Stan Moody: 16-year-old storms into round two of World Championship qualifiers in Sheffield

Teenage sensation Stan Moody, 16, stormed into round two of the World Championship qualifiers in Sheffield with a remarkable 10-7 win over Andres Petrov.

Moody has been the sport’s undoubted breakout star since beating Lu Ning – then a top-32 player – in his debut ranking event at the 2022 Shoot Out.

He backed that up by winning the WSF Junior Championship earlier this year – a feat that secured him a place on the World Snooker Tour for two seasons as of 2023/24 – and now has another highlight to add to his palmares, after seeing off Estonian Petrov.

He then moved one frame from victory at 9-5 but Petrov, 10 years Moody’s senior, took the next two as it became a nervy affair – for both players.

Finally, belying his tender age, Moody – who has been mentored in his fledgling career by Shaun Murphy – sunk a beautiful long yellow, followed by the green, and when Petrov was unable to find the snookers he needed, he approached the 16-year-old to shake his hand and offer his congratulations.

Moody, who made a break of 110 as well as five half-centuries in his stunning victory, will next face Zhang Anda on Wednesday, with that match to complete on Thursday.

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