Yesterday was “quarter-finals day ” in Llandudno, and it yielded and interesting semi-finals line-up:
Wu Yixe v Barry Hawkins in the afternoon
John Higgins v Jack Lisowski in the evening
Both matches feature opponents with contrasting styles. Wu and Jack are attacking players who like an open game. On form they are deadly potters. Barry and John are more all-rounders , both with a very strong tactical nous and loads of experience. It should be interesting.
I hope that both matches will be close and I would love a Wu Yize v Jack Lisowski final although I’m far for optimistic about getting that “outcome”. Both John Higgins and Barry Hawkins are very hard to beat when they get to this stage of tournaments.
Jack Lisowski is just one win away from earning a massive £150,000 bonus as he beat Stuart Bingham 5-2 to reach the semi-finals of the BetVictor Welsh Open.
This is the fourth and final event in the 2025/26 BetVictor Home Nations Series, and the leading money winner across the series earns the huge bonus. Mark Allen started this week in pole position but lost to David Grace in the first round, which has opened the door to those giving chase.
Lisowski, who won his first ranking title at the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open in October, will meet Zhou Yuelong or John Higgins on Saturday in Llandudno for a place in the final. If 34-year-old Lisowski wins that match he is certain of the bonus, while Zhou also has a chance but must win the tournament. Otherwise, the windfall will go to Allen.
Breaks of 70 and 118 gave Lisowski a 4-0 lead today, and he eventually got over the line in frame seven after Bingham had pulled two back.
“I knew I just had to concentrate on the match today, keep the bonus out of my mind and get on with it,” said world number 22 Lisowski after reaching his 14th ranking semi-final. “At 4-0 I was waiting for Stuart to come back at me, then once it got to 4-2 I really didn’t want it to go 4-3, so I was glad to get over the line and live to fight another day.
“A couple of weeks ago my cueing was bad, my arm wasn’t going straight through the ball. I have changed my tip to a softer one and I have played a lot of snooker in the last week. Hopefully things can click now. I had been losing a lot of matches recently so I needed to steady the ship. I didn’t have enough intensity in practice, I was still trying my best in matches but I just felt a bit out of sorts. I have put myself back on the right path this week. Having won in Belfast I can see the winning line, I know what comes with it and I am desperate to win another one.“
Barry Hawkins reached his first semi-final of the season as he beat a former World Champion for a second consecutive day, seeing off Neil Robertson 5-3.
Hawkins followed up yesterday’s victory over Mark Williams with another huge scalp to reach his 35th ranking event semi-final. The world number 14 made only one break over 40 today but won several scrappy frames as he remained in the hunt for a fifth ranking title and first since the 2023 European Masters. Hawkins will face Jiang Jun or Wu Yize over 11 frames on Saturday with the chance to reach a 13th ranking final.
Robertson was on 53 in the opening frame when he missed an awkward pot on the last red to a centre pocket, allowing Hawkins to slot in the red and clear for 1-0. A run of 102 from Robertson levelled the tie, then Hawkins got the better of a safety tussle on the final brown in frame three and regained the lead. The Englishman added a scrappy fourth to lead 3-1 at the interval despite a highest break of just 28.
Breaks of 61 and 132 got Robertson back to 3-3. Frame seven came down to the colours and Hawkins, leading 52-30, cross-doubled the green into a centre pocket which proved enough to edge him ahead. And after laying a tough snooker behind the green early in the eighth, Hawkins earned a match winning chance and seized it with a run of 93.
“I don’t know how I am still standing here,” admitted 46-year-old Hawkins, who almost pulled out of the event at the start of the week with back pain but ironically was talked into playing on by Robertson. “I battled hard all the way through. My scoring wasn’t there, though I potted some good balls towards the end of the frames and played some good safety.
