Two Hong Kong snooker players fall at the final hurdle and miss out on securing pro tour spots
- Both Wang Yuchen and Chau Hon-man lose in semi-finals of Asia-Oceania Q School 2 in Bangkok where two finalists can get wild cards to professional tour
- Star player Ng On-yee to focus on women’s event after losing in round three but vows to get wild card back next season
Two Hong Kong snooker players were just one step away from securing a wild card for the professional tour, but both fell at the last hurdle.
At the Asia-Oceania Q School 2 in Bangkok, Chau Hon-man and Wang Yuchen were eliminated in the best-of-seven semi-finals after losing to Ishpreet Chadha of India and He Guoqiang of China respectively on Monday.
The two finalists will each get a wild card for the next two seasons on the tour.
While Chau was no match for his Indian opponent, falling to an overwhelming 4-0 defeat, Wang – the former Asian Under-21 champion from China who came to Hong Kong in 2019 – squandered a 3-1 lead to lose 4-3.
“He was just one frame from securing the tour card but lost that opportunity,” said Lena Lee of the Hong Kong Billiard Sports Control Council. “Wang has been doing very well since coming to Hong Kong and has the potential to further develop his career.”
Born in Henan but having moved to Guangdong to learn the game in his youth, Wang, 25, was on the professional tour from 2016 to 2018 when he represented China. He secured a 6–5 victory over 2002 world champion Peter Ebdon in the opening round of the 2016 UK Championship before losing in the next stage.
Women’s star player Ng On-yee, meanwhile, will focus on improving her skills and fitness in the coming season before another attempt to secure a wild card for the tour.
Ng lost to Amir Sarkhosh of India in the third round of the tournament, ending her tour entry hopes.
“I had a busy travel schedule over the last two years and not much time between tournaments to work on specific technical issues,” Ng, whose two-year wild card ran out at the end of last season, said.
“This year I will probably spend more time with my snooker coach and fitness coach. In fact, the less I have to worry about my technique during competitions, the more focus I can put towards winning the game.”
Ng said women’s snooker is getting more competitive with players coming up from various countries.
“It’s never easy,” the three-time world champion and former world No 1 said. “There are many good ladies players from countries all around the world now, such as Great Britain, India, Thailand, China, Australia and Mongolia.
“The ladies’ game is definitely more competitive but I think this is good because we can see all of us are doing well to close the gap against the men’s players.”
Without a pro tour ticket, Ng said she would probably return to a few amateur events in Asia such as the IBSF World Snooker Championship.
“My main focus will be on my women’s ranking, and hopefully I can return to the professional tour next year,” she said.
