Alex Borg
is through to the second qualifying round of the World Snooker Championship
which is currently being played at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.
The Mellieħa-born cueist reaced the next round after
having the better of Patrick Whelan, of England, 6-4 on Wednesday.
After
losing the opening frame, the Malta professional fought back strongly to win
the next three frames to head into the interval leading 3-1.
Borg won the
opening frame after restart to stretch his advantage to three frames.
Whelan pulled
one back but Borg’s response produced a run of 80 that increased his advantage
to 5-2.
The English
player tried to keep the game alive when winning the next two frames to move
just one frame behind – 4-5.
But Borg
soon recovered his poise seal the win when winning the tenth frame 65-49.
On Friday,
Borg will be up against English player Liam Highfield, who is ranked 60th in
the world.
Elsewhere, Belgian
15-year-old Ben Mertens became the youngest ever winner of a match at the
Betfred World Championship, beating James Cahill 6-2.
Mertens isn’t the only teenage
Belgian to achieve a World Championship landmark, his compatriot Luca Brecel
became the youngest player to qualify for the Crucible in 2012, at the age of
17.
Last year, it was Cahill who
made history with a World Championship shock, when he became the first amateur
to qualify for the Crucible and went on to beat Ronnie O’Sullivan in the
opening round. On Wednesday,
the Blackpool cueman experienced the other side of an unexpected defeat.
Mertens, who won the world
under-16 title in 2018, is one of continental Europe’s most promising
prospects. He joins Polish 16-year-old Antoni Kowalski in round two, who
defeated David Lilley 6-4.
Despite only being 15 years of
age, Mertens is already used to playing in front of the TV cameras, having
represented Belgium in the World Cup alongside Brecel. He also beat Thai legend
James Wattana to reach the last 64 of the Shoot Out in 2019.