“I was over the moon to be 3-1 up at the interval. Neil was the better player, I just managed to nick some close frames and then finishing from 4-3 in one visit gives me a bit of a boost. It’s great to be at a tournament going into the weekend and to have given myself a chance. I had no expectation at the start of the week but now there are only four players left and I need to up my game again.”
Robertson said: “There were a few pieces of luck which went against me, otherwise I could have won 5-1 or 5-2. But I can take a lot of positives from this tournament, I have found a brand of tip which is the best I have had in at least ten years. That gives me a lot of confidence particularly looking ahead to the World Championship.“
Wu Yize came from 4-1 down to beat Jiang Jun 5-4 to reach the semi-finals of the BetVictor Welsh Open, boosting his hopes of another title in his breakthrough season.
Jiang had looked set to reach the last four of a ranking event for the first time but missed several chances in the last four frames and Wu took advantage. China’s 22-year-old Wu will meet Barry Hawkins at 1pm on Saturday, with the winner to face Jack Lisowski or John Higgins in Sunday’s final in Llandudno.
In recent months, Wu has made giant strides forward in his career, beating Higgins in the final of the International Championship in November, reaching the semi-finals of the Masters last month and he is now set to jump into the world’s top ten for the first time. The popular young potter with a fluent attacking style is into a sixth ranking semi-final.
Breaks of 68, 64 and 55 helped put Jiang 4-1 ahead before Wu made a 71 to pull one back then got the better of a scrappy seventh frame. In the eighth, Jiang was on 43 when he missed a red to a top corner and Wu punished him with 89 for 4-4. Again in the decider Jiang had first clear chance, but on 37 he overcut a tricky black to a top corner, playing with the rest. And once again he could only watch as Wu remained calm in a winning 65.
“In the first half I wasn’t very focused and made some mistakes,” said Wu, who comes from Lanzhou in North West China. “My opponent played well in that session. Those four frames felt like I had played ten frames – I really had no rhythm at all. During the interval I practised a bit and managed to find some of my form again in the second half, and that helped me finish the match. As for Jiang, I’m not sure whether it was his habit or maybe pressure. I can’t really understand it from his side, but I hope he will keep improving in the future.
“This season I’ve now reached two ranking semi-finals. Last time I went on to win the title, and on that run I also beat Barry Hawkins (6-0 in the quarter-finals). I hope this time I can focus on myself again and try to make another breakthrough. Some of the matches I lost this season were due to carelessness and sometimes it’s hard to summarise clearly. You can only learn through experience, and when you face a similar situation next time, you try to make a better decision. I’ve made big progress this year, experienced the later stages of tournaments a few times now and learned a lot of lessons from before. I hope I can do better this time.“
Higgins moved a step closer to a first title of the season as he thrashed Zhou Yuelong 5-0. The Scot took three scrappy frames before winning the last two with breaks of 75 and 67.
World number six Higgins has already won this title a record five times and is now just two wins away from another Ray Reardon Trophy. Runner-up in the Masters and the Players Championship within the past six weeks, the 50-year-old has another chance to take Mark Williams’ record as the oldest ever ranking event winner. Higgins is into his 92nd ranking event semi-final and is targeting a 34th title.
The result ends Zhou’s hopes of winning the £150,000 BetVictor Home Nations Series bonus as he had to go all the way to the title this week. However Higgins’ next opponent, Lisowski, will land that windfall if he comes out on top on Saturday evening.
Asked about that subplot by TNT Sports, Higgins said: “It will be Jack’s biggest money match he has ever played. But I think he could be totally fine, it might give him that spark just go out there and go for it. Like Rob Milkins a few years ago, he played amazingly to beat Shaun Murphy in the final, when the bonus was in the background.”
The 2026 Players Championship started yesterday in Telford, without Ronnie. His withdrawal from the event has angered quite a few “fans” but me, I’m not angry, instead I’m puzzled, and even slightly worried, because this is an event that carries a lot of money and ranking points even for the first round losers. So, why pass on the opportunity unless you have serious reasons? Anyway…
John Higgins thrashed Australia’s Neil Robertson 6-1 to make the 155th ranking quarter-final of his career at the Sportsbet.io Players Championship in Telford.
