"Billiards Emperor" Frederic Caudron, 58, of Belgium has reclaimed the top spot at the World Billiards Union (UMB) 3-Cushion World Cup for the first time in seven years.
Caudron defeated Tay Hong Chiem of Vietnam 50-25 in 22 innings, posting a high run of 15, in the final of the UMB Ho Chi Minh 3-Cushion World Cup held in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam on the 24th.
With the victory, Caudron returned to the top of the UMB World Cup for the first time since 2018, claiming his 22nd career title. He competed as a Professional Billiards Association (PBA) player from 2019 to 2023 before returning to the UMB stage following friction over the PBA team league operations.
In this tournament, Caudron defeated world-class contenders one after another. In the round of 16, he beat world No. 1 Cho Myung-woo, 28, of Seoul City Hall 50-45 in 21 innings, followed by a 50-31 win over Heo Jung-han of Gyeongnam in 21 innings in the quarterfinals. He then defeated Italian veteran Marco Zanetti 50-39 in 34 innings in the semifinals to advance to the championship match.
Meanwhile, high school prospect Kim Do-hyun of Sangdong High School-affiliated Bangtong High School stood out at the tournament. Kim, officially sponsored by SOOP, advanced to the main draw at the age of 17 years, 10 months and 18 days, breaking the Korean record for youngest player to reach a 3-Cushion World Cup main draw, previously held by Cho Myung-woo. Kim set the world's third-youngest main draw appearance record, behind Burak Hashash of Turkey and Daniel Sanchez of Spain, and advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to Eddy Merckx of Belgium.
