BetVictor Championship League: Stage One Concludes as Final Eight Players Reach Stage Two
Stage One of the 2026/27 BetVictor Championship League has concluded, with the final eight players securing their places in Stage Two following another entertaining week of action at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester.
The closing week featured an amateur success story, a maximum break, dominant displays from established stars and a dramatic finish involving reigning World Champion Zhao Xintong as the 32-player Stage Two line-up was completed.
Joyce and Zhou kick off the final week
Monday’s action saw Mark Joyce and Zhou Yuelong progress from their respective groups.
Competing as an amateur, Joyce produced one of the performances of the tournament so far to top Group 11. The former professional opened with an impressive 3-1 victory over 2015 World Champion Stuart Bingham before whitewashing Jordan Brown 3-0 with breaks of 70 and 56. Although he lost his final match to Mateusz Baranowski, Joyce had already done enough to secure top spot.
China’s Zhou Yuelong also advanced after an unbeaten campaign in Group 13. Victories over Allan Taylor and Ben Mertens, together with a 2-2 draw against Liam Graham, ensured Zhou comfortably progressed to Stage Two.
Si makes a maximum as Fu and Cheng qualify
Tuesday produced the standout moment of the week as Si Jiahui compiled the 243rd official maximum break (147) during his 3-0 victory over Xu Yichen. It was the second maximum of his career and the second 147 of the 2026/27 season.
Despite the perfect break, Si narrowly missed out on qualification. Marco Fu topped Group 6 after remaining unbeaten, defeating Xu Yichen and Sean Maddocks before earning the draw he needed against Si in the group’s decisive final match.
It was also a memorable day for Hong Kong’s Cheng Ka Wai, who won all three of his matches to dominate Group 26. Victories over Ashley Carty, George Pragnell and Matthew Stevens, including a break of 111, completed a flawless day’s work.
Brecel and Lisowski cruise through
Wednesday belonged to Luca Brecel and Jack Lisowski, who both progressed with perfect records.
Former World Champion Brecel won all three of his matches in Group 31, defeating Mitchell Mann, Deng Haohui and Aaron Hill while dropping just a single frame.
Lisowski was equally impressive in Group 7. The Englishman opened with a convincing 3-0 victory over Jack Bradford, compiling breaks of 70, 85 and 52, before adding another whitewash over Zhao Hanyang. He completed the day with a 3-1 win against Liam Highfield, sealing qualification with a top break of 87.
Grace edges Zhao as Surety completes the line-up
The final day of Stage One produced another dramatic finish.
David Grace claimed top spot in Group 1 by the narrowest of margins, finishing just one frame ahead of reigning World Champion Zhao Xintong. Grace recorded 3-0 victories over Gao Yang and Simon Blackwell before battling back from 2-1 down to draw 2-2 with Zhao, a result that proved enough to secure qualification.
Zhao impressed throughout the day, producing a superb 140 break, but ultimately missed out by the smallest possible margin.
The final qualification place went to Zak Surety, who topped Group 32 after victories over Gong Chenzhi and Matthew Selt, together with a hard-fought draw against Andrew Higginson to complete an unbeaten campaign.
Week Three Qualifiers
The final eight players progressing to Stage Two are:
- Mark Joyce
- Zhou Yuelong
- Marco Fu
- Cheng Ka Wai
- Luca Brecel
- Jack Lisowski
- David Grace
- Zak Surety
With Stage One now complete, all 32 group winners have secured their places in Stage Two, where they will be divided into eight new groups of four. Only the group winners will progress once again, with the remaining eight players advancing to the final stage to battle for the first ranking title of the 2026/27 season.
The Championship League now enters its decisive phase, with every match carrying even greater significance as the chase for silverware intensifies.
