Dramatic fourth-set comeback followed by 9-point tiebreak blitz
"Superman" Jo Jae-ho pulled off a stunning 12-point comeback to advance to the round of 64 at the professional billiards PBA tour.
Jo defeated Kim Tae-ho in a tiebreak Wednesday at the PBA Stadium in Kintex, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, in the men's (PBA) round of 128 of the fifth tour of the 2026-2027 season, the "Jigeum Jal Saneun Bangbeop ZGM NH Nonghyup Card PBA-LPBA Championship."
Jo won the first set 15-12 but dropped the second and third 11-15 and 10-15, putting him on the brink of elimination. In the fourth set, Kim raced to a 12-0 lead within just two innings. Jo then mounted a charge, scoring four, three and three points in consecutive innings from the third onward. He leveled the score at 12-12, fell behind 12-13 in the ninth inning, then potted the remaining three points to win the set 15-13.
Jo's focus held in the tiebreak. Going first, he piled up nine points, leaving Kim with just two, and sealed his place in the round of 64.
Vietnamese players continued to impress. Nguyen Quoc Nguyen, winner of the fourth tour, beat Lee Yong-jae 3-1 in sets. Nguyen Tran Thanh Tao, champion of the third tour, swept Kim Jeong-ho 3-0, recording a perfect cue in the third set.
Choi Seong-won defeated Jo Byeong-chan 3-1, and Lee Chung-bok beat Choi Gyeong-jun 3-0. Kim Jun-tae, Kim Jae-geun, Kang Min-gu and Jo Geon-hwi also advanced to the round of 64.
In the women's (LPBA) round of 32, Lee Mi-rae edged Kim Jin-a in a tiebreak to reach the round of 16. After the two were tied 2-2 in sets, Lee scored seven points in the tiebreak to claim victory. Park Jeong-hyeon swept Yong Hyeon-ji 3-0, and Im Jeong-suk defeated Kim Sang-a 3-1. Kim Bo-mi and Seo Han-sol also advanced to the round of 16.
yjc@heraldcorp.com
