Iran’s Vafaei qualifies for 2026 World Open
Iranian snooker player Hossein Vafaei secured a place at the 2026 World Open – which begins on March 16 in Yushan, China – after defeating China’s Lan Yuhao in the qualifying round in Barnsley, England, on Thursday.
The 17-year-old Chinese compiled breaks of 121 and 117, but those were the only frames he claimed, as Vafaei sealed a 5–2 victory.
Vafaei’s fellow Iranian Amir Sarkhosh was also in qualifying action on Thursday but suffered a 5-4 defeat to China’s He Guoqiang, missing out on a spot in next month’s World Snooker Tour event.
The biggest upset of the qualifiers saw Chinese star Ding Junhui miss out on competing on home soil. The 2017 champion went down 5-2 to Hong Kong’s Marco Fu, who made breaks of 86 and 91 before sealing victory with a 116.
Ding, who has now lost his last four matches on the circuit, will not play again until the World Championship in April and faces an anxious wait to see whether he retains a seeded place in the main draw at the Crucible Theatre.
Fans in Yushan can look forward to a star-studded first round featuring defending champion John Higgins, world champion Zhao Xintong, world number one Judd Trump, seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, and China’s number two Xiao Guodong.
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