Snooker news: Who had a perfect record in qualifying for the Home Nations Series LIVE on Eurosport?

ByEurosport

Updated 01/10/2021 at 12:25 GMT

Only nine players managed to win all of their qualifying matches to take their respective places in the televised stage of the opening three events of the latest Home Nations Series – starting with the Northern Ireland Opein Belfast next week before the English Open, Scottish Open and Welsh Open are contested – LIVE on Eurosport and Quest. The Northern Ireland Open begins on Saturday 9 October.

Balls congregate around pocket during Higgins v Gould

Only nine players managed to complete a perfect sweep of qualifying for the opening three events of the Home Nations Series LIVE on Eurosport.

Of the nine qualifiers for the Northern Ireland Open, English Open and Scottish Open, Championship League winner David Gilbert was the highest ranked player at 18 with world number 98 Xu Si the lowest member of the snooker elite to win all three of his qualifying matches.

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The heavy-scoring former German Masters holder Martin Gould – who lost 9-8 to world champion Mark Selby in an epic European Masters final last year – came through his qualifiers in style to maintain his upward trajectory.

Xiao Guodong makes the first 147 break of his career in style

Gould is due to meet Welshman Jak Jones with Gilbert taking on David Grace in the last 64 of the Northern Ireland Open with the opening day a week on Saturday.

World number 32 Xiao Guodong compiled the first 147 of his career during the final frame of his 4-3 win over Fraser Patrick for the Scottish Open.

Judd Trump begins his quest for a fourth straight Northern Ireland Open title on Sunday 10 October against Andrew Pagett with all matches involving the world's top 16 played at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast.