In a gritty, consistent and still a stunner of a performance, local player Tae Kyu Lee wins the 2020 USBA 3-Cushion National Championship. Playing in his home 3-cushion room, Carom Cafe Billiards in Flushing, New York Lee wowed the fans with his beautiful style. Pictured above is Lee (l) and room owner Michael Kang (r) presenting the award for 1st place.
Dani Sanchez was a double gold winner in a series of tournaments held in Antalya, Turkey. First he and fellow team member Ruben Legazpi won the European Championship for teams. Then Dani repeated his winning performance again in the UMB World Cup that followed. Therese Klompenhouwer won the European Ladies Championship which opened the series of events.
After a three year hiatus Dani Sanchez is back on top wining the Spanish national championship for the 19th time. He defeated Antonio Montes in the final match posting his best game with a 40-29 win in 13 innings (3.076 average).
Thomas Andersen of Denmark has won his third national championship and repeats his result from last year as the top player in his country. Pictured above (l to r): Thomas Andersen (1st), Jacob Haack Sörensen (4th), Dion Nelin (3rd) and Brian Knudsen (2nd).
Like a fine wine that gets better with age. Italian Marco Zanetti was the oldest player in the main draw of the Sharm El Sheikh World Cup, and he was also the best. He captured his fourth World Cup gold medal, beating Dick Jaspers in the final: 40 – 29 in 14 innings.
Torbjorn Blomdahl of Sweden is once again king of the three cushion hill winning his seventh world championship title. The tournament held this year in Randers, Denmark was marked with moments of drama, high caliber play and heartbreak. But it was sheer joy for Blomdahl who at 57 has once again stunned the world with his grit and talent.
Belgian Eddy Merckx (2nd left above) survived one first round loss in the round robin phase of the main event to ultimately advance and reach the final match against France's Jeremy Bury (1st left above) in the Guri World Cup. Merckx, one of the toughest competitors in the professional 3-Cushion Billiard circuit proved once again why he is a multiple titleholder in Survival matches, World Cup's and World Championships with his victory.
The 27-year-old Korean Haeng-Jik Kim has won his third World Cup in his career in Veghel in the Netherlands. The former four-time junior world champion defeated the Turk Lütfi Cenet in the final in a crowded house after a miraculous come-back, 40-35 in 21 innings. The victory, after trailing 21-1 in three innings, looks even more spectacular, because Kim lost his first two matches in the tournament and returned from a precarious position. "This makes me very happy," said the amiable Korean after the ceremony in the arena. Pictured above (L to R): Duc Anh Chien Nguyen. Antonio Montes, Lütfi Cenet and the winner Haeng-Jik Kim.