Bao Phương Vinh secured third place at the three-cushion carom World Cup in Belgium.

Bao Phương Vinh ended his remarkable campaign at the 2026 Lier Three-Cushion Carom World Cup (Belgium) finishing joint third, following a semifinal defeat to the world's top-ranked player Cho Myung Woo (South Korea).

In the match for a spot in the final, Bao Phương Vinh started cautiously but soon found himself trailing as Cho Myung Woo displayed outstanding form. The South Korean cueist turned the game around with a run of 21 points, quickly extending his lead.

Phương Vinh then tried to reduce the gap by scoring consecutive points, but could not prevent Cho Myung Woo from maintaining control. Ultimately, the Vietnamese representative lost 30-50 after 15 innings, ending his run in the semifinals.

Despite missing the chance to play in the final, the shared third-place finish is a commendable achievement for Bao Phương Vinh at a World Cup event that gathered many top players worldwide.

Earlier, the 2023 world champion had a very impressive tournament. In the official group stage, Bao Phương Vinh faced Martin Horn, Berkay Karakurt, and Ruben Legazpi. Most notably, he defeated Legazpi 40-12 in just 10 innings. With an average of 4.000 points per inning, this was also the best single-match performance of the entire tournament.

Qualifying for the knockout rounds, Phương Vinh continued to overcome many renowned opponents.

In the round of 16, the Vietnamese cueist defeated Belgian legend Eddy Merckx by a narrow score of 50-48 after 27 innings.

In the quarterfinals, Phương Vinh continued his excellent performance against Marco Zanetti. A run of 15 points gave him a crucial advantage before he secured a 50-38 victory after 20 innings, thereby booking his place in the semifinals.

Defeating Eddy Merckx and Marco Zanetti in succession demonstrated Bao Phương Vinh's consistent form and ability to compete against the biggest names in world three-cushion carom.

According to the final standings, Bao Phương Vinh and Berkay Karakurt shared third place. The Vietnamese cueist finished the tournament with an average of 2.163 points per inning and earned an additional 36 World Cup points.

In the final, Cho Myung Woo continued his impressive form by defeating Dick Jaspers 50-38 after 18 innings to claim the championship.

The 2026 Lier Three-Cushion Carom World Cup is one of the key events in the World Cup system of the World Confederation of Billiards Sports (UMB). The performance in Belgium further confirms that Bao Phương Vinh maintains his position among the world's top players.