Moody Opens His Account As Wuhan Open Qualifying Nears Conclusion
Stan Moody claimed his first victory of the new season as the talented teenager defeated Mahmoud El Hareedy 5-2 to book his place in the final qualifying round of the Wuhan Open.
The 19-year-old was among the standout performers on Day 3 in Leicester, while Chang Bingyu continued his excellent form with another century break and Latvia’s Artemijs Zizins maintained his impressive scoring with a pair of stunning 136s.
Moody Gets Off The Mark
After suffering a disappointing defeat to Fan Zhengyi in last week’s China Open qualifiers, Stan Moody bounced back in style to secure his first win of the 2026/27 campaign.
The rising English star produced a composed display to overcome Egypt’s Mahmoud El Hareedy 5-2, with a superb break of 90 in the second frame helping him take control of the match.
Moody has long been regarded as one of snooker’s brightest young prospects and will now face Stephen Maguire in the final qualifying round on Thursday, with the winner earning a place at the venue stages in Wuhan this August.
Chang Continues To Shine
China’s Chang Bingyu continued his impressive start to the season with a convincing 5-2 victory over Huang Jiahao.
Chang compiled a magnificent break of 138 during the match, underlining the scoring power that helped him reach the Scottish Open final last season.
The Chinese star continues to build momentum as he looks to establish himself among the sport’s elite.
Burden Books Date With Murphy
Former Shoot Out champion Alfie Burden edged past Long Zehuang 5-4 in one of the closest contests of the day.
The victory means Burden progresses to the venue stages, where he will face Shaun Murphy in the last 64 after the top 16 seeds were held over to Wuhan.
Liu Sets Up Higgins Clash
Liu Hongyu produced an impressive display to defeat Phil O’Kane 5-2.
The Chinese player fired in a superb break of 127 and now has the opportunity to test himself against four-time World Champion John Higgins in Wuhan.
Wang Earns Shot At Defending Champion
Wang Xinbo continued his encouraging rookie campaign by progressing through qualifying to set up a high-profile clash with defending champion Xiao Guodong.
Xiao will begin his title defence against the young Chinese player when the action moves to Wuhan later this summer.
Zizins Continues Heavy Scoring
Latvia’s Artemijs Zizins once again demonstrated his immense scoring ability, compiling two superb breaks of 136 in a 5-2 victory over David Lilley.
Having already produced the highest break of qualifying earlier in the week, Zizins is quickly making a name for himself and will now take on reigning World Champion Wu Yize in Wuhan.
With several rising stars impressing and a host of exciting venue-stage matches now confirmed, the Wuhan Open qualifiers continue to provide plenty of intrigue as the new season gathers pace.
