Jimmy White’s dreams of competing in the World Championship were shattered after a disappointing 10-3 loss to Liu Hongyu in the second round of qualifying. Despite first qualifying for the tournament in 1981, White will not be making an appearance at the Crucible this year as Liu secured a spot in the third-round qualifier against Jack Lisowski. The writing was on the wall for the 61-year-old as Liu took a commanding 5-1 lead, winning four consecutive frames after White had leveled the score at 1-1 with an impressive clearance of 81. Liu extended his lead further in frames 10 and 11, effectively ending any hopes of a White comeback.
In another closely contested match, David Grace found himself locked in a battle with Rory Thor, with the score standing at 6-5 after 11 frames. Grace initially took a 2-0 lead, but Thor fought back to level the score at 2-2. The players traded frames until Thor took a 5-3 lead, including a half-century clearance of 68 in the seventh frame. However, Grace responded with a break of 52 in the ninth frame, and comfortably won the 10th frame with a score of 64-10. The match remains fiercely contested as both players vie for a spot in the next round of qualifying.
Daniel Wells secured his place in the next round of qualifying with a 10-5 victory over Xing Zihao, despite a slow start. Xing initially overturned Wells’s early lead to go 3-1 ahead, including a near-maximum break of 140 in the fourth frame. However, Wells mounted an impressive comeback, winning the next five frames and making significant clearances to take a 6-3 lead. Although the players traded frames afterwards, Wells ultimately clinched victory by taking the next three frames. Ben Woollaston and Jenson Kendrick are locked in a tightly contested match, with Kendrick holding a slim 8-7 lead and making notable breaks in several frames.
In another competitive matchup, Jamie Clarke holds a 5-4 lead over Andres Petrov, with both players showcasing their skills on the table. Petrov has taken the highest breaks of the match so far with 81 and 86 in the second and third frames. Anthony Hamilton and Alexander Ursenbacher find themselves deadlocked at 3-3 after six frames, highlighting the evenly matched competition taking place in the qualifiers. Snooker fans can catch all the action, including the World Championship, live on Eurosport, discovery+, the Eurosport app, and eurosport.com. The tournament continues to deliver thrilling encounters as players battle it out for a coveted spot at the Crucible.
