Scottish Open snooker: Anthony McGill makes 618-mile round trip to qualify for home event, Si Jiahui edges through

ByEurosport

Updated 31/10/2023 at 21:07 GMT

Qualifying for the Scottish Open is taking place at the Morningside Arena in Leicester this week with former world semi-finalists Anthony McGill and Si Jiahui among the winners on Monday. The third event of the Home Nation Series is being held for the second straight year by the Meadowbank Sports Centre in Edinburgh between December 11-17 live on Eurosport and discovery+.

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Anthony McGill was forced to complete a 618-mile round trip to England to qualify for his home tournament in Scotland.

The Scottish Open will be staged by the Meadowbank Sports Centre in Edinburgh a week before Christmas (December 11-17), but the qualifiers are being held this week at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.

It meant world No. 19 McGill – nicknamed the Glaswegian Gladiator – was forced to make the long journey south for a tournament that is only 47 miles along the M8 from his home city in Scotland's central belt.

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Despite making a highest break of only 65, the former World Championship semi-finalist eased through to the last 64 with a 4-0 win over Australia's Ryan Thomerson.

He will meet Oliver Lines at the finals venues after Lines ran out a 4-0 winner against John Astley.

Elsewhere, former Scottish Open finalist Cao Yupeng completed a 4-2 win over former World Seniors champion David Lilley, while former Northern Ireland Open finalist Zhou Yuelong whitewashed Anthony Hamilton 4-0 boosted by breaks of 75, 129 and 134.

Si Jiahui edged out Tian Pengfei by winning the final three frames in a 4-3 win as Noppon Saengkham hit breaks of 78, 113, 75 and 66 in a 4-0 win against Rebecca Kenna.

World No. 68 Sanderson Lam claimed the final three frames to defeat former European Masters champion Fan Zhengyi 4-3 that saw him claim victory on the final black.

All the first-round matches are contested over the best of seven frames with the world's top 16 starting their respective campaigns at the finals venue alongside two matches involving local wild cards.

World No. 1 Ronnie O'Sullivan was handed a tournament opener against Glaswegian Liam Graham.

World champion Luca Brecel, winner of the 2021 event, takes on Iulian Boiko of Ukraine with English Open, Wuhan Open and Northern Ireland Open champion Judd Trump up against Sydney Wilson.