roy142857 wrote:...
Ross Muir looks fairly safe barring a series of unusual results, but would like to win his second round match (probably against the current amateur World Champion Yán Bĭngtāo) ...
... Four players who may well be in a similar situation if they get through the first round are Sean O'Sullivan, assuming he reaches the second round he'll be up against Scott Donaldson, Lóng Zéhuáng could be up against new pro Zhōu Yuèlóng, Xú Sī potentially faces Lĭ Háng and if Zhào Xīntóng gets past Paul Davison in the first round, Graeme Dott awaits in the second round. Not a good draw for Zhào Xīntóng, noting also in Asian Tour 1 he drew Dīng Jùnhuī in the first round, and his short run of success in Asian Tour 2 ended in round 3 with a 4-2 loss to Stuart Bingham.
In theory the two Thai players who may need a Pro Tour spot via this route - Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Noppon Saengkham - have easier draws, but although Saengkham's potential second round opponent Chén Zĭfán has struggled on the Asian Tour this year, he did beat Scott Donaldson in the Wuxi Classic last summer.
Sorry, completely wrong about Xú Sī's next opponent, it's Craig Steadman.
World amateur champion Yán Bĭngtāo lost to his compatriot Lĭ Yŭjĭn - well and truly surprised at that one.
A second shock as Lóng Zéhuáng got blitzed 4-0 by Jì Zhìjūn to blow his chance of a Pro Tour place, whilst Zhào Xīntóng failed to get past Paul Davison, losing 4-3, not so much a shock.
And as for Noppon Saengkham - didn't even get to play the dangerous opponent I'd highlighted, losing instead to the lowly-ranked Gĕng Míngqí ...