Vietnam's top cueist continues impressive winning streak, advances to quarterfinals of prestigious European tournament

Cueist Duong Quoc Hoang continues to impress at the European Open Championship 2026 by defeating Francisco Sanchez Ruiz 10-8 in the Last 16 round, thereby securing a spot in the quarterfinals of the prestigious 9-ball pool billiards event taking place in Sarajevo (Bosnia & Herzegovina).

This victory becomes even more noteworthy as Hoang Sao's opponent is one of the world's top cueists. Francisco Sanchez Ruiz has been a world champion and has remained among the strongest players in the World Nineball Tour system for many years. Therefore, the match is considered one of the most notable contests in the round of 16.

In fact, the match started quite favorably for Hoang Sao as he led 5-0. However, Ruiz demonstrated he is not easily subdued by consistently mounting a comeback. After 17 frames, he narrowed the gap to 8-9.

Nevertheless, competitive composure and stable form helped the Vietnamese cueist gradually relieve pressure to rise up and conclude the match with a 10-8 score.

This is a highly valuable victory for Hoang Sao because Sanchez Ruiz is not only a strong opponent but also a player with whom he has had recent frequent encounters. Not long before, the Vietnamese cueist defeated Ruiz himself in the final of a major Matchroom system tournament to claim the title, thereby creating a historic milestone for Vietnamese billiards.

Once again overcoming this opponent demonstrates the stable form and clear progress of Duong Quoc Hoang in recent years.

Before entering the round of 16, Hoang Sao had a quite convincing journey in this year's tournament. In the Last 64 round, he made a strong impression by defeating Salvador Garcia with a perfect 10-0 score. Subsequently in the Last 32 round, the Vietnamese cueist continued to win against Aleksa Pecelj 10-4 to become Vietnam's sole remaining representative in the event.

The European Open 2026 is one of the major tournaments within the World Nineball Tour system, gathering 256 top cueists worldwide competing over six consecutive days. Given its scale and high professional quality, reaching the group of the tournament's top eight players is a very notable achievement for any cueist.