'Cambodia's Srong Captured': Jo Ye-eun Overcomes 'Draft Failure' Pain to Reach LPBA Round of 32... Lee Mi-rae and Jung Soobin Eliminated in Round of 64, Upset Results

*This content was translated by AI.

A major upset unfolded in the women's professional billiards LPBA. Jo Ye-eun (24) defeated 'Cambodia's ace' Srong Piyabi (Woori Financial Capital), advancing to the tournament's Round of 32.

On the 27th, at the Professional Billiards 2026-2027 Season 3rd Tour 'Eco-Friendly Building Materials SW PBA-LPBA Championship' held at Goyang KinTEX PBA Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Jo Ye-eun defeated Srong with a score of 25-12 (16 innings) to advance to the Round of 32.

Jo Ye-eun took an early lead from the start of the match. She scored four points in the first inning and five in the second, reaching nine points within two innings to take a 9-2 lead. With the gap narrowing slightly to 11-5, Jo Ye-eun then scored consecutively over three innings (5-1-1) starting from the seventh inning, building a double-digit score of 18-9.

Srong also tried hard to catch up but struggled to escape the slump of missed shots. Jo Ye-eun secured the final point in the 16th inning while leading 24-12, closing out the match with a 25-12 victory. Jo Ye-eun's Round of 64 average was 1.563, ranking first overall in that round.

Jo Ye-eun, who debuted in the 2021-2022 season, has never advanced beyond the Round of 32 (three times) in her personal tour history. Previously affiliated with SK Rent-a-Car until last season, she was not selected in this year's draft and failed to join a team league. Entering this season with renewed determination, she had only reached the Round of 128 in the previous two tournaments, but this time she pulled off a major upset to reach the Round of 32.

Aiming to break her personal best record, Jo Ye-eun will face Jeon Ji-yeon in the Round of 32. The match between Jo Ye-eun and Jeon Ji-yeon is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. on the 29th. Meanwhile, Srong, who claimed her 10th career title at the 2nd Tour (High1 Resort Championship), suffered an unexpected blow in this tournament, ending her bid for back-to-back titles.

While Srong was eliminated in the Round of 64, 'Billiards Queen' Kim Ga-young (Hana Card) advanced to the Round of 32. Kim Ga-young steadily built points against Seo Yu-ri early in the match, taking a 7-1 lead. However, Seo Yu-ri mounted a fierce comeback, tying the score at 9-9 by the 14th inning. Kim Ga-young refused to surrender the lead and gradually extended her advantage again, while Seo Yu-ri could not continue her chase. Kim Ga-young finished the match with a score of 23-14 (28 innings).

Other strong players including Kim Min-a (NH Agribank Card), Kim Se-yeon, and Seo Han-sol (all from Heumons), Choi Hye-mi (Welcome Savings Bank), Park Jeong-hyun (Harim), Baek Min-ju (Crown Haetae), Kang Ji-eun (High1 Resort), and Im Kyung-jin (Breakers) also advanced to the Round of 32. On the other hand, Lee Mi-rae (High1 Resort), Jung Soobin (NH Agribank Card), Choi Bom-i (Welcome Savings Bank), and Natsuki Higashiuchi (Japan·Crown Haetae) were eliminated in the Round of 64.

On the third day of the tournament, the 28th, the event will officially begin at 12:30 p.m. with the opening ceremony, followed by the PBA (men's division) Round of 128 and LPBA Round of 32 Day 1 matches.

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*This content was translated by AI.