Nobody has ever appeared in more quarter-finals than Higgins. This week marks the 456th ranking tournament in snooker history, meaning that Higgins has reached at least the quarter-finals in a more than a third of them.
The Wizard of Wishaw only just earned a place to compete this week, edging into the 16th seeding position after Ronnie O’Sullivan elected not to enter. It set up a blockbuster tie with Sportsbet.io One Year List leader Robertson.
Last year saw Scotland’s Higgins storm to glory by winning the Tour Championship, but with only the top 12 performers of the season earning a place, he has work to do in order to secure qualification.
An imperious showing from Higgins today saw him fire home breaks of 70, 84 and 133 en route to a comprehensive triumph. Next up this week the 50-year-old will play either Chris Wakelin or Xiao Guodong. Before that Higgins steps into the broadcasting world, working on 5’s coverage this week as a pundit and commentator.
“I’ll tell you tomorrow how I feel about the broadcasting. It is something to fill my days up. I’m at that stage of my life where I’m just looking at four walls when I’m at a tournament. It will be something to try and if I like it great. Nothing ventured and nothing gained,” said 33-time ranking event winner Higgins.
“It will probably be more nerve wracking. When I’m commentating on a game people back home might be saying what is he talking about! We will wait and see tomorrow.
“It would be good to qualify for the Tour Championship, but if I do qualify and do well there I could be adding 70 to 80 frames into the tank going into the World Championship. Someone like myself, maybe doesn’t have the energy for that. If I don’t qualify then who knows, it could end up helping me be a bit fresher.“
On the other table, two-time Players Champion Mark Allen scored a fine 6-3 win over China’s in-form Wu Yize.
The Northern Irishman most recently lifted the title here in Telford back in 2024, when he scored a marathon 10-8 win over Zhang Anda in the final.
Breaks of 51, 78, 73 and 93 helped him to victory this afternoon. He awaits the winner between Mark Selby and Jack Lisowski in the last eight.
Mark Selby scored a 6-3 victory against Jack Lisowski to book a quarter-final showdown with Mark Allen at the Sportsbet.io Players Championship in Telford.
The Leicester cueman is in tremendous form having defended his Championship League title last week. He also claimed a momentous third UK Championship crown before Christmas, beating world number one Judd Trump in the final. Selby is hoping to use that form as a platform to capture a first ever Players Championship title this week.
Selby and Lisowski have historically had a tight head-to-head record, with the latter having won their previous two meetings. Victory for Selby moves him 8-7 up in meetings between the pair.
A tight opening two frames this evening both went the way of four-time World Champion Selby, before a break of 84 moved him 3-0 in front. Lisowski responded in the fourth with a run of 63 to head into the mid-session 3-1 behind.
Selby edged further in front when play resumed, but breaks of 56 and 70 from Lisowski helped keep him in contention at 4-3. A stunning total clearance of 136 stopped the rot for Selby in the eighth and he took the ninth to get over the line and book his meeting with Allen.
“It is tough playing Jack as you know he is going to be very attacking. If you leave a red sticking out he is going to go for it. Depending on what kind of mood he is in, he can pot anything on the table and blow you away. Luckily for me he wasn’t in that frame of mind,” said 42-year-old Selby.
“To be consistent I don’t think you can have that kind of game. I think you need an all-round game. To play that way you need to be playing well and nobody does that every single day. I feel you need a back up game as well but at the same time if you tell Jack to tighten up he wouldn’t be as dangerous. I wish I had the guts to go for some of the balls he does.
“I feel like my game is in good shape. I’m really happy with my season so far, I played well in York and won the Champion of Champions as well. I’ve been consistent since then. I can’t complain with how things are going.”
On the other table, Scottish Open champion Chris Wakelin scored a fine 6-2 win over current back-to-back Wuhan Open champion Xiao Guodong.
