World Champion snooker stars qualify for International Championship main venue stages

It was the second day of qualifying at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester and local cueist Mark Selby made the short trip to compete in the morning session against rookie Luo Zetao.

Reigning UK and China Open champion Selby compiled breaks of 54, 70, 72, 51 and 71 before wrapping up a 6-1 win with a 121. Luo - who eliminated Neil Robertson from the English Open last week - made a 120 in frame three.

A two-time winner of the International Championship crown, Selby sets up a romantic last 64 tie with Jimmy White in Nanjing, China; 64-year-old White ousted Matthew Stevens in a deciding frame the night before to advance in the £825,000 world ranking event.

Three-time World Snooker Champion Mark Williams was back in action for the first time since losing the English Open final last Sunday, and the Welshman racked up runs of 100, 58, 80, 54, 98 and 83 in getting past Andrew Higginson, 6-4.

John Higgins - who recently talked about motivation struggles for the new season - was pegged back to 2-2 by Craig Steadman before going on a four-frame winning streak that included a run of 128 to emerge as a 6-2 victor.

The Scot has fond memories for the International Championship having won the title in 2015, and making the final last year before being denied by Wu Yize.

The other former World Snooker Champion on the baize on Friday was Luca Brecel, and the Belgian qualified for his second main venue in a matter of days.

Before this ongoing stint of qualifiers, Brecel's provisional end-of-season ranking was outside of the world's top 64, meaning he could face a battle to keep his professional tour card at the end of the term.

However, things are looking a bit rosier for the 31-year-old having qualified for the Northern Ireland Open earlier this week, and now he can prepare for a Far East excursion after defeating Jamie Clarke, 6-3.

Not all the ranking event winners on Friday's schedule made it through, though, with the biggest casualty of the tournament so far being world number 11 Xiao Guodong.

Former back-to-back Wuhan Open champion Xiao was in control of his match against world number 69 Dylan Emery as he crafted a 130 en route to building a 4-1 lead.

However, 25-year-old Emery strung together five consecutive frames - highlighted by a 105 - to turn the tables for a 6-4 triumph.

Jack Lisowski - who has just slipped outside of the world's top 16 - will not be heading to Nanjing.

Reigning Northern Ireland Open champion Lisowski fashioned a 132 to force a deciding frame in his tie with Ashley Carty, but it was the world number 93 who sprung surprise with a 6-5 verdict on his side.

The in-form David Gilbert made a 130 on his way to restoring parity from 3-0 down, but teenage rookie Wang Xinbo won 6-4 to secure a trip back to his homeland.

Noppon Saengkham enjoyed his best result as a professional a few weeks ago when he was runner-up at the China Open, but he won't be appearing in the final of this particular competition on Chinese soil.

Everything was going according to plan for Saengkham as he went 3-0 up, but Sam Craigie pieced together a six-frame sequence - that began with a 104 - for a 6-3 success.

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh registered only his third match victory on the World Snooker Tour since claiming the World Open title back in March as he whitewashed Thai compatriot Chatchapong Nasa, 6-0, meanwhile three-time ranking event winner Marco Fu scored a 101 in a 6-3 win over Michael Holt.

Liu Hongyu (break of 117), Stuart Carrington (106, 137), Zhou Yuelong, Hossein Vafaei (104, 106), Jiang Jun, Ishpreet Singh Chadha (114), Mitchell Mann (103), Julien Leclercq, Long Zehunag, Aaron Hill, Daniel Wells and Ross Muir also won on Friday in Leicester.

Two more sessions of 2026 International Championship qualifying are to come on Saturday, with Shaun Murphy, and newly-minted English Open champion Ali Carter amongst those on the programme.

The main venue, televised stages of the event are due to take place between October 31 to November 7.