Marco Fu made the seventh 16-red clearance in professional snooker history during his Halo World Championship qualifying match against Ben Mertens on Thursday.
Fu's rare break came in the fourth frame as a foul from Mertens left him with a free ball. Hong Kong ace Fu took the brown as an extra red, then potted the green, and went on take all 15 reds with colours then cleared the table for a total of 139.
The highest break in snooker history was compiled by Jamie Burnett during the UK Championship qualifiers in 2004 when a free ball at the sart of the frame helped him make a 148. The seven 16-red clearances are:
148 - Jamie Burnett (2004 UK Championship)
141 - Ricky Walden (2008 UK Championship)
141 - Mark Selby (2018 China Open)
140 - Liam Highfield (2020 Scottish Open)
139 - Ryan Day (2023 Tour Championship)
139 - Marco Fu (2025 World Championship)
135 - Steve James (1990 World Championship)
Fu's break put him 4-0 up in the second round qualifying match and he went on to lead Mertens 8-1 at the end of the first session.