Former Shoot Out winner Wakelin’s victory at the Scottish Open in Edinburgh was a significant one, his first ever triumph in a full format event. In what was a fragmented encounter today, Wakelin showed his top form to get over the line.
With the 33-year-old leading 4-2, he crafted two brilliant breaks of 104 and 101 to get over the line and book a quarter-final meeting with four-time World Champion John Higgins.
John Higgins played well, Neil Robertson was disappointingly poor … basically that summarises that match. As a result, John stays in Telford and will be commentating. It should be interesting… provided you understand what he is saying 🙄. I suppose that most Brits are able to cope with John’s heavy Scottish accent but for non-native English speakers, like me, it’s a serious challenge1. I didn’t watch the other table, but there too the outcome disappointed me.
In the evening came more disappointment for me, but no surprises, Jack Lisowski being … Jack Lisowski.
Both Chinese players involved lost and I can’t help to wonder if, maybe, the fact that yesterday was the Chinese New Year was a factor. Indeed we entered the year of the Fire Horse. It’s an important celebration for them.
Nobody would organise a ranking tournament on Christmas day, or New Years day would they? Of course WST can’t take into account all the celebrations that may be important to some individual player given how many different nationalities are represented, but there are so many Chinese players on the tour nowadays that I feel that, really, this is something they should take into consideration at least when as important as this one.
There was a Q-Tour event in my native country, Belgium, this week-end, but, of course, living in Greece now, I missed it. Ashley Carty won it. His victory brought back memories… I have known Ashley since he was around 15, playing in the PTCs. There was a rather huge and lively group of young Brits at those events. Many of them turned pro at some point over the last decade, with various fortunes on the tour. There was a lot of teasing each other and banter, but when one of them was a the table they had unconditional support from the group. They were very different characters but one thing united them: their love for the sport. I’m happy for Ashley. I’m sure he worked hard for this opportunity to compete in the play-offs for a new Tour card.
Victory for the 30-year-old Englishman saw him become the fifth different title winner during the campaign and secure a guaranteed place at next month’s Q Tour Global Play-Offs in Spain, where a trio of two-year World Snooker Tour (WST) tour cards will be on offer.
The penultimate event of the Q Tour Europe series saw the race for the top spot in the ranking list, which guarantees a two-year WST tour card, heading towards an exciting conclusion.
Jamie Clarke arrived in Mons knowing that the title could potentially confirm his return to the professional ranks, but a last 32 defeat to Germany’s Umut Dikme denied the Welshman – while nearest chasers Peter Lines, Hammad Miah and Stuart Carrington each also failed to reach the concluding day of action in Mons.
Carty, meanwhile, had failed to make it beyond the last 16 stage of a Q Tour event during the campaign but secured the title by winning through a field of 78 players from 20 countries at the Delta Moon Snooker Club.
The 30-year-old kicked off the event in style by round off a 4-1 win against France’s Yannick Tarillon with a break of 125 – his highest of the competition.
A deciding frame victory over Oliver Briffett-Payne, from 2-0 behind, was then followed by a 4-1 defeat of Dikme to earn a place in the quarter-finals.
The last eight line-up was made up entirely of Englishmen and Carty downed George Pragnell (4-1) and Oliver Sykes (4-2) to set up a title match meeting with Steadman.
The 43-year-old former professional was appearing in his second Q Tour Europe final of the season, following a loss to double-champion Clarke at the Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds last November, and had reached the same stage once more in Mons by last beating Ashley Hugill 4-2.
A break of 85 gave Carty the opener but Steadman quickly hit back with a half-century of his own to restore parity.
It was a high-scoring battle in the early stages and Carty restored his one-frame advantage with a contribution of 116, before taking the next on the colours to move within one frame of glory at 3-1.
A confident display in the fifth secured Carty the crown in Mons and following his victory he said: “I feel great. I’ve hit some good form over the last few months and won quite a few tournaments in England – my confidence has gone through the roof.”
