Hong Kong’s Ng On-yee battles back from 3-0 down against Thailand’s Mink but loses on final black in last eight of snooker’s World Women’s Championship
- Ng’s loss means there will be a first-time world champion after 12-time winner Reanne Evans also goes out in the last eight
- Mink is coming off a series of strong performances in the mainstream tour’s qualifiers where she beat five male players
Hong Kong snooker ace Ng On-yee almost pulled off a remarkable comeback in the World Women’s Championship, battling back from 3-0 down against Thailand’s Natcharut “Mink” Wongharuthai but losing on the final black in their quarter-final on Monday morning (HK time).
The 31-year-old Ng lost 4-3 against the Thai youngster, who is just coming off a series of strong performances in the main tour’s qualifying school where she defeat five male players.
Three-time world champion Ng lost to Mink at the same stage the last time the tournament was played – in Bangkok in 2019 – and it means a first-time world champion will be crowned at the Ding Junhui Academy in Sheffield after England’s 12-time winner Reanne Evans was also beaten, losing 4-1 to Belgium’s Wendy Jans in the last eight.
“[It was a] struggling start but managed to force a decider and played till the final black. Well played Nutcharut Wongharuthai,” Ng said on social media. “Good luck to the remaining players and definitely a new World Champion to [be] born.”
Mink, who lost to Evans in the 2019 final, now faces Hong Kong Masters winner Rebecca Kenna after the Englishwoman beat compatriot Emma Parker 4-2 in her quarter-final match.
The World Women’s Tour, like many sports, had been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic with the world championship being put on hold for two years.
Ng has not been able to play all the tournament because she was mostly stuck in Hong Kong after being advised against travelling to the United Kingdom, which has been particularly hard hit by surges in Covid-19 cases.
She was given special permission to travel to England this month and will return to Hong Kong in April after the main tour’s World Championship.
In her only major women’s tour event last year, Ng won the Eden Championship, staging stirring comebacks against Kenna in the semi-finals and Evans in the final to lift the title.
