Ishpreet Singh Chadha became India’s first ranking event quarter-finalist in 11 years after a 4-3 win He Guoqiang at the BetVictor English Open in Essex.
Today’s win sees Singh Chadha become the first Indian since Pankaj Advani and Aditya Mehta to make a ranking quarter-final. The duo faced each other in the 2013 Indian Open quarter-finals, when Mehta prevailed 4-3.
Defeat for He ends a tremendous week, which has seen him defeat the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan and Stephen Maguire.
Breaks of 59, 73, and 52 helped Singh Chadha to a momentous win this afternoon and earned him a quarter-final showdown with four-time World Champion Mark Selby, who defeated Si Jiahui 4-3.
“I wouldn’t say I have surprised myself this week, but I’m close to playing the way I should have done in the first season. It takes time to adjust to the tour. I handled the pressure so well and I’m delighted with myself,” said 28-year-old Singh Chadha.
“I am going to play my game in the quarter-finals. I won’t be frightened or intimidated by anything. We Indians aren’t afraid of anyone. I’m just going to play my game, hope for the best and see what happens. He is one of my favourite players, but that is just off the table, on the table it is a different game.”
World number one Judd Trump prevailed 4-2 against former European Masters winner Fan Zhengyi to set up a last eight meeting with Wu Yize, who beat Ben Woollaston 4-2.
Trump last faced Wu at the recent Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, when he prevailed and went on to scoop the £500,000 top prize. However, it required a fightback from 4-0 down to beat Wu 5-4. Trump admits that he was looking for routes home during the interval of that match.
Trump said: “I was 4-0 down and ended up looking for flights at 4-0 down in the interval. You can check my history if you want! It is just funny how snooker goes having won that event and got to the quarters here.”
World number three Mark Allen prevailed in an marathon encounter with John Higgins 4-3 to make the quarter-finals of the BetVictor English Open in Brentwood.
Higgins captured a piece of snooker history by becoming the sport’s second player to register 1000 career centuries, but it was Allen who prevailed in a gruelling final frame.
It was Northern Irishman Allen who took an early 2-0 lead, having crafted a break of exactly 100 in the opener. Scotland’s four-time World Champion Higgins cut his arrears in half with 108 in the third, but it was Allen who took the fourth to go 3-1 up.
The landmark moment for Higgins came in the fifth with a break of 108 to reach 1000 centuries, he then made 65 in the next to force a tense decider.
A 50-minute frame saw lengthy safety exchanges where no balls were potted. With Allen leading, Higgins had his chance to steal the win, but he spurned a pink off the spot and the Antrim cueman got himself over the line. He now faces a quarter-final with Chris Wakelin, who came through 4-3 against Pang Junxu.
“I’m just delighted to win a tight one against John. Normally when I beat him it is a one-sided game so it is nice to finally get on the right side of a close one against him for a change,” said former UK and Masters champion Allen.
“I wanted John to have his moment when he did it and enjoy that 1000th century. We were just about to start the next frame and I went to congratulate him on my own. He said to me he was glad to have done it against someone like me. That means a lot coming from John. I actually said to him at the end it was a shame he had to be on the losing side after creating a piece of history. What a guy John Higgins is. He thoroughly deserves that.“
Australia’s Neil Robertson continued his resurgence with a 4-1 defeat of Ross Muir to make the quarter-finals. The 2010 World Champion has slumped to 26th in the rankings but is showing signs of returning to his best. He now faces Barry Hawkins, who scored a fine 4-2 win over World Champion Kyren Wilson.
I don’t have much to add to this. I’m very impressed with Ishpreet Singh Chadha. I hope that, unlike Pankaj Advani and Aditya Mehta, he will settle well in the UK and does not become too homesick. India is very different from the UK, of course, in every aspect … the climate, the food, the social life.
BETVICTOR ENGLISH OPEN WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON ROUNDUP
A deluge at Paris Airport recently destroyed John Higgins’ cue, but armed with a new replacement he extended his quest for a maiden BetVictor English Open title today after a 4-1 win over David Gilbert in Brentwood.
