It was one of the more straightforward groups from the first week in the new competition.
Luo Honghao and Zhou Yuelong safely booked their places in the last 32 of the WST Pro Series after topping Group L on Sunday in Milton Keynes.
China’s Luo won six out of his seven league encounters to finish on 18 points and comfortably advance to the next group phase of the competition in March.
The 20 year-old’s countryman Zhou boasted a 5-2 win-loss record that earned him six more points than his nearest rivals following the round-robin play.
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh was the only member of the world’s top 16 in Group L and was expected to feature prominently, but the Thai star’s run in the inaugural Pro Series was brief after propping up the bottom of the table with just two wins.
Luo and Zhou join the likes of Shaun Murphy, Stuart Bingham, and Kyren Wilson who have already booked their spots in the next stage.
What is the WST Pro Series?
The format for the WST Pro Series is quite similar to that which was unitilised for two out of the three editions of the Championship League that were staged during 2020.
There are 16 groups comprising eight players in each, with a round-robin phase determining the top two who will advance to the second group stage.
Eight groups in the first stage take place this week, while the remaining eight groups are in March.
The 32 players who progress to stage two will be split into four more groups of eight, with the top two again moving forward from each to contest the final group.
That remaining set of eight players will subsequently battle it out in the same fashion to become the overall champion.
There is a total tournament prize fund of £420,500, broken down in various ways through the three group stages.
The winner, however, stands to collect at least £30,000 in an event that incorporates a sprint best-of-three frames format throughout.
What’s Next?
On Sunday, Group N takes place with Jack Lisowski, Graeme Dott, Luca Brecel, Andrew Higginson, Jackson Page, Brandon Sargeant, Zak Surety, and amateur Michael White involved.
Live coverage will be available via an account with several online bookmakers, as well as around the world through the Matchroom.Live streaming service.
Click here to view the full draw (Times in CET)
