Five of the world’s top six ranked players remain in contention for the 2026 World Women’s Snooker Championship ahead of Sunday’s quarter-finals in Dongguan, China.
With a top prize of £13,000 on offer, the business end of the tournament has the potential for a blockbuster finish, especially with rivals Bai Yulu and Ng On Yee still on opposite sides of the draw and on course for a mouthwatering title decider.
Between them, Bai and Ng have captured six of the seven ranking titles contested on the World Women’s snooker Tour this season, underlining their dominance over the last year.
China’s Bai is seeking a third consecutive world title and continued her strong bid on Saturday with victories against compatriots Muyan Zhang and Wang Meng.
Standing in her way next is Thailand’s Panchaya Channoi, who has reached the quarter-finals of the World Women’s Championship for the first time.
The reigning world under-21 champion has impressed throughout the week and booked her place in the last eight without dropping a frame in her knockout victories against Bai Yaru and Hong Kong China’s Fong Mei Mei.
Channoi will now get another crack at Bai after the pair previously met in the last 16 of last year’s championship.
The other quarter-final in the top half guarantees at least one Thai player a semi-final berth as former champion Mink Nutcharut faces compatriot Narucha Phoemphul.
Nutcharut, the 2022 world champion, has yet to lose a frame in Dongguan and has been one of the standout performers so far.
The 26 year-old followed up a flawless group-stage campaign by comfortably dispatching Sizhe Wang and India’s Anupama Ramachandran in the knockout rounds.
Her opponent Phoemphul has taken a more dramatic route to the quarter-finals, surviving deciding-frame encounters against both Lu Zhao and Tessa Davidson.
England’s Davidson had earlier caused one of the surprises of the tournament by eliminating world number five Rebecca Kenna in the last 32.
Phoemphul, currently the world under-21 number one, is now through to the quarter-finals of the World Championship for the first time and will attempt to continue her breakthrough run against the vastly experienced Nutcharut.
In the bottom half of the draw, 12-time world champion Reanne Evans remains firmly in the hunt for another crown.
The Englishwoman has not surrendered a frame throughout the competition and eased past Yuk Fan Lau and Qingning Huang on Saturday.
Evans is aiming to secure the title for the first time since 2019 and next faces Mongolia’s Narantuya Bayarsaikhan.
Bayarsaikhan has equalled her best performance at the tournament after defeating Singapore’s Charlene Chai and Hong Kong China’s So Man Yan to reach the last eight.
The final quarter-final sees Hong Kong China’s Ng On Yee continue her pursuit of a fourth world title.
Ng endured a tougher path than some of her fellow contenders on Saturday, requiring a deciding frame to edge past Li Bihan before overcoming former world champion Baipat Siripaporn 4-1.
The three-time world champion has now reached the World Championship quarter-finals for the tenth time in her career.
Awaiting her is 17 year-old Liu Zi Ling, one of the emerging stars of the event.
The Chinese teenager delighted the home crowd by beating Katrina Wan and Yaqi Yao to secure a maiden quarter-final appearance at the tournament.
Liu had already caught the eye earlier in the competition with a break of 78 during the group stage, and she now faces the biggest challenge of her young career against Ng.
All four quarter-finals take place on Sunday, with the semi-finals on Monday and the final to be played on Tuesday at the Dongguan Changping Snooker Centre.
Featured photo credit: WWS / Tai Chengzhe