“I am over the moon to secure my place in the Q Tour Global Play-Offs, that was one of my objectives at the start of the season so I’m thrilled. It was heartbreaking to drop off the Tour but you’ve got to get your head around it and get on with it. It would mean everything to get back on the Tour – I won the Play-Offs a few years ago and so hopefully I can that again!” he added.
Tom Ford made the perfect start to the 2026 BetVictor Championship League Invitational, beating Jackson Page 3-1 in the final to book his place in the Winners’ Group.
Leicester’s Ford, playing on home ground at the Mattioli Arena, will return in February alongside six other players to compete for the title.
The group phase saw Page, Joe O’Connor and Chris Wakelin all finish with four wins out of six, with Ford snatching fourth place with three wins.
In the semi-finals, Page came from 2-1 down to edge out Wakelin 3-2, making vital clearances of 86 and 54 in the last two frames. Ford enjoyed a 3-1 victory over O’Connor.
A break of 77 gave Page the opening frame of the final, but world number 28 Ford then took control with runs of 108, 76 and 97 to take the next three.
Group two gets underway on Sunday as Page, O’Connor, Wakelin and Elliot Slessor are joined by Gary Wilson, David Gilbert and Noppon Saengkham.
Recently crowned BetVictor Scottish Open champion Chris Wakelin made the first 147 of his career at the BetVictor Championship League Invitational.
The perfect break came during his 3-2 win over Pang Junxu. It is a record extending 17th of this season and the 234th in snooker history.
The previous record for 147s in a single season came last term, when 15 were made. That tally looks set to be smashed in the current campaign, with the season just passing the halfway point.
Michal Szubarczyk is still only fourteen, the youngest ever professional snooker player. He has, so far, found the life on the main tour rather hard, but that was to be expected. His talent and love for the game are evident though and he proved it again earlier this week in Doha where he won the 2025 IBSF World Men’s Snooker Champion.
Michal Szubarczyk Creates History as 14-Year-Old World Champion
Michal Szubarczyk Creates History as 14-Year-Old World Champion Took the title to Europe after 16 years
Poland’s Michal Szubarczyk has etched his name into snooker history, becoming the IBSF World Men’s Snooker Champion 2025 after a commanding 5-2 victory over Qatar’s former world champion Ali Alobaidli in today’s final. At just 14 years old, Michal joins elite company, becoming only the second player of his age to win the world title, the first being China’s Yan Bingtao in 2014 in India.
This landmark triumph also ends Europe’s 16-year wait for the men’s world crown. The last world champion from Europe, Alfie Burden (UK), lifted the trophy in 2009 in India, making Michal’s achievement all the more significant for the continent.
The final began in favour of the home favourite, Ali Alobaidli, who used his experience to secure the opening frame. But once Michal settled his nerves, the match took a dramatic turn. The young Polish prodigy unleashed three consecutive breaks of 71, 51, and 53, stunning the local crowd and storming ahead 3-1.
Ali attempted to claw his way back in the fifth frame, but unforced errors and a few missed pots proved costly, allowing Michal to extend his lead to 4-1.
The sixth frame briefly revived Ali’s hopes. Michal looked set to close out the match, but an unexpected black-ball miss opened the door. Ali capitalized with precision, reducing the deficit to 2-4 and drawing a roar from the home supporters.
But champions are defined by how they respond, and Michal showed maturity well beyond his years. In the seventh frame, he adopted a measured, disciplined approach “shot by shot, ball by ball”. That focus culminated in a brilliant break of 76, sealing the frame and the championship, and crowning him World Champion at 14.
The men’s event concluded with Harvey Chandler of England and Nicolas Mortreux of France earning joint bronze as semi-finalists, capping off a fiercely competitive tournament.
For Michal Szubarczyk, this victory is not just a world title, it is the birth of a new era, and the arrival of snooker’s next global superstar.
