The WST Pro Series resumed yesterday with Group J.
There have been a few withdrawal ahead of this week, as posted by WST.
WST Pro Series Updated Draw
Five players have withdrawn from the WST Pro Series, and they have been replaced as a straight swap with the next available players on the Q School 2020 Order of Merit, as follows:
Yan Bingtao replaced by Hamim Hussain – Wednesday 10 March Amine Amiri replaced by Dylan Emery – Wednesday 10 March Kurt Maflin replaced by Alex Clenshaw – Saturday 13 March Alex Borg replaced by Florian Nuessle – Saturday 13 March Mark Allen replaced by Robbie McGuigan – Thursday 11 March
During the first two stages of the WST Pro Series, the group table standings will be determined by the following criteria, in this order:
1) Most points (three points for a win)
2) Net frame difference
3) Result of match between the two players in question (should three or more players be tied then a mini table will be produced using the criteria above).
4) Highest break in the group. If the highest break is also tied, the next highest break made by the players in question will be used.
The top two players from each group will progress to the next phase.
World number 103 Oliver is ranked three places below his father
Oliver Lines beat dad Peter 2-0 in their first professional meeting – and went on to top Group J in the first phase of the WST Pro Series.
James Cahill finished runner-up in the group, and joins Lines in progressing to the second phase of the world ranking event next week.
The match between 25-year-old Oliver and 51-year-old Peter Lines was the first father-and-son clash on the pro tour since Neal Foulds beat Geoff Foulds 5-0 in 1986. This time, once again the younger man was in control. Oliver took a scrappy opening frame on the colours – assisted by a fluke on the brown – then won the second with breaks of 38 and 36.
Overall, Leeds potter Lines won six of his seven matches in an excellent display in Milton Keynes. Going into the final round of matches he was still not certain to qualify, needing one frame against Elliot Slessor, but he finished in style with a 2-0 win, rounding off the day with a run of 77.
“The game against my dad was probably one of the worst I have been involved in,” said Lines, who came through Q School last year to retain his tour card. “Usually you want to keep your opponent in his seat because that means you are winning. But against my dad, every ball I potted, it felt wrong, I felt bad. There is no one I ever want to win more than my dad. It was a massive struggle, and he struggled as well. It was one to forget.
“Afterwards he just said ‘well done’ to me and said I should carry it on the same way and hopefully get through the group. During the whole day I played solid snooker, I didn’t miss much and I scored at the right times. I won two good deciders early in the day and that set me up.
“I have been practising a lot harder recently and changed a few things. I am enjoying snooker again. I have had a couple of years where I have lost too many matches and lost a bit of enjoyment. Hopefully this can be the start of something good. I would love to qualify for the World Championship – who wouldn’t?”
Blackpool’s Cahill also won six of his seven matches, securing second spot in his final tie with a 2-1 win over Iulian Boiko.
From the start, I said that this type of competition would be good for the younger players, much better than facing one top guy and go out with empty pockets after just one match, week after week. I do hope that it stays in the calendar even after the covid crisis is over. The current system is soul destroying; it’s far too brutal.
WPBSA and WST are delighted to announce a historic agreement which will see leading World Women’s Snooker (WWS) stars Reanne Evans and Ng On Yee offered the chance to turn professional from the start of the 2021/22 season with two-year tour cards.
The announcement forms part of a wider commitment which today reinforces the role of the WPBSA’s World Women’s Snooker Tour as a major development tour within our sport’s elite pathway. In addition to the two tour cards, it has also been confirmed that places at professional tournaments such as the Betfred World Championship and Champion of Champions will continue to be offered each season.
England’s Reanne Evans and Ng On Yee of Hong Kong have been the flagbearers for women’s snooker for over 15 years, having between them dominated the sport’s major competitions.
Evans is the most successful women’s snooker player ever, having won the World Championship on a record 12 occasions since 2005. In 2020 she was awarded an MBE for her services to our sport and previously spent one season on the professional tour in 2010/2011.
