▲ Jung Soo-bin kisses her championship trophy.
Jung Soo-bin (NH Nonghyup Card) of the women's professional billiards league LPBA has lifted her first career championship trophy four years after her debut.
On October 11, at the PBA Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, during the LPBA final of the 4th tour of the 2026-2027 season, the Crown Haitai PBA-LPBA Championship, Jung defeated Lee Mi-rae (High1 Resort), who was eyeing her 6th career title, with a set score of 4-2 (11-1, 11-10, 10-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-5) to claim the championship.
Having debuted in the 3rd tour of the 2022-2023 season, Jung experienced the thrill of her first professional victory after 4 years and 1 month.
Putting behind the disappointment of finishing as the runner-up in the final of the 9th tour last season, Jung secured 40 million won in prize money and significantly raised her season ranking from 25th to 3rd.
On the other hand, Lee Mi-rae fell just short of her 6th career title, blocked by Jung's fierce momentum.
Jung seized the initiative from the early stages of the final with aggressive play.
In the 3rd inning of the first set, she racked up 8 points backed by two bank shots, taking the lead 11-1 in just 4 innings.
She then narrowly won the second set 11-10 thanks to a comeback score in the 9th inning, pulling ahead to a set score of 2-0.
After dropping the 3rd set 10-11, Jung secured the momentum by taking the 4th set 11-7.
Although Lee Mi-rae chased closely by winning the 5th set 11-8, Jung pulled away significantly to 8-1 early in the 6th set and clinched the match by scoring her 11th point with a side-angle shot in the 10th inning.
Jung first got involved with billiards when she went to work part-time at a billiards hall in place of a friend while she was attending Sookmyung Women's University majoring in statistics.
Jung shared her thoughts, saying, "When I first started billiards, I didn't know anything and felt overwhelmed, even wondering if I could really reach a high place. I practiced harder while looking forward to a moment like this. Even though I won, I still have so many shortcomings. I will continue to build a solid foundation."
The 'Welcoming Top Ranking' prize (2 million won), awarded to the player who recorded the highest average in a single match, went to Ha Yoon-jung, who recorded an average of 2.500 in the Round of 128.
On October 12, the final day of the tournament, the men's division (PBA) semifinals and final will take place.
At 12:30 PM, David Martinez (Spain, Crown Haitai) and Cho Kun-휘 (Welcome Savings Bank) will compete, followed by Nguyen Quoc Nguyen (Vietnam, Hana Card) and Noh Jong-hyun at 3:30 PM to vie for a spot in the final. The winners will then clash at 9:00 PM for the championship prize of 100 million won.
(Photo: Provided by PBA, Yonhap News)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.