Brilliant Bai Keeps Historic Run Going

Bai Yulu extended her sensational run in the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship qualifiers as she came from 5-3 down to beat Scott Donaldson 6-5 to set up a Judgement Day clash with Jack Lisowski.

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In beating Farakh Ajaib and Jamie Jones earlier in the week, China’s 21-year-old Bai had already become the first woman to win back-to-back matches in a ranking event since 1999, and she has now made it three in a row with a superb victory over world number 44 Donaldson. Bai, the World and UK Champion on the women’s tour, will face Lisowski on Wednesday evening with the winner to go through to the final stages in York.

Having made 15 breaks over 50 in her three matches so far, she hopes to continue her prolific scoring and become the first woman to reach the last 32 of this event. She compiled runs of 55, 51, 52 and 53 on Tuesday morning but fell 5-3 behind against Donaldson when the match was pulled off. They returned late in the evening and Bai rose to the challenge by taking the last three frames with breaks of 54, 51 and 66.

“I was very nervous and I didn’t think I would win, but I did well,” said Bai, who is competing on the pro tour for the first time this season. “I don’t want to think too much about the next match, I have already done well to win three matches. I have learned a lot.”

Neil Robertson also came through a tense decider to beat Oliver Lines 6-5, narrowly avoiding defeat which would have seen him miss out on the final stages of both this tournament and the Masters. Three-time UK Champion Robertson is on the fringes of the world’s top 16 so may need a deep run in York to secure a Masters spot. He will now face another former UK Champion, Matthew Stevens, on Thursday night.

Robertson led 4-2, having made breaks of 52, 102, 77 and 74, but Lines got the better of a close seventh frame then made 83 and 100 to lead 5-4. A match-winning chance went begging for Lines in frame ten as he ran out of position on the last red leading 50-38, and Robertson later enjoyed a slice of luck as he fluked a snooker on the last red then cleared for 5-5. Lines led 44-0 in the decider when he missed a tricky mid-range red, and Robertson replied with 41, then got the better of a safety exchange on the last red and added the points he needed.

“I was dead and buried at 5-4,” admitted Robertson. “I played great apart from the seventh frame, then Oliver took control and he had chances to win. I made a really good break in the last frame to get back into it. I know there’s a lot on the line, my Masters spot is at stake so every game in this event is a double whammy, despite the fact that I have had a great season. My game is there, in a way it was good to have to dig deep tonight in a match where things were not going my way.”

Zhao Xintong continued to show signs of the game which made him UK Champion in 2021 as he thrashed Noppon Saengkham 6-2 with a top break of 127. In his three matches so far this week, China’s Zhao has compiled three centuries and 11 more breaks over 50. He will now meet Ricky Walden, who saw off Antoni Kowalski 6-2.

Julien Leclercq has struggled for results this season and lies 109th in the one-year rankings, but is looking to make amends this week and beat Dominic Dale 6-2 with a top break of 102. “I’m very happy and I feel I am playing really well,” said Belgium’s Leclerq. “I would love to get to York, I have never seen the venue. It’s all about experience for me and trying to improve on the tactical side.”

Zhou Yuelong came from 3-0 down to beat Marco Fu 6-3 with top breaks of 134 and 141, while Lei Peifan came from 4-2 down to beat Tom Ford 6-5, making a 107 in the decider.

Sanderson Lam made a superb break of 114 in the deciding frame to edge out Yuan Sijun 6-5. Yorkshireman Lam is just one win away of qualifying for his home tournament and will now face Ryan Day, who came from 3-0 down to beat Louis Heathcote 6-3. David Lilley enjoyed a surprise 6-3 win over Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, compiling breaks of 59, 61, 61, 111 and 76.  Barry Hawkins eased to a 6-1 win over Alfie Burden, while Wu Yize fired breaks of 137 and 130 in a 6-2 win over Ashley Carty.