Nguyễn Trần Thanh Tạo celebrates winning the PBA-LPBA Championship 2026/27. — Photo News1

GOYANG — Nguyễn Trần Thanh Tạo produced a dramatic comeback to defeat legendary Turkish cueist Semih Sayginer and claim the title in stage 3 of the PBA-LPBA Championship 2026/27 in Goyang, South Korea on Monday.

The Vietnamese player beat the Turkish billiards icon 4-3 in a thrilling final.

Tạo’s victory was all the more remarkable as he trailed 1-3 after the first four sets. With no room for error, he won three consecutive sets to complete a sensational turnaround and secure his first Professional Billiards Association (PBA) title.

With this result, Tạo became the third Vietnamese player to win a PBA title, following Mã Minh Cẩm (stage 5 of the 2022/23 season) and Nguyễn Quốc Nguyện (stage 9 of the 2025/26 season).

He received a prize of US$72,000 and moved up to third place in the season’s prize money rankings.

Tạo said he had taken a bold step by leaving a stable life in Việt Nam behind to pursue his career in the PBA.

“I can’t believe I won. I achieved this because I trusted myself and stayed focused on my game, no matter how strong my opponent was,” he said.

Few expected such success from Tạo, who was previously only among the top 20 players in Việt Nam’s amateur circuit before moving to South Korea.

He was eliminated in the round of 128 in his first appearance, but made a breakthrough in his second attempt. The title marks the biggest milestone of his career, achieved against one of the sport’s greatest names. — VNS