Si makes maximum break but Fu tops Championship League Snooker group

Fu and Cheung both advance to the last 32 of the £328,000 ranking tournament which will begin in a few days’ time. Finals Day at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester is set for Wednesday 15th June, with the first trophy of the new 2026/27 World Snooker Tour season scheduled to be lifted that evening.

Three-time ranking event winner Fu - competing in his 29th term on snooker’s premier circuit - won the invitational version of the competition in 2010 but is taking part in this ranking iteration for only the third time since it was introduced in 2020.

The 48-year-old began his day with a 3-0 victory over Xu Yichen, making breaks of 106 and 67 in the process. Fu then stayed on the table to face non-tour card holder Sean Maddocks where he recovered from losing the opening frame to win 3-1 - claiming maximum points by ousting the final frame on a re-spotted black.

Elsewhere in Group 6 played on the main table, world number 16 Si - the pool’s top seed - started proceedings and had to settle for a 2-2 draw with Maddocks having been two-nil up.

Returning for the late afternoon/evening session, Si started in memorable fashion, constructing a maximum 147 break in the opening frame before going on to record a 3-0 success.

The feat of green baize perfection was Si’s second in professional competition, and the second of the fledgling 2025/26 campaign following Michael Holt’s 147 effort at June’s China Open qualifying rounds. A total of 243 maximums have now officially been registered in top tier snooker history, a record 24 of those were extraordinarily made last season.

The victory kept Si’s hopes of winning the group and qualifying for the next stage still alive, although he went into the final fixture against Fu knowing that only all three points would do that.

Si deposited the opening frame, but Fu made an 80 break in both of the next two frames to go 2-1 up and secure the point he required to win the group. Two-time ranking event finalist Si - who ended second in the overall group standings - had the consolation of getting a draw with a run of 80 in frame four.

A good run at this Championship League could prove to be crucial for former UK Championship and Masters runner-up Fu who is trying to break back into the world’s top 64 rankings and keep his professional tour card.

Over on table two, Fu's compatriot Cheung enjoyed a brilliant day on the baize, winning all three of his matches to finish top of Group 26 with a maximum nine points, and having dropped just one frame.

The 27-year-old - who reclaimed his pro tour stripes at Q School a couple of months ago - defeated Ashley Carty 3-1 (58 break) and George Pragnell 3-0 (55, 111) to put himself in a strong position.

Cheung faced the group's top seed Matthew Stevens in the final tie with those two being the only players left in contention.

Sitting on four points going into the encounter (2-2 draw v Pragnell, 3-0 win v Carty), Stevens needed a win to replace Cheung at the top. However, it was the Asian cueist - who only needed a share of the points - who scored a 3-0 win, aided by a run of 52 in the last frame.

There are only two days left of opening stage action. On Wednesday, former world champion Luca Brecel and reigning Northern Ireland Open champion Jack Lisowski are both set to enter the fray.