The last time a player from mainland Europe won this title was Kurt Maflin in 2006, the last time an European player won it was Alfie Burden in 2009.
Shaun Murphy remained on target to win back-to-back ranking titles as he made three centuries in a 6-4 defeat of Gary Wilson to set up a final clash with Mark Williams at the Xi’an Grand Prix in China.
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A match of outstanding quality included four breaks over 130 plus a further four over 70 within the ten frames, but Murphy proved unstoppable as he came from 3-1 down to take five of the last six.
Having won the Unibet British Open in Cheltenham 14 days ago, Murphy could become the first winner of consecutive ranking titles since Judd Trump took three in a row in October 2023. The Magician will meet Williams over 19 frames on Monday, with the trophy and £177,000 top prize on the line.
World number 12 Murphy briefly dropped out of the top 16 earlier this season but has responded to the setback with a dramatic return to form. The 43-year-old is set for his 28th ranking final and will be looking for a 14th title which would leave him just one behind Ding Junhui on the all time list. It would also continue his record of winning each of his ranking titles on one occasion only.
Today’s result has already come with a huge bonus for Murphy as his run to the final this week has earned him a place in next month’s Riyadh Season Snooker Championship at the expense of Mark Selby.
A run of 91 gave Murphy the opening frame before Wilson responded to take three in a row with top breaks of 81 and 139. After the interval, Murphy stormed back with 81, 131 and 140 to go 4-3 ahead, then crucially he took a tight eighth frame on the colours. World number 17 Wilson, whose run this week will take him back into the elite top 16, pulled one back with a 74, but Murphy finished in style with a 141 total clearance.
“I felt I hadn’t done that much wrong at 3-1 down,” said Murphy, who has won his last 13 consecutive matches. “Gary played very well all the way through. In frame five he broke off and forced me to go for a long red, I potted it and won the next three frames. I had a bit of luck at the right times, on another day I could have easily lost that match. The eighth frame I knew was really important. As I have got older and got more maturity in my game you sense those moments. I haven’t always had that awareness to stick a ‘Mark Selby’ or ‘John Higgins’ frame in there. I have been a bit slow to the party but I am learning.
“This vein of form won’t last forever but I am enjoying it. I played well in Brentwood, played well in Cheltenham and I was delighted to lift the trophy. Here this week I’ve got another chance. But I have got one of the best of all time in my way and he will give me nothing. We have had some great matches over the years and I am sure tomorrow will be no different.“
Asked about earning a place at the event in Riyadh, where a $1 million bonus will be on offer for making a ‘super maximum’ of 167 by potting the unique gold ball, Murphy added: “I am really pleased to get myself back into the top ten and to qualify for that event. What an achievement it will be for whoever makes the first 167.”
Mark Williams is just one win away from becoming the oldest ever ranking event winner as he came from 3-2 down to beat Daniel Wells 6-3 and reach the final of the Xi’an Grand Prix in China.
Williams will meet Shaun Murphy or Gary Wilson in the final on Monday with a top prize of £177,000 up for grabs. As it stands the oldest ranking event winner is Ray Reardon who was 50 years and 14 days when he landed the 1982 Professional Players Tournament, but Williams could extend that record to 50 years and 206 days. He could also become the first player to win a title in every decade from his teens through to his 50s.
The three-time World Champion will be playing in the 44th ranking final of his 33-year career and aiming for a 27th title, which would leave him just one behind Steve Davis on the all-time list. Runner-up to Zhao Xintong at the Crucible last season, Williams remains a strong contender for titles and is into his first final of the new campaign.
An all-Welsh battle saw world number 47 Wells contesting his fourth ranking event semi-final, and he is still yet to reach a final. After sharing the first four frames, Wells edged ahead by potting the final blue and pink to take the fifth. Williams won a scrappy sixth for 3-3, at which point the highest break of the match was just 42.
