How Bai Yulu matched Mark Selby with sparkling double in women's UK Championship snooker final
By Desmond Kane
Published 07/09/2026 at 16:40 GMT+1
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Bai Yulu managed to match the standards set by Mark Selby over the weekend as the Chinese player produced two glorious centuries on her way to winning the women's UK Championship for a third straight year with a 4-1 final win over 12-time UK and world champion Reanne Evans.
Bai makes the biggest break ever for a women in a professional competition
Video credit: TNT Sports
While Selby rolled in breaks of 139 and 100 in his 10-6 defeat to Jak Jones in Sunday's British Open final in Cheltenham, Bai unearthed runs of 103 and 117 in Leeds to return to the world No. 1 spot in the women's game.
TNT Sports expert Evans has suffered defeats in the last two major finals, losing 6-2 to Panchaya Channoi in the Women's World Championship final in May, but has the consolation of an impressive start to the new season in contesting a record 17th UK final.
Bai, who also made the top break of 125 at the three-day event, celebrated a remarkable ninth ranking title victory since turning professional in 2024.
The two-time world champion also defeated Evans 4-0 for her first UK title two years ago.
Bai will attempt to book her trip to the Northern Ireland Open when she faces Yao Pengcheng in a qualifying match in Leicester on September 14 with the winner taking on Stan Moody for a spot at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast, October 18-25, live with TNT Sports on HBO Max.
The 23-year-old made history at last season's International Championship with the highest break by a female player.
A 145 break in her 6-4 defeat to 14-year-old Wang Xinzhong broke the previous record of 137 set by Hong Kong's Ng On Yee.
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Watch and stream the 2026/27 snooker season, including the World Championship and Home Nations events, live with TNT Sports on HBO Max.
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