Stopping with regret at the world championship, Duong Quoc Hoang uttered two words.

Leading Oliver Szolnoki 5-1, but Duong Quoc Hoang let his opponent turn the tide and win 8-7. Vietnam's number one pool player regretfully stopped at the 2026 World 8-Ball Championship.

Regrettably losing in a reversal to Szolnoki, Duong Quoc Hoang stops.

The journey of Vietnam's top pool player at the 2026 Men's World 8-Ball Championship ended after a cruel scenario against Hungarian opponent Oliver Szolnoki. This match in the losers' bracket brought spectators contrasting emotional ups and downs, from brilliant highs to a bitter ending for Vietnam's representative.

Duong Quoc Hoang started in the best possible way. With a clearly improved break technique compared to his opening match, he quickly dominated his opponent. Leading swiftly: "Golden Star" soon surged ahead 2-0, then 5-1. In this winning streak, the Vietnamese player dazzled fans with three consecutive "run-outs" (clearing the table immediately after the break). Totaling the early stage, he scored up to 4 points from perfect break-and-run situations.

Despite trailing deeply, Oliver Szolnoki still showed the composure of a top-tier player. Once he caught up with the match's pace, the Hungarian player maximized every smallest opportunity to score four consecutive run-out points to erase the deficit. From being down 6-2, he reversed "Golden Star" to lead 7-6, pushing the Vietnamese player into a corner.

In the 14th game, the drama escalated when Duong Quoc Hoang had a cue ball foul situation. However, with an extremely precise "jump shot" (ball jump) on the 8-ball, he successfully salvaged the situation, bringing the match into a deciding game (hill-hill).

In the fateful 15th game, luck turned away from Vietnam's representative. Duong Quoc Hoang's break sent the target ball into the pocket, but the cue ball also simultaneously fell in (scratch on the break). That presented Oliver Szolnoki with a table layout that couldn't be more favorable. Not missing this gift from fate, the Hungarian player calmly cleared the table to secure a narrow 8-7 victory.

"Fate." That was the brief status update from Golden Star after this regretful loss. Within a few hours, there were thousands of interactions and hundreds of comments offering encouragement and sharing support for Vietnam's top pool player.

Despite the defeat, it cannot be denied that Duong Quoc Hoang delivered a professionally excellent match. The combination of superb technique and solid psychology helped him contribute a visually satisfying contest. However, in elite sports, the line between victory and defeat is sometimes separated only by a bit of luck in the final break.

Departing the tournament in the losers' bracket, "Golden Star" left much regret in the hearts of Vietnam's billiard fans.