High1's Home Favorite Lee Mi-rae Aims for Second Straight Title

Lee Mi-rae, a formidable player for High1 Resort, is targeting a repeat of her success at the High1 Resort tournament, aiming for her second consecutive championship. Lee secured her place in the quarterfinals by defeating Ha Yoon-jung 3-0 in the round of 16, held at the Grand Hotel Convention Tower at High1 Resort in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province.

Lee, who won the High1 Resort Cup last October, is now seeking to reclaim the top spot in her sponsor's event. She demonstrated strong form in the early sets, maintaining an average above 1.00, and despite a slight struggle in the third set, she closed out the match 11-9. Lee, currently ranked sixth in season points, is scheduled to face Vietnam's Nguyen Hoang Yen, ranked 123rd, in the quarterfinals.

Lee has a notable history of strong performances at the High1 Resort Cup. Last year's victory marked her fifth career trophy, and she has consistently placed in the top 5 in 2024 (3rd) and 2023 (5th). Her career includes four wins since the inception of professional billiards, including three consecutive victories early on, establishing her as a popular star. Last year's win at the High1 Resort Cup, her fifth overall, came after a four-year, nine-month drought, signaling a period of renewed maturity and success.

In other matches, Kim Ga-young of Hana Card, the winner of the opening Our Financial Capital Championship, also advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Park Jung-hyun of Harim 3-0, aiming for a second consecutive tournament win. Seug-bong Pia-bi of Our Financial Capital defeated Han Seul-gi of Hana Card, while Kim Sang-ah of Harim, Seo Han-sol of Huons, Kwon Bal-hae of SY, and Jang Ga-yeon of Our Financial Capital also made it to the quarterfinals.

On the men's side, Kang Dong-koong of Huons advanced to the round of 32 by defeating Kim Hyun-seok. He is set to face Kim Jun-tae of Harim, who defeated Noh Byung-chan of Crown Haitai. Fans are anticipating whether Kang can get revenge for his loss to Kim Jun-tae in the round of 16 of the Our Financial Capital Championship last month. Other players advancing to the round of 32 include Cho Jae-ho of NH Nonghyup Card, Daniel Sanchez of Welcome Savings Bank, Kim Young-won of Harim, Choi Sung-won of Huons, and Lee Choong-bok of High1 Resort.