Thepchaiya Un-Nooh Secures Narrow Victory to Reach Northern Ireland Open

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh claimed a hard-fought 4-3 win over Julien Leclercq to advance to the final stages of the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open. The Thai player, who has enjoyed a strong start to the season—including a run to the last 16 of the Wuhan Open—will now compete at Belfast’s Waterfront Hall in October.

Un-Nooh built a 3-1 advantage with the help of an 85 break, but Leclercq battled back to level at 3-3. The Belgian then led 59-0 in the deciding frame, before Un-Nooh produced a superb 71 clearance to snatch victory, eventually sealing the match by potting the pink.

In other qualifying matches, Stan Moody recorded a 4-0 whitewash against Reanne Evans, aided by a top run of 80. Dylan Emery edged out Xu Si 4-3 thanks to a high break of 89.

Seventeen-year-old Chinese prospect Lan Yuhao impressed with breaks of 115, 53, 80, and 50 in a 4-2 defeat of Michael Holt. Scott Donaldson also progressed, scoring a 127 break in his 4-2 victory over Antoni Kowalski.

The qualifying rounds conclude on Sunday, with the main event set to take place from October 19–26.