Moody Stages Dramatic Comeback to Secure Xi'an Grand Prix Spot

Stan Moody continued his strong form by coming from behind to beat Amir Sarkhosh 5–4 in the Xi’an Grand Prix qualifiers in Leicester. The teenager, fresh from a quarter-final run at the Wuhan Open, found himself trailing 4–2 but rallied to take the final three frames with a high break of 70.

In other matches, Luca Brecel’s return to competition ended abruptly. The 2023 World Champion, using a new cue after months out due to health issues, conceded while trailing Sunny Akani 40–1 in the third frame after losing the first two.

Farakh Ajaib continued his impressive season-opening form with a comeback decider win over Zhang Anda, clinching victory on the final black after being 54–0 behind. Chinese rookie Xu Yichen also staged a stunning recovery from 4–1 down to defeat Jack Lisowski 5–4, firing breaks of 78, 66, 53, and 66 in the last four frames.

Elsewhere, Shaun Murphy whitewashed Liam Highfield 5–0 with a top run of 117, and Zhou Yuelong scored a career third 147 maximum break in his 5–2 win over Julien Leclercq. Matthew Selt and Elliot Slessor also secured wins to advance.