World Snooker Championship: Marco Fu shows glimpses of his best form in narrow qualifying defeat, Ng On-yee well beaten
- Hong Kong star loses to 6-5 Ian Burns in his first tournament in more than two years
- Compatriot Ng On-yee beaten 6-2 by Rory McLeod, days after winning The Winchester Open
Marco Fu Ka-chun showed glimpses of his best form in his first competitive tournament in more than two years, but ultimately came up just short in his World Snooker Championship qualifier.
The Hongkonger lost an enthralling best-of-11 frames battle with England’s Ian Burns 6-5, despite battling back from 3-0 and 5-3 down, and took the game to a decider after rattling off a break of 122 to draw level.
It was a different story for compatriot Ng On-yee, who was well beaten by Rory McLeod in her first round match at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield on Tuesday.
“It’s nice to be back, I missed playing in the pro circuit,” said Fu, who last competed on the tour at the 2020 Welsh Open before the coronavirus pandemic struck.
“It has been too long as I have been back home and stuck in Covid-19 for two years … I almost forgot how to play the game.
“These two years have been strange time for everybody, especially for the overseas players. I did not really expect too much coming over here because I haven’t been playing for almost three months as used only a week of intense training [to prepare for the event] with seven to eight hours a day trying to pick up the form.”
Fu, who at times looked like the player who made the semi-finals of the World Championship on two occasions, was happy despite the defeat.
