Hong Kong teen snooker star Cheung Ka-wai to compete against the pros at World Championships
Youngster will join Ng On-yee in qualifiers after invite from governing body
Hong Kong’s highly-rated teenage snooker star Kobe Cheung Ka-wai has been invited to compete in the qualifying rounds for the World Championship next month.
Cheung, 16, won the Under-18 World Championship in Russia last year. He is currently competing in the Asian Under-21 Championships, the winner of which gets a two-year ticket to the professional circuit.
“It is a fantastic opportunity as a young player to see what the future may hold - and how exceptionally good the standard is at professional level,” said Wayne Griffiths, the head billiard sports coach at the Hong Kong Sports Institute.
“It will be invaluable experience for him.”
Cheung will be joined by fellow Hong Kong world champion Ng On-yee in the qualifiers as they face off against every player outside the top 16 seeds to try to win one of 16 spots in the final stages at the famous Crucible Theatre.
READ MORE: Despite two world champions, it’s a nervous time for Hong Kong snooker
The qualifiers run from April 6 to 13 in Sheffield with all players needing to win three matches to earn a spot at the Crucible.
Hong Kong could yet have more players in the qualifiers as the Asian U21 winner and runner-up will be added to the list of invitees.
The others at this stage are:
Pankaj Advani (India) – IBSF World Champion
Zhao Xintong (China) – IBSF World runner-up
Boonyarit Keattikun (Thailand) – IBSF World Under-21 Champion
Jamie Rhys Clarke (Wales) – IBSF World Under-21 runner-up
Jak Jones (Wales) – European Champion
Josh Boileau (Ireland) – European Under-21 Champion
Brandon Sargeant (England) – European Under-21 runner-up
Tyler Rees (Wales) – European Under-18 Champion
