讀後心得

Reporter Cai Hou-Xuan reports that the second stop of the 2025 CTPBA Professional Pool Tour concluded on the 6th, with Ko Ping-Yi defeating his brother Ko Ping-Chung in the final with a score of 11:7, winning the championship and a prize of 100,000 TWD. In this tournament, Ko Ping-Yi triumphed over Hsieh Chia-Chen in the semifinals with a score of 10:4, while Chang Yu-Long was eliminated by Ko Ping-Chung in the same round. After the match, the players indicated that the change to a 4-inch pocket increased the skill difficulty of the competition. Organizer Jackie pointed out that this specification provides both a challenge and enhances the players' abilities.

The second stop of the 2025 CTPBA Professional Billiards Tour ended successfully on the 6th, featuring an internal battle between the "Ko Brothers" in the finals. At the beginning of the match, the two brothers took turns leading until it was tied at 2-2, when the elder brother "Prince of Billiards" Ko Ping Yi won three consecutive games to gradually pull ahead. Although "King Slayer" Ko Ping Chung quickly seized the opportunity to equalize, Ko Ping Yi stabilized and added five more games to his lead, ultimately defeating his brother 11-7 and winning the champion prize of 100,000 NT dollars.

In the quarterfinals, "Fire Cloud Evil God" Zhang Yu Long narrowly defeated Luo Liwen 10-9 to advance, but in the semifinals against Ko Ping Chung, he fell behind. Despite his attempt to catch up midway, he was ultimately eliminated with a score of 6-10. On the other hand, Ko Ping Yi faced the newly father "Dark Knight" Hsieh Chia Chen in the semifinals. He started off trailing due to difficulty in controlling the cue ball on the main table, but secured a victory with a score of 10-4.

After the match, Hsieh Chia Chen expressed that he had mastered the cue ball's breaking point during practice before the competition, but found the game situation to be different. He thanked the Professional Billiards Tour for allowing him to experience the intensity of international competition domestically. His performance improved from the round of 32 in the previous stop to third place this time, hoping to earn more money for his baby.

Ko Ping Yi's popularity has been rising in Vietnam recently. He mentioned how the local fans' enthusiasm for billiards has greatly increased the visibility of the "Ko Brothers." He also discussed the current narrowing of the table pockets to four inches due to the unified WNT tournament rules, which has raised the difficulty of skills by 30 percent, thereby reducing the factors of luck. He confidently stated that if he were to face players ranked in the world's top 100, he would have at least a 90% chance of winning.

Zhang Yu Long, on the other hand, felt that the narrowing of the pockets indeed increased the pressure and believed that more practice before matches is necessary to adapt to this change. He was also impressed by the recent rise in skill levels among Polish players.

The organizers of the CTPBA Professional Billiards Tour stated that the four-inch pocket specifications have now become mainstream, and this change will help players understand the gap between themselves and international competitors. Even the participating Japanese players have felt the enhancement of their opponents' abilities and believe that such changes are very positive.