Liam Pullen reached the last 16 of the 2025 Xi’an Grand Prix with a thumping performance to beat Noppon Saengkham on Thursday.
The young Englishman thrashed his experienced opponent 5-0, making breaks of 103, 101, 96, 83, and 77 along the way.
It’s only the second time that Pullen, who was a Q School graduate in May, has reached the last 16 of a ranking tournament, matching his prior run at the 2024 Snooker Shoot Out.
The 20 year-old qualified for Xi’an with a standout victory over John Higgins, and he has so far taken full advantage of his chance to go deeper into a week’s event.
Pullen’s performance, though, is being talked about with his heavy scoring sending a firm message out that he has the talent to go far in the game.
“That’s probably the best win of my career,” Pullen, who will next face Aaron Hill on Friday, told the World Snooker Tour.
“It’s probably the best I’ve played, I’m delighted. I think I’m a stronger player now, I’ve a stronger mindset.”
“I’ve surrounded myself with good people. I’ve moved to Landywood Snooker Club now – I’ve got a very good family there now, I’d say.
“Overall it has made me stronger and I’m playing good stuff, so hopefully that continues.
“I thought I had an opportunity because obviously you take the highest seed’s draw, don’t you? You become that seed, so I knew that I had an opportunity.
“But you have to take it. The win against John gave me a lot of confidence and belief in myself. That’s probably what I needed to be fair.”
Hill, meanwhile, extended his good recent run of form with a resounding 5-1 defeat of Mark Davis with the Irishman, like Pullen, compiling a brace of tons.
The duo will be looking at the bottom quarter of the draw and thinking that a maiden berth in a semi-final of a ranking event is on the cards.
In addition to Higgins, top 16 seeds Zhao Xintong, Mark Selby, and Si Jiahui have all bitten the dust in the competition already.
Daniel Wells and Robert Milkins, who compiled four century breaks in his 5-4 victory over Jimmy Robertson, are the others in that quarter of the draw who will be keen on reaching the latter stages.
There are still plenty of marquee names present in the other sections, however.
Reigning Xi’an Grand Prix champion Kyren Wilson reached the next round with a 5-2 triumph over Yuan Sijun.
The world number two will have a blockbuster clash with Shaun Murphy next after the recent British Open champion edged Wu Yize in a deciding frame.
Ding Junhui is also in the top quarter following a 5-3 victory over Louis Heathcote, with the home favourite’s next challenge being Oliver Lines.
Ronnie O’Sullivan will face Jak Jones after the pair recorded respective wins over Stephen Maguire and David Lilley.
There was a big upset as Neil Robertson bowed out in a 5-4 reverse to He Guoqiang – the latter advancing to face Gary Wilson instead.
Stuart Bingham crushed Stan Moody with a whitewash display, the 2015 world champion advancing to face Lyu Haotian.
The remaining round of 16 tie pits Welsh legend Mark Williams against Barry Hawkins.
2025 Xi’an Grand Prix draw
Round of 128 (bo9)
Kyren Wilson 5-1 Haris Tahir
Marco Fu 5-1 Sanderson Lam
Yuan Sijun 5-1 Mahmoud El Hareedy
Jamie Jones 5-1 Connor Benzey
Shaun Murphy 5-0 Liam Highfield
Long Zehuang 5-1 Artemijs Zizins
Wu Yize 5-4 Florian Nuessle
Xu Si 5-1 Bulcsu Revesz
Ricky Walden 5-1 Liam Davies
Elliot Slessor 5-1 Liam Graham
Oliver Lines 5-1 Gao Yang
Mark Allen 5-4 Mitchell Mann
Jackson Page 5-3 Sahil Nayyar
Louis Heathcote 5-3 Lei Peifan
Jordan Brown 5-1 Oliver Brown
Ding Junhui 5-1 Sam Craigie