The Scot’s cue was left in an irreparable condition after the protective casing housing it was flooded whilst flying home from the recent Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.
That left Higgins despondent, but he is hoping now that his new cue can provide an impetus for him in the coming months, as he battles to remain in the world’s top 16. The 31-time ranking event winner currently finds himself in 16th position.
Today’s win sets up a last 16 meeting with either world number three Mark Allen or Lyu Haotian.
“When I was coming back from Saudi Arabia, my cue got ruined. During the three-hour stopover between Paris and Edinburgh there were monsoon levels of rain and my ski tube must have been sitting on the tarmac,” explained four-time World Champion Higgins.
“When I got back to Edinburgh it was soaking wet, but I just left it in the hall as normal. I went to Portugal on holiday and before I left I went to check my cue. The water had actually seeped inside and the cue is ruined. I’m playing with a new cue.
“It was soul destroying. I really liked it and when I opened the case up it was like a banana. The wood was all warped. As I was away to Portugal the next day, I just decided to go and have a good holiday and come back to see what happens.
“It is maybe a blessing, as I’ve gone back to the measurements I was playing with two or three years ago. I was going shorter and shorter and that maybe wasn’t suiting my game. It has given me a new lease of life. It is maybe a bit better”
Kyren Wilson prevailed 4-1 against Anthony McGill in a repeat of their classic Crucible semi-final from 2020 to make the last 16.
The pair contested an epic last four meeting at the World Championship, where a fluke eventually helped Wilson win 17-16 following one of the most dramatic final frames in snooker history. The frame score in the decider was 103-83.
Wilson went on to lose that final against Ronnie O’Sullivan, but a victory over Jak Jones earlier this year made him World Champion for the first time.
Today’s match was a more straightforward win for the Warrior, who crafted breaks of 84 and 80 this afternoon. He now plays either Barry Hawkins or Xu Si.
Wilson said: “To Anthony’s credit, he was one of the first ones who came up to me in Xi’an and congratulated me on becoming World Champion and said he thought I’d be a really good ambassador for the sport. That just shows the class of him, especially after what happened in that semi-final.
“People forget how good that game was. We were toe to toe the whole way through. Despite the fact there was no crowd we created so much drama. Whenever we draw each other it is something which always springs to mind.”
World number one Judd Trump extended his incredible winning streak this season after a 4-1 win over Matthew Selt.
The Ace in the Pack has picked up silverware at the Shanghai Masters and the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters. Having also been runner-up to Wilson at the Xi’an Grand Prix, Trump has now won 17 of 18 games this season. He now plays Fan Zhengyi, who beat Oliver Lines 4-1.
Essex cueman Ali Carter lost out 4-2 on home soil against China’s Wu Yize, while Mark Selby was a 4-0 victor against fellow Leicester potter Joe O’Connor.
Neil Robertson continued his bid to return to the summit of the sport with a 4-1 defeat of Shaun Murphy at the BetVictor English Open.
The 2010 World Champion endured one of his worst seasons as a professional in 23/24 and as a result has dropped down to a current position of 26th in the world rankings. However, he has recently stated that he feels back to his best and is ready to contend for silverware once more.
Murphy also struggled last season, but has shown signs that his best form his returning in recent months. He went on a brilliant run to the Shanghai Masters final, but was denied the title by Judd Trump. Murphy also made the semis at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, where he again lost out to Trump.
Australia’s Robertson crafted breaks of 50, 57 and 71 on his way to winning this evening and now faces a last 16 meeting with Scotland’s Ross Muir.
“The most pleasing side was the safety aspect of my game. I’ve got a lot of pride back in my safety and the duels that come with it. Trying to force chances and put players in trouble,” said 23-time ranking event winner Robertson.
“Last year I wasn’t in the best place and it didn’t allow me to confront the issue of my form head on. I talked a good game and tried to be positive, but I wasn’t looking forward to the matches and the travelling. This year it is a different mindset where I can’t wait to play.”
