Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
AHMAD Taufiq Murni just fell short on qualifying for the US Open 9-Ball Championship after losing 11-3 to Vietnam’s Hoang Duong Quoc in the final of the Asia Qualifier yesterday.
Hoang bagged himself entry to the US Open, which will be held in Las Vegas, with flights and accommodation paid for.
Brunei’s top cueist received a bye in the first round and started out with a 9-2 win over Hairul BMS in the top-32.
He then eased past Nicholas Tan 9-1 in the last-16 before defeating Tan Chew Ming 11-7 to reach the semi-finals.
Taufiq then made it into the title decider with an 11-3 win at the Fifth Avenue Club in Kuala Lumpur.
Md Azim was the other Bruneian at the competition but he was eliminated in the last-32.
He opened his account with a 9-3 victory over Lum Wai Khiong before falling 9-6 to Goh Chin Teik.
Both cueists will have a second opportunity today with another round of qualifiers.
