Ricky Walden beat Artemijs Zizins 4-2 to reach the final stages of the BetVictor Welsh Open, despite ongoing health problems which caused him to spend five days in hospital in Berlin last week.
Three-time ranking event winner Walden is due to have surgery to remove his gallbladder in the coming weeks, but during the recent Machineseeker German Masters, the same issue flared up and caused inflammation of his pancreas. In extreme pain, he withdrew from the tournament before his last 16 match and was rushed to hospital in Berlin, where he remained for five days. The pain is now under control, though Walden was clearly in discomfort today during his battle with Latvia's Zizins.
Still, breaks of 81, 66 and 124 helped 42-year-old Walden to victory, and he goes through to Llandudno, just an hour away from his home in Chester. He will face Matthew Selt in the last 64.
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh suffered a 4-2 defeat against Ben Mertens, a huge blow to his hopes of qualifying for the World Grand Prix. The Thai is in 32nd place in the Johnstone's Paint One-Year Rankings, with only the top 32 at the end of next week's tournament to earn a place in Hong Kong.
Last year's runner-up Martin O'Donnell will not be in Llandudno this time as he lost 4-0 to Wang Yuchen, whose top break was 112. Yuan Sijun, a semi-finalist in Germany, continued his fine form as he beat Amir Sarkhosh 4-0 with a top run of 115. Jimmy White narrowly missed out as he lost 4-3 to Scott Donaldson.
Welshman Jamie Clarke secured his place with a 4-2 defeat of Louis Heathcote, as did Stan Moody who edged out Anthony Hamilton 4-3. Moody made a 134 in frame five, and later a vital 52 in the decider. That result is a blow to Hamilton's chances of avoiding relegation at the end of the season, having been ever present on the tour since 1991.
Hong Kong's Marco Fu top scored with 87 in a 4-0 defeat of David Grace while Austrian amateur Florian Nuessle edged out Liu Hongyu 4-3. Welshman Matthew Stevens enjoyed a 4-1 success against Hammad Miah.
The 2025 BetVictor Welsh Open runs from February 10-16 at Venue Cymru in Llandudno. Tickets are still available from as little as £33 for a full day. For details click here.