World number three Mark Allen defeated Lyu Haotian 4-2 to set up a huge clash with John Higgins in the last 16.
Allen and Higgins last met at the Crucible earlier this year, when Scotland’s Higgins conjured a classic clearance in the decider to deny the Northern Irishman 13-12.
In this evening’s match Allen made breaks of 71, 56, 52, 75 and 70 to secure the win and was delighted with his performance.
“I played pretty well there. I made one mistake in frame two, but other than that I didn’t really put a foot wrong,” said 38-year-old Allen.
“Lyu is a very good player. I have a good record against him, but he will still have fancied the job. He has won matches to get this far and will have fancied beating me. That shows you the strength of the tour now.”
China’s He Guoqiang, who defeated Ronnie O’Sullivan yesterday, continued to impress with a 4-1 win over Stephen Maguire. Next up he faces India’s Ishpreet Singh Chadha, who defeated Iranian number one Hossein Vafaei 4-2.
Once again, with the exception of the match between Hossein Vafaei and Ishpreet Singh Chadah, only matches featuring at least one British player are reported on by WST.
Si Jiahui beat Jiang Jun in a very hard fought match. Jiang Jun is only 19 and in his second year as a professional. Going by his results over the last year and a half, he’s progressing and longer formats suit him best. He reached round 4 at the 2024 World Championship qualifiers.
Pang Junxu beat Luca Brecel by 4-3. Luca lead 3-2 and had scored break of 84 and 85 to get that far. Pang however found something extra and denied him: he finished the job with breaks of 112 and 85.
Wu Yize win over Ali Carter is mentioned in the above report but not the manner of it. Ali Carter lead 2-1 although Wu had won the first frame with a break of 66, whilst Ali himself had scored a break of 61. Then Wu regained the lead: he went 3-2 up with two centuries ( 123 & 126). The last frame was won on a score of 66-63 in favour of Wu despite the fact that it was Ali who scored a break of 61 in defeat.
As for Ishpreet Singh Chadah , he’s definitely one to watch this season.
Ronnie O’Sullivan blasts his game as ‘absolutely useless’ after shock English Open defeat
Phil Haigh
Ronnie O’Sullivan fell at his first hurdle in Brentwood (Picture: Getty Images)
Ronnie O’Sullivan described his performance as ‘useless’ and ’embarrassing’ as he was beaten 4-2 by He Guoqiang at the English Open on Tuesday night.
It was the Rocket’s first match of the event and it got off to a disastrous start as the Chinese won the first three frames, with breaks of 78 and 77 along the way.
O’Sullivan won the next two but He got over the line with another half-century to keep up his 100 per cent winning record over the Rocket, with two victories from two meetings.
As he has been doing this season so far, O’Sullivan played a lot of shots left-handed and when asked about his choice to do so, he told The Sun: ‘I’m absolutely useless, that’s why.
‘Forget about the Worlds. I’m not even bothered to be honest with you, if I’m going to play rubbish I might as well play left handed.
‘Play left-handed and enjoy it, but be useless, or play right-handed, be useless and not enjoy it.’
The 48-year-old has not had a bad start to the season by most players’ standards, with a semi-final at the Shanghai Masters and quarter-final run at the Saudi Arabia Masters, but he is far from happy with his game.
O’Sullivan is cutting a frustrated figure at the table (Picture: Getty Images)
Despite winning five events last season, the seven-time world champion feels like his career is coming to an end with decline setting in.
‘I haven’t got long, I’m not going to deny it, I’m not playing well enough, there’s no point in even worrying about it. I’ve just accepted it now which is quite a nice place to be really,’ he said.
‘I’m awful, it’s embarrassing. I miss so many balls. I can’t get away from it, poor, but there’s nothing I can do about it.’
Of course, that’s coming right after a painful defeat but it confirms what I suspected: despite his claims that he’s “accepted it”, he’s deeply unhappy about the state of his game and sees no “solution” to his problems. The only “solution” would actually to come to terms with the natural decline that affects him, and I hope that he turns to Steve Peters for help. He won’t get better unless he can find some inner peace.
