Luong Duc Thien was defeated by the Filipino prodigy, leaving Vietnamese billiards without any representatives at the Carabao International Open 2026.

Vietnam's campaign at the Carabao International Open 2026 officially concluded after the 'final fighter' Luong Duc Thien (Thien Luong) was eliminated by the promising Filipino player Bernie Relagario.

Luong Duc Thien fell just short of reaching the quarterfinals at the Carabao International Open 2026.

After two explosive days of competition on Tuesday and Wednesday with a flawless winning streak, Thien Luong entered the crucial round carrying high expectations from fans. Previously, the player from Luong Son displayed excellent form by convincingly defeating Indonesia's home representative I Made Alvien Dwiki. Despite his opponent having recently eliminated the strong player Feliciano, Thien Luong started powerfully, quickly taking a 4-0 lead and closing the match with a 10-4 victory to secure his spot in the next round.

However, the real challenge came when he faced Bernie Relagario – the "little prince" of Filipino billiards. This young cueist is well-known among experts, considered alongside AJ Manas as the future of Philippine billiards, and had reached the semifinals of the 2025 World Pool Championship. Against such a comprehensive opponent, Thien Luong gave his best effort but managed only 5 racks before Relagario sealed the win at 10-5 and advanced to the quarterfinals. This loss also meant Vietnam no longer had any players left in the tournament.