Thailand’s 17-year-old Nattanapong Chaikul scored a shock 4-3 win over Michael Holt on the second day of Q School event one in Sheffield.
Chaikul is competing in Q School for the first time and also survived a deciding frame in round one, beating China’s Haohui Deng 4-3 on the final black.
Former Shoot Out champion Holt arrived at Q School as one of the favourites to gain a fresh two-year tour card, having dropped off the circuit following the recent World Championship.
Holt will now have further opportunities at events two and three. There are 12 places up for grabs overall, with the four semi-finalists from each tournament earning professional status.
Chaikul looked impressive against his far more experienced opponent. He fired in breaks of 75, 54 and 59 on his way to establishing a 3-2 advantage. Holt forced a decider, but a break of 79 from Chaikul secured the win. He now faces Brandon Sargeant in the next round.
Chinese 18-year-old Liu Hongyu continued to impress, with a 4-3 win over Belgian prospect Ben Mertens. Liu has now composed the two biggest breaks of the event so far, having added a run of 137 today in addition to the 134 he made yesterday. Liu now plays Alfie Lee.
Germany’s Lukas Kleckers bounced back from his tour relegation with a 4-0 defeat of James Burrett, while Rod Lawler also secured a whitewash 4-0 win against Faizaan Mohammed.
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