UK Championship 2024: Zhao Xintong makes highest break in win over Sunny Akani as Jimmy White and Bai Yulu progress
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Updated 18/11/2024 at 09:20 GMT
The opening weekend of the UK Championship qualifiers in Leicester produced a 6-3 victory for 2021 champion Zhao Xintong against Sunny Akani. Zhao was banned for 20 months after a match-fixing probe last year, but returned to competition in September. He earned an invite to compete as an amateur after winning two Q Tour events. Meanwhile, Jimmy White and Bai Yulu also sealed their progress.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
Former UK champion Zhao Xintong made a winning return to the tournament in his opening qualifier in Leicester on Saturday as he produced a 146 break in a 6-3 win over Sunny Akani.
Zhao claimed victory at the prestigious event in 2021 with a 10-5 win over Luca Brecel in the final.
He was ranked world No. 6 before he was banned for 20 months after his involvement in a match-fixing probe, but has been invited to chase the £250,000 first prize this year as an amateur after winning twice on the sport's Q Tour.
And he did not disappoint on his return to the main circuit, with Zhao reeling off four straight frames from 3-2 down against the world No. 94 to book his spot in the second qualifying round against compatriot Jiang Jun on Monday morning.
The highlight of his performance was a superb 146 break in the seventh frame bookended by further runs of 83 and 76.
It is the highest knock of the qualifiers so far and comes after Zhao produced back-to-back maximums in his two Q Tour successes in Stockholm and Manchester.
He will need three more wins to return to the scene of his greatest triumph at York Barbican, with the tournament live on Eurosport and discovery+ (November 23-December 1).
Qualifying runs until Thursday at the Mattioli Arena, with 16 qualifiers going into the draw alongside the world's top 16 to compete for the trophy as eight-time UK champion Ronnie O'Sullivan defends the title.
Jimmy White, the 1992 UK champion, made relatively light work of Paul Deaville by claiming a 6-2 victory on Sunday, and will face Ross Muir in the second round on Monday afternoon.
White moved into a 2-0 lead and compiled a 55 in the third frame, but that was not enough to prevent Deaville from halving the deficit.
The Tooting player then restored his two-frame advantage to lead 3-1 only for 20-year-old Deaville to claim the next with a break of 50.
But that was as good as it got for the English Under-21 Championship winner with White winning the remaining three frames to advance.
Meanwhile, women's world champion Bai Yulu followed up her first win in the professional ranks with another notable victory.
After producing breaks of 68, 57, 52 and 73 in a 6-4 success against Farakh Ajaib on Saturday, the 21-year-old Chinese player over Crucible quarter-finalist Jamie Jone 6-4 on Sunday evening.
Bai won the opening two frames against Jones before the Welsh world No. 54 seemed to have taken control as he stormed into a 3-2 lead.
However, Bai responded with breaks of 58, 56 and 68 to move within a frame of victory.
Jones made a visit of 57 to make it 5-4 and keep the match alive, but Bai completed her progress in the 10th frame. She will next face Scott Donaldson on Tuesday morning.
In the evening session's other matches, Rory Thor beat Zak Surety 6-4, David Lilley was a 6-2 winner against Liam Davies, who narrowly missed out on a 147 in 6-3 win over Ahmed Aly Elsayed after missing the final pink in the fourth frame, and Sanderson Lam beat Haydon Pinhey 6-3.
Daniel Wells, Ashley Carty, Alfie Burden and Louis Heathcote also won, as did Jamie Clarke.
UK CHAMPIONSHIP: LATEST RESULTS
- Dylan Emery 6-2 Andrew Higginson
- Michael Holt 6-3 Steven Hallworth
- Robbie McGuigan 6-3 Habib Subah Humood
- Kreish Gurbaxani 6-4 Allan Taylor
- Jimmy White 6-2 Paul Deaville
- Oliver Sykes 6-4 Ben Mertens
- Hatem Yassen 6-0 Mink Nutcharut
- Lei Peifan 6-0 Vladislav Gradinari
- Cheung Ka Wai 6-1 Harvey Chandler
- Julien Leclercq w/o Hamza Ilyas
- Bai Yulu 6-4 Jamie Jones
- Rory Thor 6-4 Zak Surety
- David Lilley 6-2 Liam Davies
- Sanderson Lam 6-3 Haydon Pinhey
- Daniel Wells 6-4 Haris Tahir
- Ashley Carty 6-4 Julian Boiko
- Alfie Burden 6-4 Alexander Ursenbacher
- Louis Heathcote 6-0 Mohamed Shehab
- Jamie Clarke 6-4 Mostafa Dorgham
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