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.