Semi Final Tran Q.C vs Jaspers D. Ho Chi Minh 2025 Post-game Analysis

Hello, 3 cushion lovers around the world.

We are going into a deep analysis of the spectacular Semi Final between Dick Jaspers vs Tran Quyet Chien at Ho Chi Minh, the host of 2025 3 cushion billiard World Cup in Vietnam.

Let’s start with some Pre Game Analysis.  On paper, JASPERS looked like the heavy favorite, but as we know in 3-cushion billiards, surprises are always possible.

At 1829 ELO Ranking Points:Jaspers, was at #1

At 1629 ELO Ranking Points:Tran, was at #10

Jaspers consistently held a strong lead in ELO over the past year, maintaining his position as the top-ranked player. Tran, while inside the top 10, trailed by a notable ELO gap.

Jaspers has shown remarkable ELO stability with consistent highs and recovery after dips. Tran showed fluctuation and a slight decline after his peak, reflecting a more inconsistent form.

       During the World Cup Jasper’s ELO was at 1882 while tran was at 1747

Both players already had 5 victories each. 3 in the group stage and 2 in the elimination rounds.

Jaspers outperformed Tran on average (2.471 vs 2.178), a key stat in 3-cushion billiards reflecting both precision and consistency.

Semi Final Tran Q.C vs Jaspers D. Ho Chi Minh 2025 Post-game Analysis

The Attack-Defense Gap heavily favored Jaspers, indicating greater dominance in matches.

However, Tran’s explosiveness and offensive playing style meant that he could upset Jaspers.

Using ELO probability modeling:

• JASPERS  had a 68.3% chance to win while TRAN had a 31.7% chance to win

Now let’s see what happened in the game.

Semi Final Tran Q.C vs Jaspers D. Ho Chi Minh 2025 Post-game Analysis

What a battle, what a game!!! This Semi Final was definitely one of the toughest games in the tournament.  Both players were elite-level competitors.

 This game was head-to-head until the end.  With the Final score of 50-48 in 30 innings Jaspers won.

Moving into a deeper analysis of the game.

you can see (diagram photo) Jaspers had 15/23 successful shots for a 65% accuracy in open shots and made 42 points, Tran had 15/20 successful shots for a 75% accuracy and made 40 points.

Jaspers had 50% accuracy, Breaking the opponent defense.  Tran also had 50% accuracy.

TRAN had a higher Open Shot success rate of 75% vs Jaspers' 65%, but took fewer total shots (20 vs 23) and points 40 vs 42

TRAN performed exceptionally well on "Around The Table" shots (100%), showing creative, offensive play.

However, JASPERS had more stable, high-percentage play across more shot types—especially the most common LSL(Long-Short-Long) pattern at 76%

From the innings progression chart:

TRAN led the match from innings 4 to 28, showing consistent scoring.

JASPERS made a crucial comeback in the last 3 innings, overtaking TRAN in the final moments (from 48-48 at inning 28 to 50-48 at inning 30).

Jaspers’ clutch performance in the final innings shows mental composure and endgame strategy. TRAN slowed down slightly in scoring, allowing Jaspers to catch up and finish stronger.

Why JASPERS Won

Consistency Across More Shot Types:

Jaspers maintained better consistency in patterns like Long-Sort-Long (76%) and Long-Long-Sort (60%)—key for point accumulation.

More Opportunities Created:

With 23 Open Shot attempts (vs 20), Jaspers had more chances scoring, even though his make % was slightly lower.

Clutch Finish:

Jaspers was behind for most of the match, but he closed the gap and took the lead in the final 2 innings, showing championship-level composure under pressure.

Defensive Pressure:

Though both players had identical break defense %, Jaspers’ strategic play may have limited TRAN's ideal positioning, which could explain the slight scoring decline at the end.

While TRAN played a strong and skillful match with sharp shot-making (especially on complex patterns like AROUND and ZIG-ZAG), Jaspers' experience, positional mastery, and ability to finish strong secured him the narrow win—a true masterclass in high-stakes 3-cushion billiards.

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