World No. 1 in 3-Cushion Billiards, Cho Myung-woo [Provided by Korea Billiards Federation. Reproduction and redistribution prohibited]

The formidable trio of South Korea's national 3-cushion billiards team will once again challenge for the world's top spot in Ankara, Turkey.

World No. 1 Cho Myung-woo (Seoul City Hall), veteran Heo Jeong-han (Gyeongnam Billiards Federation), and leading female 3-cushion player Kim Ha-eun (Namyangju Billiards Federation) will compete in the Union Mondiale de Billard (UMB) 2026 Ankara World Cup, held from the 8th to the 14th (local time) in Ankara, Turkey.

The most anticipated player is Cho Myung-woo.

Having achieved four victories in total, starting with the 2022 Sharm El Sheikh World Cup and continuing through the 2025 Porto and Gwangju World Cups, and the first tournament of this year, the Bogota World Cup, Cho Myung-woo is undeniably the face of Korean 3-cushion billiards.

Heo Jeong-han [Provided by Korea Billiards Federation. Reproduction and redistribution prohibited]

As the world's top-ranked player, Cho Myung-woo has advanced directly to the Round of 32. His first match will be against Pedro Piedrabuena of the United States on the 12th at 4 PM Korean time.

Heo Jeong-han's recent dominance on the domestic stage also indicates a sharp form.

He defeated Kim Hyeong-jik (Jeonnam Billiards Federation · Jindo County Office) 50-43 in the final of the March Kukto Jungjoongbae, and then triumphed over Choi Ho-ta (Jeonnam Billiards Federation) 50-33 in the final of the May Jindo Arirang Cup, maintaining his winning streak.

Notably, Heo Jeong-han has a pleasant memory from the 2024 Ankara tournament, where he defeated Bao Phuong Vinh of Vietnam 50-31 in the final to win his second career World Cup title.

Kim Ha-eun [Provided by Korea Billiards Federation. Reproduction and redistribution prohibited]

Kim Ha-eun, who achieved the historic feat of being the first in Korean billiards history to hold the "joint male and female world No. 1 ranking" alongside Cho Myung-woo, will also compete in Ankara this tournament.

Billiard fans are keenly interested in the competitive performance Kim Ha-eun, who became the first Korean female player to reach No. 1 in the UMB rankings in 2024, will showcase at this World Cup.

All matches of this tournament will be broadcast live through the specialized billiards platform SOOP. (Yonhap News)