Ben Woollaston extended his winning record over Mark Williams after a fine 4-1 defeat of the three-time World Champion at the BetVictor English Open in Brentwood.
Leicester’s Woollaston has now won six of his nine career meetings with Williams. The world number 52 is aiming to climb the rankings again after a difficult few years.
Former Welsh Open finalist Woollaston has recently suffered with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which has impacted his ability to practise and compete at the highest level. However, the condition has eased in recent times and allowed him to regain confidence in his game.
Williams was unable to bounce straight back from a gut-wrenching defeat at the recent Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, where he lost the most lucrative deciding frame in the history of the sport. A 10-9 defeat to Judd Trump meant he had to settle for £200,000 rather than the £500,000 top prize.
With the score at 3-1 in this afternoon’s clash, Woollaston crafted a break of 70 to get over the line and set up a last 32 meeting with Zak Surety.
“I think I’m just a little unorthodox and I think I’m good tactically. I pot a lot of good balls. I maybe don’t score as heavily as Mark but I think we match up well,” said 37-year-old Woollaston.
“I have expectation now that I believe I can win matches. Before, I was coming to tournaments and just hoping to feel well. It is a different pressure now because I have a bit of adrenaline that I didn’t have before.”
World number three Mark Allen survived a real battle with China’s Long Zehuang to secure a 4-3 victory and a place in the last 32.
Having taken the first two frames, Allen then found himself one away from defeat at 3-2 down. However, a break of 67 forced a decider, which he won to progress. Allen now faces Lyu Haotian.
Allen said: “I have to say I was very impressed with him. He’s had some good results already. He played some really good stuff in that match and I don’t feel like I did much wrong from the 2-0 up to the verge of going out.
“I felt I played alright. I think that is the first match this season I haven’t made a century so that is disappointing, but overall I’m good.”
Matthew Selt made the 200th and 201st centuries of his career whilst defeating Ricky Walden 4-3. He now faces Judd Trump in the last 32.
Neil Robertson came through with a 4-1 win to set up a blockbuster last 32 showdown with Shaun Murphy, while Ross Muir secured a fine 4-3 win over Gary Wilson.
China’s He Guoqiang stated he was in dreamland after stunning Ronnie O’Sullivan for the second time this season, winning 4-2 at the BetVictor English Open in Brentwood.
He scored an upset 3-0 win over the Rocket at the season opening BetVictor Championship League. That came off the back of a 23/24 campaign which saw him burst into the top 64 and be named Rookie of the Year.
Despite O’Sullivan’s clear frustration at his performances so far this season, he has still featured regularly at the business end of events without amassing silverware.
Today’s defeat is his first in a round before the quarter-finals of a knock out tournament so far in the campaign. The seven-time World Champion bowed out in the semis of the Xi’an Grand Prix and Shanghai Masters, while was a losing quarter-finalist in the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.
He fired in breaks of 78, 77 and 50 on his way to this evening’s victory. Next up is a last 32 meeting with 2004 UK Champion Stephen Maguire.
“It feels brilliant to beat him again. It is an unreal feeling and like I am dreaming. I didn’t expect at all to win again,” said 24-year-old He.
“I think the key is to perform my best and to play my own game. I just needed to get rid of the fear attached to playing a top player like Ronnie. There were so many spectators here, all supporting him. It didn’t allow me to think of anything other than my own performance.
“The best thing I have learned over past few months is how to play against top players and get rid of fear and emotion of facing them. That is the most improved part of my game.”
Scotland’s four-time World Champion John Higgins secured a vital 4-1 win over Andrew Higginson. Next up he faces David Gilbert.
The Glaswegian is currently ranked 16th in the rankings. His time in the world’s top 16 remains unbroken since 1995, but Higgins’ place in that elite group now hangs in the balance. Despite victory today he remains downbeat about the state of his game.
Higgins said: “I’m struggling to get going. I’ve not got the desire at the moment. That is just the way I’m feeling after a performance like that. You just have to try and take the positives. I need to get back to working. It shows and you can’t get away with it when you don’t put the work in.”
