Szewczyk wins second World 10-Ball Championship title

By Omar Rahman • 28 September 2026, 07:13 • 2 mins read

Wojciech Szewczyk beat Eklent Kaci 3-1 in Vietnam to claim his second World 10-Ball Championship title. Kaci's miss on the three-ball in the fourth set opened the way to victory.

At Phu Tho Sports Gymnasium in Ho Chi Minh City, the 2026 final came down to a missed three-ball. Wojciech Szewczyk took the chance and beat Eklent Kaci 3-1 to claim his second World 10-Ball Championship title. The event lasted more than a week. One shot settled it.

A rematch with a different rhythm

Szewczyk had beaten Kaci 2-0 in the group stage. The final was much tighter. The lead changed hands, and both players forced tough positions with precise shots. Vietnam hosted the championship for a second year in a row.

Eklent Kaçi had already won the 10-ball world title in 2021 and 2023, making him a two-time champion before his 2026 run.

Tuổi Trẻ Online

The match turned in the final game of the fourth set. Kaci missed the three-ball. Szewczyk cleared the chance and closed out the match, 3-1. YouTube match listings place the final and other late-stage matches on 25 and 26 September.

A second title after a tense finish

After the match, Szewczyk said he struggled to believe what he was feeling. Przegląd Sportowy Onet reported that he said the achievement felt real only once the match was over.

Vietnam hosted the championship for the second consecutive year, but none of the host players reached the knockout stage. All were eliminated in the group stage. Tuổi Trẻ Online reported that Vietnam's remaining representatives were out before the knockout rounds. A recent three-cushion podium for Tayfun Tasdemir belongs to a different discipline, so the results should not be treated as interchangeable billiards outcomes.

Przegląd Sportowy Onet described the field as 96 players and reported an $80,000 prize for the champion. Vietnamese coverage reported the same winner's prize and a total prize fund of $500,000.

Przegląd Sportowy Onet

Match listings show Szewczyk beat Johann Chua in the last 16 and Francisco Sánchez Ruiz in the quarter-finals. His path to the title turned on the chance Kaci left him. Both players had made the other work for position. Then came the miss. Szewczyk finished the job.

Topics: 10-Ball #Players & Athletes #Eklent Kaci #World 10-Ball Championship

UAE CUE Sports Desk

Omar Rahman

Omar Rahman is a UAE-based cue sports editor covering snooker, pool and billiards, with a focus on tournaments, rankings, rules, coaching, equipment and playing opportunities. His reporting is practical and detail-focused, helping readers understand both competitive pathways and the everyday realities of playing cue sports in the Emirates.