Snooker Champions League: Pang Junxu and Long Zehuang Advance to Top 32, Increasing Chinese Contingent to 4
Beijing, July 7th – On the morning of July 7th, Chinese snooker players Pang Junxu and Long Zehuang successfully advanced in the group stage of the 2023 Snooker Champions League, progressing to the top 32 and increasing the number of Chinese players in the tournament to 4.
The 2023 Snooker Champions League, the first ranking match of the new snooker season, is being held in the UK and is divided into three stages. In the first stage, 128 players were divided into 32 groups for a round-robin match, with the winner of each group advancing to the top 32.
On the 6th, two more groups competed in the Champions League. In the 24th group, China’s young stars Pang Junxu and Wu Yize secured the top two spots. Pang Junxu dominated the group stage with 3 victories, advancing to the top 32, while Wu Yize finished second with 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss, unfortunately being eliminated.
In the 7th group match that started on the same day, the newly turned professional, Long Zehuang, topped the group with 2 wins and 1 draw, securing his spot in the top 32. Notably, he caused a major upset by defeating the “Uncrowned King” Alister Carter of the World Championships by 3:1. Carter becomes the second top 16 player to be eliminated in the group stage, following Ryan Day.
A total of 19 Chinese players participated in the Snooker Champions League after Marco Marco Fu, a player from Hong Kong, China, temporarily withdrew from the competition. Among the 7 players who have completed their matches, Xiao Guodong, Zhou Yuelong, Pang Junxu, and Long Zehuang have all advanced to the top 32. Although the three “post-00” teenagers Jiang Jun, Xing Zihao, and Wu Yize were eliminated, their performances were commendable, with each securing 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss, and finishing in second place in their respective groups.
After 9 match days, the 2023 Snooker Champions League has produced a total of 18 top 32 players. The competition will continue with the next match day featuring clashes between two groups. Notably, China’s rising star, Fan Zhengyi, will make his debut in the 23rd group. Fan gained prominence by defeating “Rocket” O’Sullivan in the final of the 2022 European Masters, and his performance in this Champions League is highly anticipated as he aims to advance to the top 32 in his group.