Welshman Jamie Jones was a 4-0 whitewash victor against China’s Zhou Yuelong, while Scotland’s Anthony McGill defeated China’s Xiao Guodong 4-2. Jones now plays Ross Muir and McGill faces World Champion Kyren Wilson.
Here are the scores for Ronnie’s match:
And videos shared on YouTube by WST and Eurosport:
Ronnie elected to play most shots left handed. It may make him happier but he’s not as good left-handed than he is right-handed for sure. He missed too many gettable balls, especially early in the match. Also, he doesn’t quite have the as much cue power left-handed as he has right-handed. Having said that He was brilliant. He decided to play very positively and attack right from the start of the match and it paid off. He’s a very, very good player with a solid temperament. He certainly deserved the win yesterday and I can see him go deep in the tournament.
I didn’t see much from the action yesterday as power cuts in my village spoiled it quite a bit. What is obvious looking at the results is that those first matches are banana skins for the top 32 who come cold into the last 64 and face players who have already played one or two matches, and secured ranking points and money. This system of tiered qualifiers is much better for the young players and the rookies than the brutal “random” straight knock-out draw system. They are at least guaranteed that their first match will not be against a top player and will be a really “winnable” one. Yes, they need to win more matches to get to the titles, but they actually benefit from playing more matches, against various opponents, as they need to gain experience to develop.
After a day hiatus, the 2024 English Open resumed yesterday and the top 32 ranked players entered the fray. There were a few held-over matches as well. From this round on it’s a straight “classical” knock-out.
Ali Carter took flight on the table, before stating he intends to literally take to the Essex skies this afternoon following a 4-0 whitewash win over Ian Burns at the BetVictor English Open in Brentwood.
As well as being a six-time ranking event winner, Carter is a fully qualified pilot and said he was keen to take advantage of the favourable flying conditions after this morning’s quickfire win.
The Captain needed just 74 minutes to dispatch Burns, top scoring with 78 in the third. Next up Carter faces either Essex rival Stuart Bingham or Wu Yize.
Carter said: “It’s lovely only being half an hour down the road. I’m going to go flying this afternoon with my mate who is a pilot. The weather has been great so it will be nice to get airborne. We are going to go to Clacton, parking up and getting a bag of chips then fly home.
“Me and Stuart have known each other since we were kids when we used to practise against each other. It would be another tough match. I’m in the next round and he has it all to do to get to me.“
Hungary’s 17-year-old prodigy Bulcsu Revesz scored an impressive 4-2 win over Yuan Sijun to make the third round. He now faces former UK Champion Stephen Maguire.
David Gilbert won the last two frames to defeat Michael Holt 4-3, while Ricky Walden whitewashed former Women’s World Champion Mink Nutcharut 4-0.
World number one Judd Trump got the defence of his BetVictor English Open crown underway with a fiercely contested 4-3 win over China’s Liu Hongyu.
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The Ace in the Pack captured the title here in Brentwood 12 months ago, when he defeated Zhang Anda 9-7 in an absorbing final. That started a sequence of three back-to-back tournament wins with further titles coming at the Wuhan Open and the Northern Ireland Open in the following weeks.
Trump is once again in red hot form this season, he picked up silverware at the Shanghai Masters and sealed a thrilling triumph in the inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters. Victory in Riyadh came courtesy of a 10-9 final win over Mark Williams, which saw Trump secure a massive £500,000 pay cheque.
The Bristolian had led 3-1 when he embarked on a 147 attempt in the fifth. However, he left a cut back black short on 65. Liu punished that mistake with a brilliant clearance of 68 to remain in contention. Liu forced a decider, but a break of 57 saw Trump over the line.
“It was a massive event in Saudi and I’ve already had a brilliant start to the season. It is difficult to keep doing it, but I have showed up here this week. I think it is the best thing for me to keep going while I have the momentum and hopefully I can improve as the tournament goes on,” said 35-year-old Trump.
