Who qualified from the 2025 Asia-Oceania Q School snooker? Four new professionals set for the tour

Chatchapong Nasa, Liu Wenwei, Xu Yichen and Zhao Hanyang make up the successful quartet of cueists who emerged from the tables at the Kiatthada Billiards Snooker Club in Bangkok, Thailand.

All of them have realised a dream in turning professional for the first time; they each now possess a two-year tour card for the World Snooker Tour and have the opportunity to play in the world’s biggest tournaments.

Open to amateurs from the Asia and Oceania regions, players from 10 different nations/territories entered the extravaganza in the Thai capital city. Two straight knockout events were held at the venue - one after the other - with the best of seven frames matches throughout. The two finalists from each event won the tour cards on offer.

Thai ace Nasa (pictured above) triumphed on home soil in what was his fourth Q School outing - he previously competed in both the UK and Asian versions of the tournament, where he didn’t really get close to graduation.

However, in event one of this year’s iteration, 27-year-old Nasa defeated opponents from Pakistan, Iran, India and China in the earlier rounds before whitewashing Liu Linhao (China) 4-0 to earn promotion to snooker’s premier scene.

The other graduate from event one was Chinese exponent Liu, who like Nasa, had featured in Q School action before without notable success.

The 21-year-old began his campaign by eliminating two players who have just fallen off the professional tour last month in back-to-back rounds, defeating former Welsh Open semi-finalist Tian Pengfei 4-1, and then Manasawin Phetmalaikul by the same scoreline.

Liu survived deciding frame finishes in his final two matches; ousting Nattanapong Chaikul 4-3 in the penultimate round, and then pipping compatriot Luo Zetao 4-3 - with the aid of breaks of 75 and 56 - at the last hurdle. Luo had fashioned a run of 117 to force the contest all the way.

Two more Chinese players earned golden tickets to the sport’s big time through the second and final event.

On his Q School debut this year, 38-year-old Xu - who lost in the last 32 of event one - shaded two ex-professionals en route, eliminating Soheil Vahedi 4-3 in the last 16 and Thanawat Thirapongpaiboon 4-3 in the following round.

Xu experienced even more drama and pressure amidst an extraordinary climax to his final round meeting with Pakistan’s Babar Masih.

In a tussle where there was never more than a frame between the players, at 3-2 down Xu crafted a break of 70 to help take the tie all the way to a seventh and final frame.

The decider went down to the final black, where Masih was left in an unenviable position of the black being on a side cushion. Masih went for the pot down the cushion but narrowly missed it, subsequently leaving Xu a relatively simple pot for glory.

Zhao - no apparent relation to the new World Champion - had reached the last eight of event one where he lost to Nasa. He played in last year’s Q School but didn’t make an impact.

In the last chance saloon of event two, Zhao came through two deciding frame verdicts on his way to the final round, including a 4-3 win over Malaysia’s Rory Thor - another cueist who was relegated from the pro circuit last month during World Championship qualifying.

In his final assignment, Zhao compiled breaks of 50, 54 and 79 in a 4-1 victory over Narongdat Takantong (Thailand).

For results from the 2025 Asia-Oceania Q School, visit snookerscores.net here: Event One / Event Two