Stephen Maguire and Joe O'Connor became the first two players to reach the last eight of the BetVictor Championship League as they topped their groups on Friday in Leicester.
Phase two runs until Tuesday, with the eight group winners going into the third and final phase. The champion of the first ranking event of the 2025/26 season will be crowned on Wednesday night.
Maguire, now playing his 28th professional season, started Group B with a 2-2 draw against Yuan Sijun, then beat Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 3-1 with breaks of 84, 67 and 66. His last match against Zhang Anda, who also had a win and a draw under his belt, would decide the group, and Scotland's Maguire recovered from the loss of the first frame to win 3-1.
O'Connor was in superb form in Group A, winning all three matches. He beat Onyee Ng 3-0 with a top break of 103, then saw off both Haydon Pinhey and Elliot Slessor by a 3-1 scoreline.
The action resumes on Saturday with Jack Lisowski among the quartet in Group D, while Pang Junxu is the top-ranked player in Group C.