“The decider in Saudi was the biggest frame I’ve ever played and probably the biggest Mark has ever played. Not many finals come down to deciders these days and to come down to the last black makes it even more special. It is a frame I’ve watched back quite a few times already. Every time I watch it inspires me to keep practising.”
World Champion Kyren Wilson scored a 4-1 win over David Grace to secure his place in the last 32.
The Warrior has enjoyed a strong start to his campaign as Crucible king, having picked up silverware at the inaugural Xi’an Grand Prix. He top scored with a fine 108 in today’s match and now faces either Anthony McGill or Xiao Guodong.
Wilson said: “Every now and then I have to remind myself I’m World Champion. It is a pinch me feeling. I’ve dreamed of it since I was six years old. It is something that does scare me. It was an unbelievable feeling I will never be able to replicate, but I can still get a high of winning events like I did in Xi’an. That is still the focus.”
Shaun Murphy blitzed to a 4-1 win over Jamie Clarke in impressive fashion. The Magician conjured runs of 72, 115 and 124 on his way to victory this evening. He now faces a potential blockbuster clash with Neil Robertson, who plays Jackson Page in the last 64.
Stuart Bingham lost out on home soil in a 4-3 defeat to China’s Wu Yize, who now progresses to face Essex cueman Ali Carter.
Four-time World Champion Mark Selby beat Aaron Hill 4-2, while home favourite Zak Surety scored a shock 4-0 win over Thailand’s Noppon Saengkham.
Although those reports have more “flesh” than what we were served in the earlier rounds, they still mainly focus on the British players results. Whilst the World Champion Kyren Wilson and the World Number one Judd Trump obviously fully deserve the spotlights, it doesn’t explain or justify why only one match won by an Asian player features in these reports. Yet, other than Wu Yize’s victory there were wins for Xiao Guodong, Zhang Anda, Fan Zhengyi (who beat top 16 Ryan Day) , Si Jiahui, Pang Junxu and Ishpreet Singh Chadha who got the better of Jak Jones, the World number 13, and finalist in Sheffield last May.
Ishpreet Singh Chadha is a more than decent player and someone who is unlikely to succumb to nerves. Mind you, before turning professional as a snooker player he was a professional gamer…
Also missing is Oliver Lines win over World number 13, Rob Milkins, but yeah, that was a latish finish.
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh eased into the last 64 of the BetVictor English Open in Brentwood, beating Oliver Sykes 4-1.
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Thailand’s Un-Nooh fired breaks of 94 and 78 as he set up a third round match with Pang Junxu on Monday night. China’s He Guoqiang made a 61 in the decider to beat Wang Yuchen 4-3 and he will now face Ronnie O’Sullivan on Tuesday evening.
Artemijs Zizins continued his impressive start to the season as he beat Robbie Williams 4-2 with a top break of 138. Joe Perry top scored with 97 in a 4-1 defeat of Jimmy White, while India’s Ishpreet Singh Chadha fired runs of 53, 76 and 88 in a 4-2 defeat of Graeme Dott.
David Grace enjoyed a 4-0 success against Marco Fu to set up a meeting with Kyren Wilson, while Jimmy Robertson top scored with 86 in a 4-1 defeat of Alexander Ursenbacher. Xi Si edged out Ka Wai Cheung 4-3 in a match which featured a century and five more breaks over 70.
Ronnie will have to be on his game on Tuesday because He Guoqiang was really excellent. Wang Yuchen himself was not bad at all and it made for a good match to watch 1 as was the match between Xu Si and Ka Wai Cheung. In both cases the player I would have liked to win, lost, but it was good snooker between young talented players, and surely young hard working players as well.
I saw nothing of the evening action as I did a photoshoot at a musical event … life and music coming in the way of snooker. Right, my hobby, photography, does as well, big time, on a regular basis. For what it’s worth here is link to my “image report” on that event: https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?template=22&event=1833 . You shouldn’t need to be on facebook to browse through it.