For Ng, the Asian star is set to enjoy her first spell on the professional tour, having emerged as the greatest threat to Evans’ dominance during the past decade. A three-time winner of the World Championship since 2015 and a former world number one, Ng is also a two-time winner of the prestigious ‘Best of the Best’ award at the Samsung Sports Awards in Hong Kong and has been widely celebrated in her home country.
A Sport for All
Since becoming a subsidiary development tour of the WPBSA in December 2015, the World Women’s Snooker Tour has seen significant growth, with player participation having more than doubled during that time with over 150 ranked players from 29 countries currently represented.
Historically based within the UK, WWS has since staged prestigious ranking events in countries such as Thailand, Singapore, Australia, Malta, Germany and Belgium, having become a truly international sport for all.
Alongside the World Women’s Snooker Tour itself, the WPBSA has also remained committed to providing opportunities for women to compete alongside the best professional players in the world, including at the World Championship, Champion of Champions and Shoot Out competitions.
Snooker is a rare example of a sport that can place men and women on the same field of play to compete equally and both the WPBSA and WWS are delighted that today’s announcement marks another significant milestone in helping elite female talent to compete at the very highest level of our sport.
“A Huge Moment for Women’s Snooker”
Mandy Fisher, WWS President, said: “I am thrilled that from next season two of our leading women’s snooker stars will be able to take their place on the professional circuit.
Evans is a regular analyst for broadcasters including BBC and Eurosport
“World Women’s Snooker celebrates its 40th anniversary later this year and I can honestly say that today’s announcement marks one of the most significant days in our history so far. With the support of Jason Ferguson and the WPBSA, we have taken significant strides in recent seasons and for our tour and most importantly our players to be recognised in this way represents a huge moment for women in snooker.”
Jason Ferguson, WPBSA Chairman, said: “For many years we have championed the role of women in our sport, from offering opportunities for our women to compete at major professional events, to our development of the WPBSA’s World Women’s Snooker Tour.
“We firmly believe that there is no reason why a woman cannot compete equally with a man and today’s announcement underlines our commitment to women’s snooker both now and in the future.
“Through seeing our leading female players compete on television on a regular basis, we are confident that more women and girls from across the club will be inspired to pick up a cue and look to emulate their achievements in the future.”
Women’s Snooker Opportunities – 2021/22 season
World Snooker Tour cards (2) – determined by WWS rankings
World Championship Qualifiers (2) – determined by WWS rankings
Champion of Champions (1) – reigning World Women’s Snooker Championship winner
Of the two, On Yee Ng is probably the one with the better chance to do well right from the start of next season as she has now some time to prepare with Wayne Griffiths and Marco Fu at the academy in Hong Kong. She is a very hard worker
Reanne Evans has Jason Francis in her corner and she’s done well in the World qualifiers, beating Robin Hull by 10-8 in the first round in 2017 and running Ken Doherty very close in the same round in 2015. She has been on the main tour before, without success, but, back then the rookies had only one year to prove themselves and the tour structure was different.
This announcement will also bring joy and pride to Mandy Fisher who, for many years, single-handedly fought to keep women snooker going, when nobody believed it could go anywhere.
Judd Trump defended his Gibraltar Open title, and pocketed the Euro Series bonus again. He beat Jack Lisowski by 4-0 in the final. As a Jack fan, not the result I wanted obviously, but all the same …
Trump leaves Milton Keynes with the BetVictor Gibraltar Open and BetVictor European Series trophies.
World number one Judd Trump defeated Jack Lisowski 4-0 to defend his BetVictor Gibraltar Open title and land a fifth ranking crown of the season.
The Ace in the Pack remains in the hunt to beat his record of six ranking titles in a single campaign, which he set last season. He has three events to go, with the WST Pro Series, Tour Championship and World Championship to come.
Trump has already lifted silverware this season at the English Open, Northern Ireland Open, World Grand Prix, German Masters and now the Gibraltar Open.
