A dramatic group saw three players finish with identical records after the round-robin.
Jack Lisowski and Luca Brecel qualified from Group N of the inaugural WST Pro Series on Monday in Milton Keynes.
An extremely tight league phase saw the duo finish on the same number of points as Andrew Higginson, in addition to boasting the same frame-difference stats following the seven completed matches.
The trio couldn’t be separated via their head-to-heads either, meaning their respective frame-difference tallies from their games with one another determined who went through.
Lisowski’s +1 record ensured that he topped Group N, with Brecel moving forward in the Pro Series alongside him after eclipsing the -1 record of Higginson.
Scotland’s Graeme Dott finished bottom of the group after losing all seven of his ties.
Lisowski and Brecel, who could face each other in the last 16 of the German Masters this week, will take part in the next group stage of this new ranking event in March.
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.
Five players were in the mix heading into the final session of the day, but it’s @JackLisowski who wins the 𝙟𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙥𝙤𝙩! 🔝 #WSTProSeries pic.twitter.com/Cu3nhCm9NK
— World Snooker Tour (@WeAreWST) January 25, 2021
Stage 1 Qualifiers (16 out of 32)
Shaun Murphy
Louis Heathcote
Kyren Wilson
Sunny Akani
Stuart Bingham
Sam Craigie
Martin O’Donnell
Lu Ning
Zhao Xintong
Dominic Dale
Luo Honghao
Zhou Yuelong
Joe Perry
Xiao Guodong
Jack Lisowski
Luca Brecel
What’s Next?
The remaining eight groups in the first stage will take place in March ahead of the conclusion of the tournament.
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)
