Sanderson Lam claimed his maiden Q Tour title as the opening event of the new campaign reached its conclusion at the Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds on Sunday.
The 32 year-old, who was a professional for several years and reached a career-high ranking of 57, dropped off the main tour at the end of last season.
Returning to the Q Tour, Lam won seven matches across the four-day event to secure his first ever title on the circuit.
The Leeds potter made an excellent start to the tournament and continued his run through to the last 16, where he defeated Ryan Davies 4-1.
He then edged out Paul Deaville 4-3 in the quarter-finals before producing an impressive 4-0 semi-final victory over former professional Mark Joyce.
Lam faced Farakh Ajaib in the final, with the Pakistani having also been relegated from the main tour at the end of last season.
Lam took the opening two frames, including an 83 break in the second, before Ajaib pulled one back with a break of 60.
Contributions of 52 and 66 helped Lam restore his two-frame advantage, before a break of 64 in the fifth frame saw him cross the winning line for a 4-1 triumph.
“I am really happy to get off to a good start,” Lam said. “I’ve been working hard on and off the table and I feel like something clicked in the last couple of days. I felt comfortable in the balls, and I was confident.”
Ajaib, 35, had earlier beaten Haris Tahir 4-2 in the semi-finals to reach his first Q Tour final since winning an event in 2022.
There were some notable early exits in Leeds, with two-time ranking event winner Robert Milkins suffering a 4-0 defeat to Stuart Watson in the last 64.
Mark Davis also fell at the same stage to Hamim Hussain, while former Q Tour event winner Peter Lines was another player to depart in the last 64.
Lam moves immediately to the top of the Q Tour rankings after collecting 10,000 points for his victory, with Ajaib second on 7,000.
Mark Joyce and Haris Tahir occupy third and fourth respectively following their semi-final runs, while Paul Deaville, Patrick Whelan, Brian Ochoiski, and Simon Blackwell complete the top eight.
As in previous seasons, there are seven events on the Q Tour European schedule this campaign.
The top-ranked player at the end of the campaign will earn a two-year ticket onto the World Snooker Tour, while the next 16 eligible players will qualify for the Q Tour Global Play-Offs where a further three professional cards will be available.
The next event takes place in Sofia, Bulgaria from September 21st to September 24th.
Q Tour Event 1
Selected Results
Last 16
Paul Deaville 4-2 Shaun Liu
Sanderson Lam 4-1 Ryan Davies
Mark Joyce 4-3 Sebastian Milewski
Patrick Whelan 4-1 Haydon Pinhey
Haris Tahir 4-0 Umut Dikme
Brian Ochoiski 4-2 Barry Pinches
Farakh Ajaib 4-2 Sean McAllister
Simon Blackwell 4-0 Shachar Ruberg
Quarter-Finals
Sanderson Lam 4-3 Paul Deaville
Mark Joyce 4-1 Patrick Whelan
Haris Tahir 4-2 Brian Ochoiski
Farakh Ajaib 4-3 Simon Blackwell
Semi-Finals
Sanderson Lam 4-0 Mark Joyce
Farakh Ajaib 4-2 Haris Tahir
Final
Sanderson Lam 4-1 Farakh Ajaib
Rankings (Aug 30)
- Sanderson Lam – 10,000
- Farakh Ajaib – 7,000
- Mark Joyce – 4,900
- Haris Tahir – 4,900
- Paul Deaville – 3,430
- Patrick Whelan – 3,430
- Brian Ochoiski – 3,430
- Simon Blackwell – 3,430
- Shaun Liu – 2,400
- Ryan Davies – 2,400
- Sebastian Milewski – 2,400
- Haydon Pinhey – 2,400
- Umut Dikme – 2,400
- Barry Pinches – 2,400
- Sean McAllister – 2,400
- Shachar Ruberg – 2,400
Featured photo credit: WST