Today’s victory marks the 22nd ranking title of 2019 World Champion Trump’s career. That draws him level with Mark Williams in fifth position on the all-time ranking event winners’ list. Only Steve Davis, John Higgins, Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan have won more.
A lucrative week for Trump sees him leave Milton Keynes with £200,000 in total. As well as the tournament top prize of £50,000, he has also landed the £150,000 BetVictor European Series bonus. The bumper payout is awarded to the player who accumulates the most prize money over the eligible events.
It’s another disappointing final defeat for 29-year-old Lisowski, who continues his hunt for a maiden ranking title. He has now appeared in six ranking finals and has been runner-up on each occasion. This is the third final of the season which he has lost to close friend Trump, having also come up short at the World Grand Prix and German Masters.
Trump took the opening frame this evening, before hammering home his advantage with a century contribution of 106 to lead 2-0.
Lisowski had looked set to pull within one, but agonisingly missed a routine pink in the third to allow Trump to move a frame from victory. He sealed the title by firing in a run of 94 to complete the whitewash.
“I’m pretty happy with how I played throughout the tournament. I played pretty solidly,” said 31-year-old Trump.
“I had a tough semi-final against Matt Selt, as he was playing some brilliant stuff. I was just solid again in the final against Jack. I know how good he is, it is about getting that quick start and putting him under pressure. He only really missed one ball and I capitalised on every mistake.
“All he can do is keep putting himself in that position. Sooner or later he will get me on a bad day, someone else on a bad day or just play out of his skin. Every event is a massive learning curve for him. He knows each time he has to go away and up his standard until he reaches that level where he wants to be at, the best in the world.
“I didn’t even consider winning 22 ranking titles two or three years ago. I was winning one or two events a year and if I finished my career with 20 or 25 events I would have been over the moon. Fast forward three years and 14 events later and I’ve taken the game by storm. It is important for me to keep it up as much as possible.”
Lisowski said: “It’s three finals we have had against each other this season. It is amazing. I keep losing to the best in the world. It is sad tonight, but it is still a very positive week for me again.
“I think I need better starts. As soon as I lose a close frame to him, he relaxes and has one-visits every time. It was the same tonight, he won the first frame and it was one-way traffic. I’ve got to try and get a better start next time.”
The positive for Jack is that he’s now 13th in the “Race to the Crucible” and pretty safe. All the players who are currently in the top 8 of the one year list, hence currently set to play in the Tour Championship, are in the “Race to the Crucible” top 16 as well.
With a maximum of 34000 points available for the winner of the WST Pro series, only Barry Hawkins could be overtaken in the “race to the Tour Championship”, and only by Jordan Brown. Everyone else is safe.
In the “Race to the Crucible”, Anthony McGill, who hasn’t qualified for phase 2 of the WST Pro Series is in danger of needing to qualify and it’s out of his hands. Zhou Yuelong could overtake him by qualifying for the final stage of the series. Joe Perry and even Stuart Bingham could do it as well by winning the event. If Joe Perry wins the event, and Zhou does well in the final stage, David Gilbert could need to qualify as well.
Both the last 32 and the last 16 rounds were played to a completion yesterday. Four last 32 matches had been played on Friday evening.
Veterans Jimmy White and Anthony Hamilton reached the last 16. This is Jimmy’s best performance in a ranking event since he reached the QF at the 2016 Paul Hunter Classic.
Jimmy beat young Chen Zifan in the last 32. Chen needed two snookers in the decider, got them but couldn’t finish the job. This leaves them both on 18000 points/pounds in the one year list, and in 6th and 7th places in the list of 8 to be redeemed via the one year list. Both are still to compete in the WST Pro Series next week.
Anthony Hamilton beat Shaun Murphy by 4-1 in the last 32 before succumbing to Jack LIsowski by the same score in the last 16. After suffering from covid and a failed eye surgery, there is finally something positive to take from this event for Anthony. Anthony has only earned 8000 points/pounds this season but they have all come in the last three events he’s played. He’s ranked number 52 in the end-of-season projected rankings. He should be safe.