This is WST report on day 2 at the 2024 English Open in Brentwood:
BETVICTOR ENGLISH OPEN FRIDAY ROUNDUP
Essex cueman Zak Surety secured a big win on home soil to secure passage through to the TV stages of the BetVictor English Open in Brentwood, beating Elliot Slessor 4-1 in the second round.
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World number 98 Surety will now face Thailand’s Noppon Saengkham in the last 64. Today’s match saw Surety fire in runs of 52 and 128 on his way to victory.
China’s Fan Zhengyi provided the highlight of the day, crafting a magnificent 147 break to get over the line with a 4-2 win over Liam Pullen. The former European Masters winner now faces Ryan Day.
Ireland’s Aaron Hill was a 4-2 victor against Lei Peifan, while Oliver Lines scored a 4-1 win over Scott Donaldson. They now face Mark Selby and Robert Milkins respectively.
How they dare to call this a “round-up” I’m not sure. Mind you, yesterday nineteen matches (19) were played, their report only covers four of them (4) and I suspect that Fan Zhengyi’s match is in there only because of the 147. What surprises me is that even Jimmy White’s win over Josuah Cooper isn’t mentioned although the end of that match is on their YouTube channel1
Other than Jimmy White’s win, here are the other results I believe need mentioning:
There was another heartbreak for Iulian Boiko as he was beaten by Louis Heathcote, by 4-3. Iulian was 3-2 up in that match but Louis was the heavier scorer overall.
Mostafa Dorgham from Egypt beat Alan “Pretzel” Taylor. Mostafa is a very decent player and if he could do well on tour it would be a boost for African snooker.
Cheung Ka Wai who is on tour via the WSF route beat Stan Moody rather convincingly. I’m not sure that all the focus Stan got was justified, nor that it helped him develop. That said Cheung comes across as intelligent around the table and a “shot maker”. I like his game.
Ben Woollaston also won his match yesterday. He recently mentioned that he was gradually feeling better and is able to practice again. It shows in his results and I’m happy that his career seems to be getting back on tracks. He’s a very good player and a lovely person.
Aaron Hill beat Lei Peifan by 4-2. This match had a break over 50 in every frame played!
Here is Fan’s 147
What away to finish a match! And as you can see … not may watching in Brentwood …
For some reason, in recent times, WST Youtube videos don’t embed properly here. The other sources do work… any clue anyone? ↩︎
In the first ever match between two women players at a ranking event venue, Mink Nutcharut scored a 4-2 victory over Reanne Evans as the BetVictor English Open got underway in Brentwood.
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The tournament runs until Sunday September 22nd, with the top 32 seeds joining the action on Monday. From 2-1 down against Evans, Thailand’s Nutcharut took three consecutive frames to earn a second round meeting with Ricky Walden on Monday morning.
Basildon’s Zak Surety, who lives just 15 minutes from the venue, top scored with 77 as he beat Farakh Ajaib 4-2. Oliver Lines made a 63 in the decider to beat Rory Thor 4-3, while Liam Pullen fired runs of 52, 85 and 60 in a 4-0 defeat of Antoni Kowalski. Latvia’s promising Artemijs Zizins saw off Duane Jones 4-2.
Michael Holt came from 3-2 down to edge out Gong Chenzhi 4-3, making a 31 clearance to snatch frame six on the black, then a 74 clearance from 54-0 down in the decider.
Once again a lot of matches are “ignored” in this report, most notably ALL those won by Asian players other than Mink. There were wins for Jiang Jun, Lei Peifan, Wang Yuchen and Ishpreet Singh Chadah. Also bizarrely missing from this report is Bulcsú Révész win over “Quid”. Long Zehuang got a walk-over as his opponent Lim Kok Leong failef to show up (again).
Both Belgian boys, Ben Mertens and Julien Leclercq lost their opening match, and were well beaten. That is a disappointment for me, but more than a disappointment it’s a worry. They chose to travel to every event, which worked fine over the last two seasons, but that trip, involving going through the Channel Tunnel, if they travel by car, or even with the Eurostar, can be extremely tiring and stressful. Disruptions are frequent this time of the year because very heavy traffic.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 