Reyes Cup teammates Ko Pin Yi and Johann Chua are set for an epic showdown in the final of the 2024 Mansion Sports Hanoi Open, held at the Hanoi Indoor Games Gymnasium in the vibrant city of Hanoi.
Returning for its second edition, the highly anticipated Hanoi Open Pool Championship is presented in partnership with leading sports investment firm Mansion Sports & Entertainment Group and renowned broadcaster Vietcontent.
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Ko Pin Yi and Jefrey Roda had previously clashed in the final of the inaugural RASSON Luschan Open earlier this year, where Ko narrowly edged out a hill-hill victory, foreshadowing their semifinal rematch in Hanoi.
While Roda started strong, winning the lag and the first rack, a devastating scratch on his break in the second rack gave Ko the opening he needed. Ko quickly surged ahead, stringing together racks and finishing with a well-executed 6-8-9 combo to establish a commanding 8-1 lead.
Roda capitalised on a foul by Ko in the tenth rack to snatch a second point, but Ko soon regained control and ran up the racks to reach the hill. Roda had one last chance after Ko missed on the 2-ball, but nerves got the better of the Filipino, leading to a critical miss on the 4-ball. Ko swiftly returned to the table, clinching the final rack to secure his place in the final. Nicknamed by Vietnamese fans as “Dũng sĩ diệt Phil” (the Filipino slayer), Ko Pin Yi now advances to face Johann Chua for one last test to live up to his title.
©Taka Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport
Johann Chua‘s semifinal match against fellow Filipino Carlo Biado began as a tightly contested affair. Both players traded racks, capitalising on each other’s mistakes to keep the match level early on. Biado managed to take a two-rack lead, but ‘Bad Koi’ Chua found his rhythm in the seventh rack, sinking the 2-ball along the rail to spark a five-rack run, pushing him ahead 7-5.
In rack 12, Chua’s positional error allowed Biado to take another rack, but Chua quickly fought back. After Biado left the 6-ball hanging, Chua pounced to reclaim the lead, eventually reaching the hill. Chua‘s final break was flawless, leaving a clear roadmap for him to run out the table and book his spot in his second Matchroom Major final of the year.
The Reyes Cup teammates Ko Pin Yi and Johann Chua will meet in the 2024 Mansion Sports Hanoi Open final today at 6:30pm (ICT), in what promises to be an electrifying showdown.
FINAL
Ko Pin Yi (TPE) vs Johann Chua (PHI)