Lu Ning, who was solid in beating Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, is the youngest player remaining in the draw.
World number 10 Jack Lisowski hopes tomorrow will be his “best day ever”, after reaching the last eight of the BetVictor Gibraltar Open with a 4-1 defeat of Anthony Hamilton.
Lisowski will face Lu Ning in the quarter-finals, with the remaining three rounds to be played out on Sunday. Having now appeared in five ranking finals, 29-year-old Lisowski is bidding to end his wait for a maiden ranking title tomorrow.
Despite enjoying a strong season so far, which has included final appearances at the World Grand Prix and the BildBet German Masters, Lisowski’s top 16 place ahead of the World Championship remains under threat. However, he has crucially moved ahead of Anthony McGill into 15th position in the Race to the Crucible by coming through two rounds today.
Lisowski won this evening’s encounter in style, firing in breaks of 88, 68, 126 and 65 on his way to victory.
“I felt pretty sharp and played some good stuff. He is one of my favourite players to watch, so every time I play him, I tend to play well. It is a great result to beat someone like Anthony and I’ve got a lot of momentum at the moment,” said Lisowski.
“I’ve got confidence and I feel comfortable around the table. That is my fourth game in a row on the TV table. I’m getting more used to that environment and I’m starting to enjoy it. My game is in a good place.
“It’s a big day tomorrow with three matches. Maybe it is going to suit me. There is not much time to think and it is roll on and roll off. Fingers crossed I can play well tomorrow and it can be the best day ever.”
World number one Judd Trump earned his place in the last eight with a 4-0 defeat of Switzerland’s Alexander Ursenbacher. Trump faces former Masters champion Mark Allen in the quarter-finals, who beat Ricky Walden 4-1 this evening.
The Ace in the Pack is assured to leave the event with the £150,000 BetVictor European Series bonus. He is guaranteed to top the series standings after Mark Selby’s defeat last night.
Matthew Selt booked his quarter-final spot with a 4-1 defeat of Iran’s Soheil Vahedi. He’s up against Chris Wakelin, who defeated Jimmy White 4-2.
Stuart Carrington reached the final day with a 4-0 defeat of David Gilbert. The Grimsby cueman crafted runs of 115, 68 and 96 on his way to a fine victory. He’ll face China’s Xiao Guodong, who defeated Welshman Jamie Clarke 4-1.
Three rounds will be played today: the quarter-finals, the semi-finals and the Final. All matches are still best of seven, even the Final.
There were a good few surprises yesterday as some of the big names went out and some young guns did well. Amongst other results…
Pang Junxu beat Anthony McGill by 4-2
Mark Allen needed all 7 frames to beat the 15 years old Iulian Boiko … and he fluked the last black. Iuilian was playing for a re-spotted black. The table seemed to roll-off badly actually.
Soheil Vahedi beat Mark Williams by 4-3
Zhao Jianbo beat Alan McManus by 4-1
Jimmy White beat Stuart Bingham by 4-2
Matthew Selt beat Kyren Wilson by 4-3
Chris Wakelin beat Mark Selby by 4-2 … sending WST “big bonus story” crashing
Lei Peifan and Jamie Clarke both won their match.
That extraordinary win by Jimmy White puts him in the list of 8 to be redeemed via the one year list, now on same points as Luo Honghao, and pushing Igor Figueiredo out of it.
It would be extraordinary if Jimmy managed to re-qualify for the main tour by right!
Jimmy White produced a sublime run of 74 in the decisive frame to beat Stuart Bingham 4-2 at the BetVictor Gibraltar Open and leave the 2015 World Champion’s Crucible qualification hopes hanging by a thread.
Bingham now has to win the WST Pro Series and hope other results go his way to stand a chance of staying in the top 16 of the world rankings and avoid joining six-time Crucible finalist White at World Championship qualifying in April.
Legendary cueman White is enjoying a welcome burst of form this week. The 58-year-old is now through to the last 32 for the first time this season, where he’ll face Chen Zifan. White had looked set for an early exit in round one when he trailed Joe O’Connor 3-0, but produced four consecutive breaks over 50 to win 4-3.
The Whirlwind will be hoping to carry his form into next month’s World Championship qualifying, as he aims to clinch a first trip to the Crucible since 2006.
They shared the first two frames this afternoon, before White claimed the third on the pink to lead 2-1. A break of 63 saw Bingham restore parity, but it was White who moved a frame from victory at 3-2. He then sealed the win with an impressive break of 74.
“I know I’m playing really well. To finish off a match like that in one visit is what you need. I was obviously second favourite playing against Bingham,” said 10-time ranking event winner White.
“I have been putting in a lot of good practice. I’ve been enjoying it. I’ve had top players come and play me. My game is there, it is just producing it out there in the heat of battle. Sometimes it gets very difficult and I get frustrated. Luckily I’m through tonight and I can go again tomorrow.
“I’m trying to get confidence wherever I can. If I can go deep in this tournament then it is going to give me great confidence heading into the World Championship qualifiers.”
Iranian Soheil Vahedi produced a shock 4-3 defeat of three-time World Champion Mark Williams to boost his tour survival hopes.
Former World Amateur champion Vahedi requires a strong end to the campaign to retain his professional status. He clinched victory today with a fine century run of 102 in the decider.
Former Masters champion Mark Allen edged out 15-year-old Ukrainian Iulian Boiko 4-3, while 2005 World Champion Shaun Murphy beat Luca Brecel 4-1.
Mark Selby exited the BetVictor Gibraltar Open 4-2 at the hands of Chris Wakelin in the last 32, meaning that world number one Judd Trump clinched the £150,000 series bonus.
Selby needed to reach the final to top the BetVictor European Series standings, but tonight’s loss sees the three-time World Champion come up short.
Trump scoops the lucrative payout, which is awarded to the player who accumulates the most prize money across the series, for the second consecutive season. The Ace in the Pack defended his BetVictor German Masters title in January to put himself in pole position coming into this week’s concluding event. He faces Robert Milkins tomorrow at 2pm with the knowledge that the prize is already sewn up.
Selby said: “It wasn’t to be. Even if it was, it wouldn’t make me any happier than I am at the moment. It wouldn’t make a difference to my life whether I won it or not. Obviously it is disappointing not to win it, but it isn’t the end of the world.
“Judd deserves it. He’s been incredible over the last two years. If you look at the amount of ranking tournaments he wins. That bonus prize is going to go to someone who is winning tournaments and he is winning quite a lot recently, so he deserves everything he gets.”
There were wins for Mark Selby and Judd Trump yesterday, so the two are still on course for the £150000 bonus. Here is the report by WST:
Selby Keeps Series Alive
Mark Selby staged a fine fightback to beat Ken Doherty 4-2 and keep his hopes of scooping the £150,000 series bonus alive at the BetVictor Gibraltar Open.
Only three-time World Champion Selby and world number one Judd Trump remain in the running to top the BetVictor European Series standings. The bumper payout is awarded to the player who accumulates the most prize money across the eligible events.
The two players are on a collision course to meet in the semi-finals if they both win their next three matches. Selby must reach the final to take home the bonus, any other result would see Trump top the standings. If they were to meet in the last four, the winner would be guaranteed to leave with at least £170,000 and the loser would go home with £6,000.
Selby trailed 1997 Crucible king Doherty 2-0 in the early stages this afternoon. However, he clawed back to parity, before firing in back to back century runs of 130 and 124 to clinch victory. He now faces Chris Wakelin in the last 32.
Selby said: “In a way, I hope we both get to the semi-finals and it comes to that. At least we will have given it a good run and if I win I get it and if he wins he gets it. If one of us loses before that, it is a bit of a shame. It would be good if it did get down to the semis, but there is a lot of hard work to do before then.
