Michael Holt compiled the first 147 break of the 2026/27 snooker season at the China Open qualifiers on Thursday in Leicester.
There were a record 24 maximum breaks made during the last campaign, and it has taken just two days for the first one to be constructed of the new term.
The perfect contribution represented Holt’s first on the World Snooker Tour, coming in the third frame of his 6-1 victory over Mark Joyce at the Mattioli Arena.
Holt also compiled breaks of 84, 71, 64, and 54 in a dominant display that helped him reach the penultimate round of the qualifying competition.
Among the others to reach the third round were Ricky Walden, Marco Fu, and Jamie Clarke.
Clarke, who secured his return to the main tour after topping the Q Tour rankings last season, beat Oliver Lines 6-4 while Walden and Fu earned respective triumphs over Wang Yuhang and Marco Fu.
There was disappointment for Jimmy White fans, however, as the veteran 10-time ranking event winner bowed out following a 6-2 reverse to Louis Heathcote.
A dramatic clash saw Ross Muir squander a 5-0 lead to Michal Szubarczyk before eventually pipping the young Polish player in a deciding frame.
Lyu Haotian, Sam Craigie, Ben Mertens, and Ishpreet Singh Chadha also negotiatied their opening tests of the campaign.
Earlier in the day, the first round reached its climax with amateur top-ups Peter Lines, Duane Jones, and Daniel Womersley making the most of their opportunities to participate – beating Bai Yulu, Alexander Ursenbacher, and Mahmoud El Hareedy respectively.
The second round of the qualifiers conclude on Friday afternoon before the third round commences during the evening’s play.
That’ll see the higher seeds start to enter the fray with the likes of Luca Brecel, Stuart Bingham, and Stephen Maguire in action.
The full draw is available at snooker.org.
Featured photo credit: WST