World number five Williams finally found some rhythm as a superb run of 129 gave him the lead, and a 53 in the next helped make it 5-3. In frame nine, Williams led by 33 points with just the colours left, then Wells got the snookers he needed on the yellow. But Williams later laid two tough snookers on the brown and when Wells missed the second, he offered the handshake.
“Most of my games this week have been the same, pretty poor,” admitted Williams. “I scraped over the line again, I’m glad to win. Apart from the one century break, it was tough out there. I might have looked calm but you wouldn’t want to know the names I was calling myself in my head. I struggled all match, I just stuck in there. Honestly, I don’t know how I am in the final. Can I do it once more? Probably not, I would have to play a lot better otherwise I’ll get trampled on. I will try my best.
“I have played some unbelievable matches this season and lost 5-4 or 5-3. In this tournament I haven’t looked like making breaks but I’m in the final. I’ll take winning like this over playing out of my skin and losing.
“I suppose if I take that record as the oldest winner, Ronnie or John Higgins will beat it in a few months time. It’s just nice to be in a final, and to win a tournament would be great. At the start of this week if you had offered me the quarter-finals I would have bitten your hand off, so for the final I would have bitten your whole body off“.
I don’t really have anything to add about the matches.
The Final today will be contested between two players with a combined age of 93. Snooker at the top nowadays is definitely not exactly a “young man’s game”, despite the fact that we do have some very good youngsters on the tour. But those “darn oldies” refuse to go away!
The conditions in Xi’An have been problematic all week. WST will probably say that the number of centuries and high breaks say otherwise, but what we have seen and the reactions of the commentators witnessing the outcome of some shots do tell a different story. It’s a shame for the players, but it probably can’t be helped.
Normally, the monsoon season should be over by now and the conditions should be dryer but it seems that the snooker gods have decided otherwise. Indeed, this is the weather forecast for this week in Xi’An …
Jimmy White scored his second win of the season as he came from 2-0 down to beat Cheung Ka Wai 4-3 in the first round of the BetVictor English Open, setting up an intriguing clash with Luca Brecel.
The first event in the 2025/26 BetVictor Home Nations Series got underway on Thursday in Brentwood. The non-televised phase runs until Sunday and then the top 32 seeds join the fray from Monday.
After losing the first two frames, veteran White recovered to 2-2 with breaks of 50 and 57. He lost the fifth, but then nicked the sixth on the colours before dominating the decider with a top run of 41. The crowd favourite now meets Brecel in round two on Saturday morning.
Liam Highfield enjoyed a 4-2 victory over On Yee Ng, despite a record break of 137 from Ng in the second frame. Marco Fu, the fastest player on the tour this season with an average shot time of 15 seconds, needed just 59 minutes to beat Gao Yang 4-0 with breaks of 62, 79, 110 and 104. There was more success for Hong Kong as Wang Yuchen came from 3-2 down to edge out Florian Nuessle 4-2.
Pakistan’s Haris Tahir top scored with 127 in a 4-0 win over Michal Szubarczyk while Julien Leclercq beat Aidan Murphy 4-0 with runs of 115, 68, 58 and 104.
The first two matches to finish yesterday were won by two Chinese players, Huang Jiahao and Zhao Hanyang who beat Oliver Sykes and Connor Benzey respectively.
Sunny Akani came back from 0-2 down to beat Oliver Brown, with a top break of 107.
Liam Graham beat Antoni Kowalski by 4-1 in a match that was much closer than the score suggests. The last two frames in particular were hard fought and very close. Liam won them both.
The match between On Yee and Liam Highfield could easily have gone the distance. On Yee lost the last frame on a score of 70-69 to Liam … having made a 69 break in that frame. She also scored the only century of in that match, her 137 in frame 2.
Julien Leclercq missed the 14th red in a maximum attempt in frame 4 of his match against Aidan Murphy. Julien won that match by 4-0 with breaks of 115, 68, 58 and 104.
