Wu Yize won all three of his round-robin fixtures as he controlled Group 28 of Championship League Snooker on Tuesday in Leicester.
The 20 year-old from China showed glimpses of his potential last season, including during an impressive run to the semi-finals of the Wuhan Open.
Wu will be looking to improve his consistency during the 2024/25 campaign, and it’s a case of so far so good for the former IBSF world under-21 champion.
A 3-1 defeat of amateur top-up Joshua Cooper got him off to a perfect start at the Mattioli Arena.
Wu then followed that up with another couple of 3-1 wins against Allan Taylor and Ross Muir, scoring a magnificent 142 total clearance against the latter.
With aspirations of soon breaking into the top 32 in the world rankings for the first time, Wu safely moves forward to Stage Two of the competition.
Joining him in the last 32 is Martin O’Donnell, who also went undefeated during his strong day in Group 24.
Last term’s Welsh Open runner-up opened his account with a 2-2 draw against Rory Thor before coming from behind to deny German amateur Umut Dikme.
By this point, O’Donnell trailed the group’s higher seed Ricky Walden in the standings, the latter having beaten the same two opponents to the loss of just a single frame.
But despite losing the opening frame, O’Donnell secured the win over Walden that he needed to progress from Stage One at the expense of his fellow Englishman.
The 38 year-old’s betting odds for glory in the season’s opening ranking event have been cut to about 40/1 with Wu now boasting odds of around 33/1.
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On Wednesday, Championship League Snooker continues with another couple of groups.
In Group 26, Matthew Selt is in action against former world champion Graeme Dott, Alexander Ursenbacher, and Florian Nuessle.
Yuan Sijun fronts Group 27 with the Chinese competitor competing alongside David Lilley, Liam Graham, and Paul Deaville.
Tuesday, June 18th – Results
Group 24
1. Ricky Walden 3-0 Umut Dikme
2. Martin O’Donnell 2-2 Rory Thor
3. Martin O’Donnell 3-1 Umut Dikme
4. Ricky Walden 3-1 Rory Thor
5. Rory Thor 2-2 Umut Dikme
6. Martin O’Donnell 3-1 Ricky Walden
Group 28
1. Wu Yize 3-1 Joshua Cooper
2. Ross Muir 3-1 Allan Taylor
3. Ross Muir 2-2 Joshua Cooper
4. Wu Yize 3-1 Allan Taylor
5. Allan Taylor 3-0 Joshua Cooper
6. Wu Yize 3-1 Ross Muir
Championship League Snooker
Stage One Draw
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 |
| Scott Donaldson | He Guoqiang | Shaun Murphy | Mark Williams |
| Group 5 | Group 6 | Group 7 | Group 8 |
| Ali Carter | Gary Wilson | Robbie McGuigan | Jak Jones |
| Group 9 | Group 10 | Group 11 | Group 12 |
| Ma Hailong | Jackson Page | Ryan Day | Jack Lisowski |
| Group 13 | Group 14 | Group 15 | Group 16 |
| Si Jiahui | Hossein Vafaei | David Gilbert | Fan Zhengyi |
| Group 17 | Group 18 | Group 19 | Group 20 |
| Chris Wakelin | Stuart Bingham | Long Zehuang | Stuart Carrington |
| Group 21 | Group 22 | Group 23 | Group 24 |
| Neil Robertson | Joe O’Connor | Michael White | Martin O’Donnell |
| Group 25 | Group 26 | Group 27 | Group 28 |
| Matthew Stevens | Alexander Ursenbacher | David Lilley | Wu Yize |
| Group 29 | Group 30 | Group 31 | Group 32 |
| Ben Woollaston | Jamie Jones | Ashley Carty | Thepchaiya Un-Nooh |
Stage Two
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
| Scott Donaldson | David Gilbert | Long Zehuang | Mark Williams |
| Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H |
| Ali Carter | David Lilley | Jackson Page | Martin O’Donnell |
Stage Three
| Final Group 1 | Final Group 2 |
| Ali Carter | Jackson Page |
Final (bo5)
Ali Carter 3-1 Jackson Page
Featured photo credit: WST
