The slow-running event finally moves onto the next phase.
The draw for the second stage of the WST Pro Series is complete after Judd Trump and Ryan Day completed the line-up on Tuesday in Milton Keynes.
World number one Trump won six out of his seven league encounters from Group O to finish top of the pile ahead of Welshman Day.
An interesting final round of fixtures ensured that Day, Jamie Jones, Jimmy White, and Steven Hallworth all had a shot at advancing.
But Day’s 2-0 victory over the latter ultimately saw him edge out his countryman Jones on frame difference.
With the pair progressing to the last 32, the second stage of the inaugural WST Pro Series can finally commence after 16 days of competition.
WST Pro Series Draw: Stage Two
| GROUP 1 (March 17th) | GROUP 2 (March 18th) |
| Mark Williams | Kyren Wilson |
| Ali Carter | Shaun Murphy |
| Lyu Haotian | Zhao Xintong |
| Martin O’Donnell | Lu Ning |
| Sunny Akani | Xiao Guodong |
| Louis Heathcote | Ben Woollaston |
| James Cahill | Robert Milkins |
| Ben Hancorn | Stuart Carrington |
| GROUP 3 (March 19th) | GROUP 4 (March 20th) |
| Jack Lisowski | Judd Trump |
| Barry Hawkins | Mark Selby |
| Joe Perry | Stuart Bingham |
| Luca Brecel | Zhou Yuelong |
| Mark Davis | Ricky Walden |
| Sam Craigie | Ryan Day |
| Luo Honghao | Dominic Dale |
| Fergal O’Brien | Oliver Lines |
What is the WST Pro Series?
The format for the WST Pro Series is quite similar to that which was utilised 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 already took place in January, while the outcome from the remaining eight groups will be determined over the coming days.
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.
Trump, bidding for a record-equalling sixth ranking title of a single campaign, is the bookies favourite for glory with useful bonus codes for bet365 on timecube.com available.
There is a total tournament prize fund of £420,500, broken down in various ways throughout 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.
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)
