WSF Championship 2023 | The Final Eight
There are just two days and eight players remaining at the 2023 World Snooker Federation Championship as the race for a place on the World Snooker Tour reaches its conclusion.
Held at the Mounties Club in Sydney, Australia, the tournament has seen over 150 players from around the globe travel to contest the most prestigious tournament in amateur snooker, with the prize of a coveted place on the World Snooker Tour awaiting the winner.
Welsh junior Liam Davies was the final player through to the last eight following a hard-fought 4-3 victory against Daniell Haenga of New Zealand in the last 16. Having previously seen off Hassan Kerde and Deepakh Bala without the loss of a frame, the 16-year-old won the final two frames against Haenga to progress.
Awaiting him will be 2020 WSF Championship runner-up Iulian Boiko, in a repeat of their quarter-final match won by the Ukrainian player in last week’s Junior Championship. Former professional Boiko has defeated Sayed Dawood Hussaini (4-0) and Joe Minici (4-1) and finally Nattanapong Chaikul (4-2) to reach the last eight.
The winner will face either Fergal Quinn or Stan Moody, who will contest the second quarter-final on the main table from 10:00am AEDT. Northern Ireland’s Quinn defeated Blane Watson (4-1) in the last 64, before surviving deciding-frames against both 2020 WSF Junior Championship runner-up Sean Maddocks and Latvia’s Rodion Judins.
England’s Moody – already assured of a main tour card following his victory in the WSF Junior Championship last Friday – came through 4-2 against compatriot Daniel Womersley, having previously defeated Tyson Crinis (4-1) and Zac Cosker (4-0).
The bottom half of the draw will begin with an eye-catching clash between 2020 WSF Junior Championship winner Gao Yang and England’s Liam Pullen, runner-up in the same competition a week ago. China’s Gao Yang has come through matches against Michael Hough (4-0), Manasawin Phetmalaikul (4-2) and Nansen Sin Man Wan (4-1) to maintain his hopes of becoming the first player to win both WSF Championships.
For Pullen, the 17-year-old cueist – who hit the highest break of 143 during the junior competition – has overcome Malcolm Winter (4-0), Ying Jin (4-0) and compatriot Alfie Lee (4-1) in the last 16.
The final match will be an all-Chinese clash between Hong Yu Liu and Hai Long Ma, after the pair continued to impress during the knockout rounds. The performances of Hong Yu Liu in particular have caught the eye, the 19-year old scoring the two highest breaks of the tournament so far (138 and 133) and has scored victories against Barry Bradshaw (4-0), Rajan Lama (4-0) and Steve Jay (4-0).
Awaiting him will be Hai Long Ma, who saw off Wong Kwan Chun Wallace (4-1), Kang He (4-1) and Ankit Man Shrestha (4-1) – the latter from Nepal who previously toppled former champion Harvey Chandler to keep his hopes alive.
All four quarter-finals held at 10:00am AEDT on Friday, with the semi-finals to follow at 2:00pm and 6:00pm. The final will be staged on Saturday 11th February at 2:00pm. Follow the latest tournament information via WPBSA SnookerScores and watch the final matches via the WPBSA YouTube channel and WSF Facebook page.
