Luca Brecel completed a successful three-tournament qualifying run by beating Gong Chenzhi 4-0 to reach the 2026 Scottish Open, according to the final results from the preliminary programme in Leicester.
Brecel qualified as the final results from the preliminary programme wrapped up on 23 September at the Mattioli Arena. Brecel had already secured places at the Northern Ireland Open and International Championship during the same 11-day batch of qualifiers, SnookerHQ reported.
Brecel, who won the Scottish Open in 2021, will therefore return to the venue stages of the Home Nations Series event after a straightforward victory over Gong. The specialist outlet said his three qualifying wins had offered some relief after he had fallen well down the provisional end-of-season rankings.
That position gives the run immediate significance for the Belgian. The three victories mean Brecel has qualified for the Scottish Open, Northern Ireland Open and International Championship. It does not, however, establish how far he can progress once the main draws begin.
Brecel among 32 players through to Edinburgh
Brecel is one of 32 players who came through qualifying for the Scottish Open. They will join the top 32 players in the world rankings, who enter automatically at the last-64 stage, with the tournament proper scheduled to run from 14 to 20 December.
Scottish players Anthony McGill and Scott Donaldson also earned places in the Edinburgh stages. McGill defeated Wang Xinbo 4-2, while Donaldson overcame Mitchell Mann by the same scoreline, the published results showed.
The published qualifying list records a round of 128 followed by a round of 96. Gong reached his meeting with Brecel after defeating Sahil Nayyar 4-3, while McGill’s and Donaldson’s wins over Wang and Mann came in the final qualifying round listed in the results.
Their qualification ensures that McGill and Donaldson will be among the players competing in Edinburgh alongside the automatically seeded top 32. Both came through matches in the round of 96, the final qualifying round listed in the results.
Several experienced professionals also advanced. Matthew Stevens edged Florian Nuessle 4-3, Ryan Day beat Michal Szubarczyk 4-3, Matthew Selt defeated Liam Graham 4-1 and Jimmy Robertson won 4-2 against Steven Hallworth.
The results also showed the range of routes taken by those reaching Edinburgh. Jamie Clarke beat Zak Surety 4-2, Daniel Wells defeated Oliver Sykes 4-2 and Robbie Williams edged Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon 4-3. Martin O’Donnell, meanwhile, recorded a 4-2 win over Lan Yuhao. Those scores came in the round of 96, following their respective victories in the earlier round of 128 where applicable, and confirmed their places among the 32 qualifiers for the venue stages.
Younger players advance as White exits narrowly
The qualifiers also featured a group of younger players who reached the main tournament. Stan Moody beat Jack Borwick 4-1, Liam Davies prevailed 4-3 against Long Zehuang and Liam Pullen recorded a 4-0 victory over Artemijs Zizins.
Aaron Hill defeated Antoni Kowalski 4-2, Dylan Emery overcame Ishpreet Singh Chadha 4-2 and Iulian Boiko beat Ben Mertens 4-3. Their progression was described by SnookerHQ as an encouraging sign for youth development.
Liu Hongyu produced one of the closest finishes in the final round, defeating Jimmy White 4-3. White had made a break of 131 in the fifth frame to move 3-2 ahead, but Liu won the remaining frames to qualify, according to the result report.
China had a substantial contingent among the successful qualifiers, with Xi Si, Fan Zhengyi, Lyu Haotian, Gao Yang, Yao Pengcheng and Jiang Jun also progressing alongside Liu. The final list additionally included players such as Jamie Clarke, Daniel Wells, Robbie Williams and Martin O’Donnell.
For Brecel, the immediate outcome is a place in Edinburgh and a completed qualifying hat-trick across the three events held in Leicester. The Scottish Open draw will add the top 32 seeds to the 32 qualifiers, creating the last-64 line-up for the December tournament.