The illustrious list of winners of the title of 3-cushion billiards world champion has been enriched by a completely new name. Phuong Vinh Bao, until recently a totally unknown billiard player from Vietnam, grabbed the 2023 world three cushion billiard title at the tournament held in Ankara, Turkey.
In a demonstration of skill and class, Tayfun Tasdemir has won the 2022 UMB 3-cushion world title. In Donghae City, South-Korea, he defeated Ruben Legazpi in a one-sided final: 50-14 in 15/14 innings. For Turkiye, it had been a nineteen-year wait since Semih Sayginer was world champion in 2003.
Pedro Piedrabuena defeated long-time rival and former champion Miguel Torres to win his 11th USBA 3-Cushion National Championship title.
His play throughout the event was nearly perfect and included an incredible come-from-behind victory against Kang Lee in the penultimate Semi-final round.
Myung-Woo Cho captured the 2016 World 3-Cushion Junior Championship held in Hurghada, Egypt December 8-10. At age 18 his promise of a long and successful career is first being realized. Cho demonstrated his ability earlier in the year by reaching the semi-finals of the UMB World Cup in Guri, Korea where he only lost to eventual winner Jeremy Bury of France. Here is a wonderful profile of this great young Korean billiard player from Korean news site The Dong-A Ilbo.
At the USBA Three-Cushion National Championship tournament held at the Casino del Sol Resort in Tucson, Arizona, the United States Billiard Association honored Paul Frankel, better known to the billiards world as Professor-Q-Ball, for his contribution to three-cushion billiards. More than anyone during the last fifteen years, Paul has been responsible for the resurgence of three-cushion billiards in America.
Three-cushion billiard players hail from all around the world, with top competitors representing Belgium, France, Vietnam, Turkey, South Korea and the USA. But the sport is currently attracting plenty of interest in the Netherlands, in part due to the recent success of the new world champion Dick Jaspers. The Sint Willebrord-born player is a true 3-cushion specialist and has enjoyed a hugely lucrative year in 2018. As a result, his homeland appears to be fully embracing the sport in every way.