Ronnie O’Sullivan, a seven-time world champion, suffered an early exit at the Championship League in Leicester on Tuesday after losing his Group 2 decider to He Guoqiang. Despite producing impressive breaks of 72 and two 53s in a 3-0 win over Kayden Brierley, O’Sullivan was held to a 2-2 draw by Mitchell Mann. This left him needing a win over He to secure his progress to the last 32. However, it was He who held his nerve and produced breaks of 80, 57, and 77 in a 3-0 victory, catapulting him to the top of Group 2, one point ahead of Mann and two clear of O’Sullivan.
Meanwhile, Jack Lisowski put on a dominant performance in winning Group 12. He secured a solid victory with a run of 138 against Anton Kazakov, winning 3-0, and further knocks of 127 and 106 helped him defeat Jiang Jun 3-1. Despite a 2-2 draw with Mark Davis in his final group outing, Lisowski ended the day on top with seven points, two clear of Davis. The action continues on Wednesday with Ali Carter, Zhou Yuelong, Fan Zhengyi, and Mink Nutcharut all vying for a spot in the last 32.
The Championship League is structured with 32 groups of four players in stage one. The eight group winners then move on to contest in two further groups, with the ultimate winners meeting in the final. The winner stands to claim £33,000 and a spot in the Champion of Champions later in the year, which is worth an additional £12,500 for qualifying.
Some of the latest group winners include Neil Robertson, Ryan Day, Mark Williams, Chris Wakelin, Matthew Stevens, and Ashley Carty. Other winners are Michael White, Joe O’Connor, Jackson Page, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, Jamie Jones, Ben Woollaston, Jak Jones, and Robbie McGuigan. Additionally, Martin O’Donnell, Wu Yize, Alexander Ursenbacher, David Lilley, Scott Donaldson, Hossein Vafaei, Stuart Bingham, Si Jiahui, Stuart Carrington, Long Zehuang, Gary Wilson, and Ma Hailong have also emerged victorious in their respective groups.
For fans looking to catch all the action, discovery+ is the streaming home of the Olympic Games where every moment of Paris 2024 can be watched this summer. Be sure to tune in and witness the excitement as players compete for glory in the Championship League.