Ronnie O’Sullivan 5-0 Iulian Boiko
Yao Pengcheng 5-1 Zak Surety
Stephen Maguire 5-2 Bai Yulu
Robbie Williams 5-1 Fergal Quinn
Farakh Ajaib 5-4 Zhang Anda
David Lilley 5-3 Kreishh Gurbaxani
Jak Jones 5-0 Haydon Pinhey
Dylan Emery 5-3 Ben Woollaston
Sunny Akani 5-0 Luca Brecel
Gary Wilson 5-0 Zhang Xiao
Mateusz Baranowski 5-4 Liu Hongyu
Chris Wakelin 3-5 Zhang Hao
He Guoqiang 5-1 Zhao Hanyang
Xu Yichen 5-4 Jack Lisowski
Ishpreet Singh Chadha 5-0 Jonas Luz
Neil Robertson 5-1 Leone Crowley
Judd Trump 5-2 Ng On Yee
Matthew Stevens 5-0 Ian Burns
Wang Yuchen 5-3 Pang Junxu
Lyu Haotian 5-2 Steven Hallworth
Ali Carter 5-1 Allan Taylor
Stan Moody 5-4 Amir Sarkhosh
Stuart Bingham 5-2 Duane Jones
Matthew Selt 5-4 Antoni Kowalski
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 5-1 Patrick Whelan
Jiang Jun 5-0 Hossein Vafaei
David Grace 5-4 Anthony McGill
Barry Hawkins 5-0 Hatem Yassen
Ryan Day 5-4 Ross Muir
Zhou Yuelong 5-2 Julien Leclercq
Scott Donaldson 5-1 Robbie McGuigan
Mark Williams 5-2 Zhou Jinhao
Liam Pullen 5-3 John Higgins
Michael Holt 5-1 Umut Dikme
Noppon Saengkham 5-2 Alexander Ursenbacher
Michal Szubarczyk 5-4 Martin O’Donnell
Mark Selby 5-0 Gong Chenzhi
Mark Davis 5-1 Reanne Evans
Huang Jiahao 5-3 Tom Ford
Aaron Hill 5-2 Liu Wenwei
Daniel Wells 5-1 Ken Doherty
David Gilbert 5-1 Chris Totten
Fan Zhengyi 5-1 Ben Mertens
Si Jiahui 5-3 Chang Bingyu
Jimmy Robertson 5-2 Cheung Ka Wai
Joe O’Connor 5-2 Lan Yuhao
Robert Milkins 5-1 Mink Nutcharut
Zhao Xintong 5-2 Wang Xinbo
Round of 64 (bo9)
Kyren Wilson w/o Marco Fu
Yuan Sijun w/o Jamie Jones
Shaun Murphy 5-0 Long Zehuang
Wu Yize 5-2 Xu Si
Ricky Walden 3-5 Elliot Slessor
Oliver Lines 5-4 Mark Allen
Jackson Page 0-5 Louis Heathcote
Jordan Brown 1-5 Ding Junhui
Ronnie O’Sullivan 5-1 Yao Pengcheng
Stephen Maguire 5-2 Robbie Williams
Farakh Ajaib 1-5 David Lilley
Jak Jones 5-1 Dylan Emery
Sunny Akani 1-5 Gary Wilson
Mateursz Baranowski 5-2 Zhang Hao
He Guoqiang 5-3 Xu Yichen
Ishpreet Singh Chadha 3-5 Neil Robertson
Judd Trump 4-5 Matthew Stevens
Wang Yuchen 4-5 Lyu Haotian
Ali Carter 3-5 Stan Moody
Stuart Bingham 5-3 Matthew Selt
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 5-3 Jiang Jun
David Grace 2-5 Barry Hawkins
Ryan Day 2-5 Zhou Yuelong
Mark Williams w/o Scott Donaldson
Liam Pullen 5-3 Michael Holt
Noppon Saengkham 5-1 Michal Szubarczyk
Mark Selby 4-5 Mark Davis
Huang Jiahao 2-5 Aaron Hill
Daniel Wells 5-1 David Gilbert
Fan Zhengyi 4-5 Si Jiahui
Jimmy Robertson 5-1 Joe O’Connor
Robert Milkins 5-2 Zhao Xintong
Round of 32 (bo9)
Kyren Wilson 5-2 Yuan Sijun
Shaun Murphy 5-4 Wu Yize
Elliot Slessor 4-5 Oliver Lines
Louis Heathcote 3-5 Ding Junhui
Ronnie O’Sullivan 5-0 Stephen Maguire
David Lilley 3-5 Jak Jones
Gary Wilson 5-4 Mateusz Baranowski
He Guoqiang 5-4 Neil Robertson
Matthew Stevens 4-5 Lyu Haotian
Stan Moody 0-5 Stuart Bingham
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 2-5 Barry Hawkins
Zhou Yuelong 2-5 Mark Williams
Liam Pullen 5-0 Noppon Saengkham
Mark Davis 1-5 Aaron Hill
Daniel Wells 5-3 Si Jiahui
Jimmy Robertson 4-5 Robert Milkins
Round of 16 (bo9)
Kyren Wilson vs Shaun Murphy
Oliver Lines vs Ding Junhui
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Jak Jones
Gary Wilson vs He Guoqiang
Lyu Haotian vs Stuart Bingham
Barry Hawkins vs Mark Williams
Liam Pullen vs Aaron Hill
Daniel Wells vs Robert Milkins
Click here for the updated draw and results (snooker.org)
Featured photo credit: WST
The first of the four centuries made by Rob Milkins today was the 200th of his professional career. He becomes the 47th player to reach this milestone.