Si Edges Out Ursenbacher

China’s Si Jiahui rallied from 3-1 down to beat Swiss number one Alexander Ursenbacher 4-3 and qualify for the final stages of the BetVictor English Open.

Si enjoyed the finest fortnight of his career so far when he made the World Championship semi-finals at the end of last season. Only an inspired performance from Luca Brecel cost him a place in the final, as he lost out 17-15.

Ursenbacher required Q School to return to the tour this season, but he seized the early initiative with breaks of 66 and 77 on his way to establishing a 3-1 advantage. However, Si hit back with three on the bounce, including a break of 76 in the sixth to earn his place in Brentwood next month.

Iran’s Hossein Vafaei put on a fine performance to brush aside Scottish rookie Liam Graham 4-0. Vafaei composed breaks of 99, 81, 84 and 79 on his way to the whitewash.

Scottish Open champion Gary Wilson held off a Pang Junxu fightback to qualify thanks to a 4-3 victory. The Wallsend cueman fired in breaks of 102 and 52.

China’s Wu Yize thrashed India’s Ishpreet Singh Chadha 4-0, while Zhou Yuelong defeated Ben Woollaston by a 4-2 scoreline.