Prosperous start to the new year for Hong Kong snooker stars Marco Fu and Ng On-yee

Hong Kong’s top two snooker players got their new year off to a prosperous start, with Marco Fu Ka-chun qualifying for the China Open and Ng On-yee making her highest ever break.

Rather than relaxing with his family, world No.13 Fu was hard at work in the glamorous Barnsley Metrodome, taking on Wales’s Gareth Allen for a place at the lucrative event in Beijing which starts on March 28.

He duly triumphed 5-2 with a break of 129 among four breaks of 50+ (58, 86, 129 and 90) to make the final 64 of the tournament, the final world ranking event before the World Championships in April.

It was a welcome boost for Fu, who exited his last two tournaments in the first round.

Ng, the women’s world champion, will be taking on the men at the World Championships, but first has to defend her own title at the end of March.

She was hitting the practice tables over the New Year break, and posted a photo of her highest break – 121 – on social media.