“In patches my game feels really good. It is just trying to find the consistency which I had at the start of the season. I feel like I’m scoring when I get chances, which you have to do now with the standard the way it is. I just have to keep working hard and see what happens.”
Trump remained on track with a 4-1 defeat of Sunny Akani. He made two century breaks of 124 on his way to the win and will face either Liang Wenbo or Robert Milkins up next.
The Ace in the Pack put himself in pole position in the BetVictor European Series by winning the BetVictor German Masters back in January.
Ukrainian 15-year-old Iulian Boiko won his first ever match as a professional with a 4-3 defeat of Fergal O’Brien. Boiko earned a place on the World Snooker Tour by reaching the final of the WSF Open last year in Malta. He plays Mark Allen in the last 64.
Former Masters champion Allen whitewashed Jamie Curtis-Barrett 4-0, while Matthew Selt recorded a 4-3 defeat of Barry Hawkins.
Now… for many players in this competition the bonus is the last of their concern as they try to stay on the tour.
Iulian Boiko did indeed win his first match as a professional and this is surely a great morale boost fot the Ukrainian teenager, but tour survival is not a concern just yet.
15-year-old Ukrainian sensation Iulian Boiko earns first professional win at Gibraltar Open
Phil Haigh –Thursday 4 Mar 2021
Iulian Boiko has tasted victory as a pro for the first time (Picture: PA)
Iulian Boiko, the youngest ever professional snooker player, picked up his first win on tour at the Gibraltar Open on Thursday, beating veteran Fergal O’Brien 4-3.
The 15-year-old turned pro last year at just 14 after finishing runner-up at the WSF Open.
It has been an unusual time for the teenager to take on the professional game, with travel to and from Ukraine made tricky by the pandemic and all matches being played behind closed doors.
He has also been handed some tough draws, losing first round ties to the likes of Judd Trump and Stephen Maguire this season.
He was handed the archetypal tough match-player in the first round this week in O’Brien, but battled his way to victory with a high break of 54.
The teenager was unsurprisingly delighted with the win after setting up a second round clash with Mark Allen.
‘I’m absolutely over the moon,’ Boiko told WST. ‘I think my game wasn’t brilliant and Fergal also didn’t have a great day so it was a scrappy match, many mistakes but I’m really happy to be a winner in the end.
‘I was super nervous [on the final colours], I didn’t feel so much pressure ever in my life. I managed to pot a long blue and win the match.’
Boiko does not put down his struggle for results so far down to inexperience, but feels it is due to serious technical work he is doing on his game.
Even at such a young age he is looking to adapt his technique and he is glad to see his hard work pay off, putting in the hours at the Ding Junhui Academy in Sheffield, when he can travel in from Ukraine.
‘I’ve changed,’ Iulian explained. ‘The main reason I’ve lost so many games is I’m in the process of changing my technique and stance. I’ve completely changed my game. I’m happy to see the result of that. I’m really happy to win.
‘I’m unable to stay in England the whole year, I come down a few weeks before tournaments to play practice matches and learn form the best players. The academy is full of many, many great players.’
Ukraine is not a country with a rich snooker history by any means, but Boiko has already been playing the sport for 10 years after it caught his eye on TV as a child.
He hopes his attacking style and more success will help to grow the game in his home country, although he would sacrifice the style for success any day.
‘I started at the age of 5 or 6,’ he said. ‘Firstly I saw snooker on the TV, on Eurosport, I asked my dad to let me play and we went to a snooker club and I started practicing.
‘Since I started producing some nice performances and since I won the European Championships I think the popularity of snooker has increased and I hope that it will grow in the future.
‘I think naturally I’m a very attacking player, my main strength is my long shots, I’m just trying to get that as consistent as I can.
‘My main goal is to win, which style to do it, in attacking or defensive if the second priority.’
A very positive mindset at great maturity for someone so young.
