Kim Young-won (19, Harim), the Professional Billiards Association's "youngest world champion," advanced to the Round of 64 after a nail-biting victory in his first match of the season opener.
Kim defeated Kim Kyu-jun in a shootout in the PBA Round of 128 of the Woori Financial Capital PBA-LPBA Championship, the 2026-2027 season opener held at the KINTEX PBA Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on the 19th, advancing to the Round of 64.
Kim, who set the record as the youngest-ever world championship winner last season, appeared headed for an easy victory against Kim Kyu-jun, who was promoted from the Dream Tour (second division). He took the first set 15-0 (6 innings) and the second set 15-8 (8 innings) with a high run of 13 points, building a 2-0 lead. However, he dropped the third set 4-15 (4 innings) and the fourth set 11-15 (16 innings) to allow his opponent to level the match. In the first inning of the shootout, both players scored 2 points. In the second inning, when Kim Kyu-jun, going first, managed only 1 point, Kim Young-won, going second, sank a bank shot to seal the match 4-3.
Kim Young-won will compete against Won Ho-su for a Round of 32 ticket on the night of the 20th.
Cho Jae-ho (NH Nonghyup Card), Semih Sayginer (Turkey, Welcome Savings Bank), and David Martinez (Spain, Crown Haitai) also secured spots in the Round of 64.
Meanwhile, "billiards influencer" Hecker, who entered as a wild card and pulled off an upset by defeating last season's top-ranked Daniel Sanchez (Spain, Welcome Savings Bank) in the Round of 128, will face Antonio Montes (Spain) in the Round of 64 at 12:30 p.m. on the 20th.
