7 wins, 2 losses).

In another match held on the same day, 'native powerhouse' Jo Jae-ho (NH Nonghyup Card) secured a decisive 3-0 victory over Yoon Jun-hyeok and advanced to the Round of 64. Jo Jae-ho won the first set 15-4 (11 innings), followed by a 15-3 (5 innings) win in the second set with a high run of 12 points, and closed out the match with a 15-3 (5 innings) victory in the third set after scoring another high run of 10 points.

Foreign powerhouses also joined the Round of 64 stage in large numbers. Semi Signer (Turkey, Welcome Savings Bank) defeated Nam Sang-min 3-1, while David Martinez (Spain, Crown Haetae) routed Kang Jae-hyeok 3-0. Murat Naji Choklu (Turkey, Hana Card), Lutpi Chenet (Turkey, High1 Resort), and Nguyen Quoc Nguyen (Vietnam, Hana Card) also advanced to the Round of 64.

In the LPBA Round of 32 held alongside the PBA matches on the same day, Park Jeong-hyun (Harim), along with Seo Han-sol and Kim Ye-eun (both from Hyoone), and Yong Hyeon-ji (Welcome Savings Bank), successfully advanced to the Round of 16.

On the fifth day of the tournament, the 20th, the PBA Round of 64 and LPBA Round of 16 matches will take place. The PBA Round of 64 will be played in five turns starting at 12:30 p.m., while the LPBA Round of 16 will be held at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.