This is the report shared by WST about day 3 at the 2025 ranking CLS
Stevens Pips Day To Top Spot
Matthew Stevens defeated Welsh compatriot Ryan Day 3-1 in the final match of the day to end top of Group 25, while Yuan Sijun was comfortable in winning Group 18 at the BetVictor Championship League ranking event.
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Stevens and Yuan advance to the second phase, which starts on July 18th. That will see 32 players vying for spots in the third and final stage.
Former UK and Masters champion Stevens opened his day with a 3-1 win over Asia/Oceania Q School graduate Xu Yichen. However, after a 2-2 draw with Lan Yuhao, Stevens knew he would have to win his last game with Ryan Day to come through.
Day made breaks of 138 and 103 on his way to winning his first two games, meaning a draw would be enough to see him progress. It wasn’t to be for the 2022 British Open winner, as Stevens fired in runs of 80 and 58 on his way to a vital 3-1 win.
Yuan enjoyed a perfect day, scoring a trio of 3-0 wins over Stuart Carrington, Alexander Ursenbacher and Sanderson Lam to win his group.
As always, all the detailed results can be found on snooker.org: Group 18 and Group 25 . I don’t have much to add to the above report. I watched mainly group 25, only to, once more, being left wondering how Matthew Stevens hasn’t won more in his career1. The reason I chose to watch Group 25 in priority is because it featured two rookies from China, two players I can’t remember having seen before. Xu Yichen didn’t convince me at all but Lan Yuhao may have potential.
Xu Yichen is 38, which is quite “old” for a rookie player. He probably is more mature and that may be an advantage when coping with the challenges of living as an expat. On the other hand, he may be less “adaptable”. , and if he has a family, partner and children it may make it even harder for him.
- although … too much alcohol might have something to do with it. ↩︎
Ronnie O'Sullivan 
I agree on the rookies. Xu Yichen is odd, with his upper body moving during every shot. How he can reliably hit balls at greater distances is surprising, and how he made it to the Main Tour with that kind of … “technique”, is a puzzle. But, he makes it up with determination, good humor, and mature focus. Or so I found. As with every rookie, he’ll have to navigate a steep learning curve if he is to last, and that’s doubtful.
And yes, Lan Yuhao did show a lot of promise, though in one of his matches he made just 14 points overall. On the other hand, he’s just 16 years of age, and you have to fear for him.