Lu Ning got off to a fine start in Group 29 of the 2022 BetVictor Championship League Snooker, beating John Astley in the opener 3-1 with breaks of 97 and 91. He went on to record a 3-0 win over compatriot Chen Zifan with a top run of 54, and he sealed first place in the group in style with a 3-1 defeat of Oliver Lines at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.
In the last battle with Lines, Lu even fired a run of 135, the highest break so far at the tournament. The other Chinese player in the group, Chen finished third and didn't make it to the next round. In the group stages of the Championship League, 128 players were divided into 32 groups with the top player of each group reaching the next phase.
China's Lu Ning studies the table during his second round match against John Higgins at the 2019 UK Championship Snooker, York, England, December 1, 2019. /CFP
In Group 10, China's Zhao Jianbo also bowed out in third place. Belgium's Luca Brecel came up strong in the group alongside Robbie Williams, Zhao and Oliver Brown. The Belgian Bullet looked cool and composed throughout his opening match as he rattled off a 3-0 win in quick time over Zhao, making breaks of 76 and 85.
Williams drew 2-2 with Brown and then beat Zhao 3-1, before Brecel saw off Brown 3-1 thanks to breaks of 89 and 66. Brecel met Williams in the last of the action, with Brecel needing only a draw to top the group. Williams took a 2-0 lead and needed only one more frame to finish the day at the summit, but Brecel hit back with runs of 67 and 98 to secure the 2-2 scoreline he needed. He becomes the second top 16 player to reach Winners' Week after Zhao Xintong progressed earlier in the week.
England's Ronnie O'Sullivan beats England's Judd Trump during day seventeen of the Betfred World Snooker Championship at the Crucible, Sheffield, England, May 2, 2022. /CFP
The Championship League returns on Monday with Ronnie O' Sullivan in action in Group 1 against Alexander Ursenbacher, Farakh Ajaib, and Alfie Burden.