Yan Bingtao leads the way in Group 6 of the 2022 BetVictor Championship League Snooker Invitational at the Morningside Arena, Leicester live on FreeSports in the UK and broadcasters worldwide.
The 21-year old joined at Group 6 alongside Ding Junhui and Matthew Selt with Kyren Wilson, Martin Gould, Ali Carter, and Jordan Brown all returning from the previous group before the Masters and it proved to be a close opening day with all seven players at least winning one contest.
Yan though started best winning three of his four matches first of all overcoming Carter in the opener with a break of 111 in the first and resulting breaks of 97 and 67 to seal a 3-1 victory over the Captain. That form continued against compatriot Ding who he was up against for the first time since the UK Championship semi-finals in 2019. It was a high-quality encounter that Yan made the most of with a clearance of 138 in the second frame to level it after Ding had taken the opener with a classy break of 98. From there on, Yan took control to win his second match by the same scoreline as the first.
Elsewhere, reigning champion Wilson struggled and fell to early final frame defeats to Brown and Gould but returned to pick up his first point of the day against Carter 3-1 that included a century in the third frame on the board.
Carter meanwhile didn’t concede a frame in two wins over Brown and Selt to sit inside the playoff spots after day one alongside Ding and Gould.
Each of the seven players faces each other once in the round-robin group stage, after which the top four players in the league table progress to Tuesday evening’s play-offs. The eventual group champion advances to February’s Winners’ Group with the remaining players who finished in the top five during the league phase continuing to Group Five which begins tomorrow when three new players join the tournament. The bottom two players in each group phase are eliminated. All matches are best of five.
The tournament carries a prize fund of £205,000 with players earning £100 per frame won with significant bonuses for their final group position and increased prize money in the Winners’ Group. A place in the 2022 Cazoo Champion of Champions is also on the line with each group featuring seven players with matches being held over two days.
Gould will meet Brown in tomorrow’s opening clash from 11 am on FreeSports in the UK and Ireland as well as networks worldwide. Table 2 is available globally on Matchroom.Live excluding the Nordic and Baltic regions with Wilson taking on Ding first up.
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