Vietnamese player defeats four-time world champion to claim victory in Korea, winning 1.8 billion in prize money.

Vietnamese player Nguyễn Quốc Nguyện made headlines by winning a stage at a major tournament in Korea after defeating billiards legend Daniel Sanchez.

Vietnamese player Nguyễn Quốc Nguyện concluded a remarkable day in three-cushion billiards by winning a stage at the PBA Tour 9 of the 2025/2026 season, held on the evening of February 2 in Korea, following a dramatic comeback victory against opponent Daniel Sanchez.

The PBA Tour 9 gathered 128 top players worldwide, competing in a direct elimination format. To reach the final, the player from Gia Lai (Vietnam) went through an impressive journey with five consecutive wins. In the semifinal, Quốc Nguyện faced Kim Jong Won (Korea). Despite losing the first set 0-15, the 1982-born player quickly regained momentum, winning the next four sets 15-7, 15-3, 15-7, and 15-11 to secure a spot in the final.

The final match was a showdown between Quốc Nguyện and Daniel Sanchez (Spain), a world three-cushion billiards icon with four World Cup wins and four UMB World Championship titles, who was in excellent form and had not lost a set before. Sanchez started strongly, taking a 2-0 lead (15-11, 15-8).

The joy of player Quốc Nguyện - Photo: FBNV

However, Quốc Nguyện staged a powerful comeback to level the score 2-2 with wins of 15-3 and 15-9. Sanchez moved ahead again 3-2 after winning a set 15-4, but this was when the historic comeback by the Vietnamese player began. In the sixth set, Quốc Nguyện scored a 12-point series to win 15-2, before closing the final with an 11-4 victory in the deciding set thanks to an 8-point series, securing a final score of 4-3.

With this championship, Nguyễn Quốc Nguyện received 100 million won, equivalent to nearly 1.8 billion VND. He became the second Vietnamese player to win a PBA Tour stage, after Mã Minh Cẩm in 2022, and marked his first PBA stage victory in his career after four seasons of participation.