Pijus Labutis wins Hanoi Open Pool Championship 2025 with dominant performance

THE HANOI TIMES — Lithuanian cueist Pijus Labutis defeated Moritz Neuhausen of Germany 13–7 to win the Hanoi Open Pool Championship 2025, witnessed by nearly 2,000 spectators on October 12 at My Dinh Indoor Athletics Arena in Hanoi.

Labutis started strong, leveling the score at 3–3 before claiming six consecutive racks to lead 10–5. Despite Neuhausen’s late push to narrow the gap to 7–10, the Lithuanian stayed calm and sealed the 13–7 victory, capturing his first major title.

Throughout the tournament, Labutis remained unbeaten, defeating several top players, including former major champions Carlo Biado and Robbie Capito. The win earned him US$40,000, while runner-up Neuhausen received $16,000.

Co-organized by the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, Matchroom and Vietcontent, the tournament ran from October 8 to 12, gathering 256 cueists from 40 countries. It became the largest international billiards event ever held in Vietnam, with a total prize fund of $200,000.

In its third year, the Hanoi Open Pool Championship 2025 saw several top-ranked players exit early, including Fedor Gorst (USA), Johan Chua (the Philippines) and Francisco Sanchez Ruiz (Spain).

Vietnamese cueists struggled this season, with only Dinh Chat Kiet reaching the last 16. Leading players such as Duong Quoc Hoang, Nguyen Anh Tuan, Luong Duc Thien and Dang Thanh Kien were eliminated before the last 16.

The 2023 and 2024 editions left a strong impression with star players like Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, Albin Ouschan, Jayson Shaw, Joshua Filler and Johann Chua, along with thousands of passionate Vietnamese fans filling the stands each day.

Jayson Shaw from the United Kingdom won the 2023 title, while Johan Chua from the Philippines claimed the 2024 championship. The success of the previous two seasons created momentum for the 2025 event, which delivered higher quality competition and a better fan experience.

The Hanoi Open Pool Championship 2025 also promoted the image of Hanoi as a dynamic, welcoming city rich in culture. The event gave hundreds of international athletes, officials and journalists a chance to explore the capital’s charm and share the message of a modern, energetic Vietnam.

Alongside the main event, the Hanoi Junior Open 2025 ended impressively. In the final, Jack Beggs of New Zealand defeated Vietnam’s Nguyen Tien Trung 9–7 after a thrilling score chase.

Although he missed the title, Tien Trung, a 16-year-old cueist from the northern province of Bac Ninh and a trainee at Dang Thanh Kien’s Magics Academy, became the first Vietnamese player to reach the Junior Open final in three seasons, raising hopes for a talented new generation of Vietnamese pool players.