Neil Robertson faces tricky qualifying route to reach UK Snooker Championship after Xiao Guodong win

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Three-time winner Neil Robertson will need to win two qualifying matches to reach the final stage of the UK Championship after the English Open champion was knocked out of the top 16 by Xiao Guodong on Wednesday. Xiao's run to the quarter-finals of the International Championship means he is set to start in the last 32 at the UK after Robertson lost 6-1 to Barry Hawkins.

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Video credit: TNT Sports

Former UK champion Neil Robertson will need to win two qualifying matches to reach the final stage of this year's York tournament after Xiao Guodong booked his spot in the quarter-finals of the International Championship on Wednesday.

Xiao completed a 6-3 victory over Jack Lisowski with breaks of 81, 89, 122 and 91 seeing him set up a meeting with Jackson Page in the chase for the £175,000 first prize in Nanjing.

The win for Wuhan Open champion Xiao sees him move above Robertson, who lost 6-1 to Barry Hawkins in the third round, into 16th spot, meaning the Australian player will not be part of the elite who enter the UK Championship at the last-32 stage at the York Barbican, (November 23-December 1) live on Eurosport and discovery+.

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Robertson will head to Leicester for the qualifiers (November 16-21) as he bids to emulate fellow multiple UK winner Ding Junhui, who reached the final last year after coming through two qualifying matches before losing 10-7 to Ronnie O'Sullivan in the title match.

Xiao will only be denied a spot among the top 16 if world No. 20 Chris Wakelin can reach the International Championship final on Sunday to earn the £75,000 runners-up prize.

Xiao is provisionally 33,200 points ahead of Wakelin, and could face the former Shoot Out winner in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, John Higgins remains in the hunt to claim the final spot at the Champion of Champions event in Bolton next week with his 6-5 victory over Lyu Haotian.

The winner of the event is guaranteed to secure a spot at the 16-player competition with Wakelin, Page, Xu Si and Ding also in the hunt.

If the winner of the International Championship has already qualified, Ding will earn the final spot via the world rankings, but that could all change on Sunday.

Xu Si hits stunning 147 break against Day

Video credit: TNT Sports

International Championship quarter-finals

Chris Wakelin v John Higgins
Jackson Page v Xiao Guodong
Xu Si v Gary Wilson
Kyren Wilson v Ding Junhui

Stream the 2024 International Championship live on Eurosport and discovery+

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