There were also wins for Aaron Hill (beating Brandon Sargeant), Alex Ursenbacher (beating Zhou Yuelong), Zhao Xintong (beating Daniel Wells) and Chen Zifan (beating Leo Fernandez). Chen Zifan’s win means that he’s now 7th in the group of 8 players who will be redeemed via the one year list. Luo Honghao is now 8th and his situation looks quite precarious, although he has qualified for phase 2 of the WST Pro Series, the only event where he has done well this season.
At the other end of the age spectrum, Anthony Hamilton beat Tian Pengfei by 4-0 … I didn’t see that one coming, but I’m happy for Anthony.
Elsewhere Mark Allen had two breaks of 70 in the second frame, which is a record for the highest duplicated break by one player in a frame. The previous record was 64 by Gerard Greene.
There was one big surprise yesterday in Milton Keynes, as 17 years old Lei Peifan beat Neil Robertson by 4-2, and a minor surprise as Rod Lawler beat Jordan Bron by 4-3.
Ali Carter said he is a “different animal” heading into the closing stretch of this campaign compared to last season, after recording a hard fought 4-2 win over John Astley at the BetVictor Gibraltar Open.
The Captain was making his first appearance since he was forced to withdraw from the recent BetVictor Welsh Open at the quarter-final stage due to migraines. Prior to pulling out, Carter had been set for a blockbuster clash against Ronnie O’Sullivan in the last eight.
Carter’s draw for this week originally pitted him against O’Sullivan in the opening round, but the Rocket pulled out and Astley stepped in to replace him.
After taking the opening frame this afternoon, Carter composed a run of 60 to double his lead and make it 2-0. His advantage was halved, before a break of 61 moved Carter a frame from victory at 3-1. Astley pulled within one, but Carter closed the door with a fine contribution of 75 to wrap up the win.
After the match Carter admitted he is highly motivated to try and qualify for the upcoming World Championship, having missed out on a place at the Crucible last year. It was the first time Carter failed to gain a spot at the Theatre of Dreams since 2002. The qualifiers kick off on April 7th.
Carter said: “I’m bang up for it this year. Last year I wasn’t in the right place going into the qualifiers. Being in lockdown, being in the bubble in Sheffield, nobody watching. When you have been a pro for 20 years, that was all fairly new. We are a year down the line now and this has become the new normal. I hope it doesn’t stay the new normal, but I am a different animal leading into the world qualifiers this year.
“It is another good event this week. The goal was to get a few matches under my belt and go from there. I’m working hard and looking forward to the Championship League Winners’ Group. That is six matches against top class opponents, it is perfect paid practice. I know my game is going to be sharp.”
Chinese teenager Lei Peifan produced a shock 4-2 defeat of Triple Crown winner Neil Robertson. Lei made breaks of 54, 80, 51 and 56 on his way to victory. Next up he’ll face Welsh amateur Dylan Emery, who whitewashed Ben Hancorn 4-0.
Stuart Bingham defeated Gerard Greene 4-0 and set up an intriguing second round clash with Jimmy White. The 2015 World Champion made breaks of 66 and 86 on his way to this morning’s whitewash win.
World number 25 Scott Donaldson fired in a superb break of 140 in the winning frame to beat former World Seniors champion Peter Lines 4-2, while Anthony McGill whitewashed Louis Heathcote 4-0.
In fact it doesn’t mention the Lawler-Brown match at all.
What is happening to Neil Robertson is puzzling. Since winning the 2020 UK Championship, he has played five matches and has won only one of them. He has also withdrawn from two events. He cited personal reasons for withdrawing from the 2021 Welsh Open but, later, in this interview, he explained that he needed time out of the game to address mental health issues.
…
The lockdown…opening, closing, opening, closing. Mentally from my son’s point of view with his football, he’s pushing to play for Cambridge United in the academy and that got closed down.
‘Emotionally it’s pretty tough for the family to deal with all these things. I just needed to make sure that when I do actually play that I’m absolutely mentally 100% really to do so.
‘I definitely needed that extra week to get my head right. Get back on the bike, start exercising properly again because it’s been pretty brutal weather the last couple of months.
