On January 13, 2023, Beijing time, the snooker Welsh Open ended matchday 2, and Fan Zhengyi, who has the title of ranking tournament champion, did not play well, losing 1-4 to Matthew Stevens and missing the main draw. After as many as 10 Chinese players were banned, Fan Zhengyi failed to step up, and Chinese snooker suffered another blow. In addition to Fan Zhengyi, Xu Si also did not participate in the main match, and Pang Junxu and Peng Yisong entered the main competition.
This season, Chinese snooker has suffered a series of bad news, as many as 10 people have been banned by the World Taiwan Federation, and their alleged game manipulation scandal is still under investigation, and once it is clear, these players may face heavy fines. After the 10-player ban, the size of Chinese snooker has shrunk significantly, requiring other players to step up, and in the case of the Welsh Open, Chinese fans have high hopes for Ding Junhui and Fan Zhengyi.
On the first day of qualifying, two Chinese players, Li Junwei and Yuan Sijun, won both and entered the main tournament together, making a good start for Chinese snooker. Entering the second matchday, four more Chinese players appeared, resulting in a 2-2 result. Pang Junxu shot a one-shot 50 and 51 in the derby to eliminate Xu Si 4-3. Peng Yisong shot 53 and 51 points to knock out women's Evans 4-1, and Peng Yisong and Pang Junxu joined hands to advance to the main draw.
In addition to Xu Si's defeat in the qualifying round, Fan Zhengyi, who had high hopes before the competition, was also eliminated. Facing veteran Matthew Stevens, Fan Zhengyi did not play well, shooting a single 58 in the third game, but losing the game 58-59, which also became a turning point in the whole game. Fan Zhengyi lost 1-4 and missed the main draw. Fan Zhengyi won the ranking tournament last season and achieved a metamorphosis, but did not perform too well after that, and the ranking stagnated.
Day 2 of qualifying was a stormy event, with Jordan Brown knocking out Hallworth 4-1, Matthew Saltert knocking out Adam Duffy 4-2, and David Leary knocking out Jamie Clarke 4-3. Rich Wharton hit a two-shot to break the 100 to eliminate Liam Highfield 4-2. Stephen Maguire shot a one-shot 139 to knock out Michael Judge 4-1. Robert Milkins eliminated Oliver Brown 4-2 and also secured a place in the main draw. Three female players, Ryan Evans, Rebecca Kenna and Nucharut Wangharute, all suffered defeat on this matchday and collectively missed the main draw.
Next, the qualifying round enters its final matchday, with China's Ding Junhui coming to the debut, against Ashley Hegill on January 13 at 6 p.m. In addition, Si Jiahui and Xiao Guodong played a derby, Zhou Yuelong and Wu Yize played a derby, Cao Yupeng faced Scott Donaldson, Wu Anyi played Andy Hicks, Lei Peifan faced Mitchell Mann, good luck to all Chinese players!