'Four Kings of Billiards' Fredrik Koedron claims 3-cushion World Cup title after 7 years... 17-year-old Kim Do-hyun, holder of 'South Korea's youngest record', reaches quarterfinals

*This content was translated by AI.

Fredrik Koedron (58, Belgium) has returned to the top of the 3rd-cushion World Cup for the first time in seven years.

On the 24th, in the final of the 'Ho Chi Minh 3-Cushion World Cup' held in Vietnam, Koedron defeated Vietnam's Thai Hong Chiem with a high run of 15 points, winning 50-25 in 22 innings to claim the championship.

Koedron, who won the title in 2018, later joined the PBA tour and did not compete in UMB-sanctioned events. However, amid disagreements over a contract with PBA during the 2023-2024 season, he returned to the UMB stage and reclaimed the World Cup title after seven years. This marks his 22nd career 3-cushion World Cup victory.

The path to victory was far from easy. In the round of 16, he defeated world No. 1 Jo Myung-woo (Seoul City Hall) 50-45 in 21 innings. In the quarterfinals, he beat Heo Jeong-han (Gyeongnam) 50-31 in 21 innings. In the semifinals, he defeated Italy's Marco Zanetti 50-39 in 34 innings to advance to the final.

Koedron's final opponent, Thai Hong Chiem, had also advanced to the final by defeating top-tier players such as Dick Jaspers (Netherlands) and Eddie Meks (Belgium) in succession, but could not overcome Koedron's wall.

Among Korean players, the performance of Kim Do-hyun (Sangdong High School Affiliated Broadcasting and Communications High School), officially sponsored by SOOP, drew attention. At the age of 17 years, 10 months, and 18 days, Kim broke the record for the youngest South Korean to qualify for the main draw of the 3rd-cushion World Cup, a record previously held by Jo Myung-woo, and advanced to the quarterfinals. He also set a new record as the third youngest player in World Cup history to reach the main draw, following Burak Hashasi (Turkey) and Daniel Sanchez (Spain). However, Kim lost to Eddie Meks in the quarterfinals and failed to reach the semifinals.

Key matches of this tournament were also broadcast on cable channels including SOOP TV, Ball TV (Berry Media), and IB Sports. Match replays and highlight videos for users who missed the live broadcast are available on SOOP's billiards page.

Meanwhile, SOOP operates various initiatives including the broadcast and production of domestic and international billiards tournaments and the 'Road to UMB' project, which supports rising players. Through diverse projects such as hosting student and amateur tournaments, SOOP continues to expand the domestic billiards industry and support player development.

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*This content was translated by AI.