‘Just a lot of things compounded into issues that needed to be addressed so I wasn’t taking any problems coming into tournaments because obviously there’s a few really big tournaments coming up.’
…
Judging by what happened yesterday, it seems that the issues aren’t quite a thing of the past just yet. That said Lei played really well.
Neil Robertson stunned by ‘cool’ 17-year-old Lei Peifan at Gibraltar Open
Phil Haigh Thursday 4 Mar 2021
Lei Peifan got the better of Neil Robertson on Wednesday night (Picture: WST)
Lei Peifan pulled off the win of his short career so far on Wednesday night as he beat world number three Neil Robertson 4-2 in the first round of the Gibraltar Open.
The 17-year-old was born in May 2003, five years after the Australian initially turned professional in 1998.
The Thunder from Down Under did not play well, failing to make a single break over 50, but Lei was impressive, making four half-centuries of his own to secure just his sixth victory of the season.
The Chinese teenager will fancy continuing his run in Milton Keynes as he takes on amateur player Dylan Emery in the second round.
Lei began his journey as a professional at just 15-years-old, making it onto the tour through Q School in 2019 but, unsurprisingly, it has been difficult for him to make an impact since then.
Clearly he has a lot of talent, though, and he has started to show it recently with a victory over Gary Wilson at the German Masters, three wins in the WST Pro Series and pushing Jack Lisowski to a deciding frame in the opening round of the Welsh Open last month.
Lisowski was impressed by Lei’s style in that clash in Newport and how he battled back from three frames behind, although eventually falling 4-3 to the Englishman.
‘I thought he looked quite cool, sort of strolls around like he doesn’t care. I like his style,’ Lisowski told Metro.co.uk at Celtic Manor.
‘He was really struggling then woke up, came alive and didn’t really miss a ball. Hopefully, like a lot of the Chinese players coming through, he can kick on, it’s good to see him coming through.’
Lei is ranked number 101 in the world and needs some more wins here this week and then at the World Championship qualifiers next month in Sheffield if he is to stay on tour next season.
In the second year of his two-year card earned in 2019 he needs to be in the top 64 in the rankings, or in the top eight on the one-year list of players not in the world’s top 64, which he is still a way off.
It may be another trip to Q School for the teenager this year, but after downing Neil Robertson he will be confident of a bright future in the game.
Lei is another one who, in my opinion, was far too young to turn professional. He was only 15 years old, and had to live abroad, adapt to a different culture and a different language without the support of his family. That’s hard at the best of times for any adult; in the context of the current sanitary crisis, it’s even harder and he is barely more than a child.
As for the other match, Jordan Brown didn’t play well at all. I wasn’t surprised by his defeat last week. A “hangover” effect was to be expected and his opponent was John Higgins who only lost 4 frames all week. But yesterday’s performance is harder to explain; he might well be struggling with the expectations that are now weighting on him, the Northern Irish snooker community’s expectations and his own. That said Rod Lawler is a very solid player, and his “tempo” has got the better of many opponent’s concentration. BTW, it’s not a tactic. Rod is slow, he’s always been slow, and he’s no different away fron the table…
“The game against my dad was probably one of the worst I have been involved in,” said Lines, who came through Q School last year to retain his tour card. “Usually you want to keep your opponent in his seat because that means you are winning. But against my dad, every ball I potted, it felt wrong, I felt bad. There is no one I ever want to win more than my dad. It was a massive struggle, and he struggled as well. It was one to forget.
Jimmy White produced a sublime run of 74 in the decisive frame to beat Stuart Bingham 4-2 at the BetVictor Gibraltar Open and leave the 2015 World Champion’s Crucible qualification hopes hanging by a thread.
Mark Selby exited the BetVictor Gibraltar Open 4-2 at the hands of Chris Wakelin in the last 32, meaning that world number one Judd Trump clinched the £150,000 series bonus.
Mark Selby staged a fine fightback to beat Ken Doherty 4-2 and keep his hopes of scooping the £150,000 series bonus alive at the BetVictor Gibraltar Open.
