A few months ago, Liam Davies was in Q School, wondering whether he could really do it. Now he has a 4-1 win over world champion Wu Yize on his CV, a first ranking quarter-final under his belt, and a place in the Northern Ireland Open main draw. He is 20 years old, seeded outside the world's top 100, and he is beating the biggest names in snooker. The Welsh qualifier's English Open run was not a one-off flash of brilliance. It was the latest chapter in a season that already includes wins over Ding Junhui, Barry Hawkins and Gary Wilson. The question heading into Belfast is simple: how far can this go?
In September, at the Brentwood Leisure Centre, Davies came through qualifying and into the main draw of the English Open. What followed was a run that turned heads across the sport.
He ended Ronnie O'Sullivan's tournament in the first round. He beat Xinbo Wang 4-1 in the second round. Then came the headline: a 4-1 win over world champion Wu Yize, sealed with a 105 century break in the second frame. Wu had won the World Championship at the Crucible just four months earlier. Davies was seeded outside the top 100.
"It's crazy," Davies told the World Snooker Tour. "We were just saying on the way up here how a couple of months ago I was in Q School. I was thinking, can I really do it? But you have a few wins in Q School, then come to the first tournament of the season and feel a different player."
The run ended in the quarter-finals against Mark Williams, the three-time world champion and fellow Welshman, who won 6-3. Williams went on to reach the final, where Ali Carter beat him 9-6. But the story of the tournament was not the champion. It was the 20-year-old qualifier who had beaten the world champion along the way.
"If you win a couple of games, you get a bit more confidence behind you," Davies said. "When you're playing on stages like that and beating a world champion, it's unbelievable."
"You find out a lot about yourself coming through Q School, especially when you're young. I think everyone needs time to get used to the tour. There are so many good players and basically all of your idols in one room. You put so much pressure on yourself to win and keep your tour card. But when you fall off and get back on, it feels like that's just gone."
"For me, it's kind of like a dream. You're waiting to wake up all the time, but it's great and it's such a good feeling. It feels like you are doing your family and friends proud as well."
The numbers behind the run that turned heads.
Davies's win over world champion Wu Yize at the English Open, 10 September 2026. Wu had lifted the World Championship at the Crucible four months earlier.
The century break that sealed frame two of the win over Wu Yize.
A first ranking quarter-final, ended 3-6 by fellow Welshman and three-time world champion Mark Williams, who went on to reach the final.
He ended Ronnie O'Sullivan's English Open in the first round at Brentwood, 8 September 2026.
Ding Junhui, Barry Hawkins and Gary Wilson - all beaten this season before the English Open run began.
At 12 he became the youngest player to compete in a ranking event. He is now ranked outside the world's top 100.
Player form at a glance, most recent first, pulled live from MyiCue's recorded match history.
Frame scores for the early English Open rounds are not yet in the feed; those rows appear once recorded.
Davies has already booked his place in the Northern Ireland Open main draw. He came through qualifying at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester, beating Hammad Miah 4-3 in a decider and then Zhengyi Fan 4-1 to secure his spot at the Waterfront Hall.
The tournament runs from 18 to 25 October. The top 32 seeds, including Judd Trump, Mark Selby, Wu Yize and Zhao Xintong, receive automatic entry. Davies will arrive as a qualifier, unseeded, and likely drawn against a seeded player in the first round. The main draw has not yet been published in MyiCue.
For Davies, Belfast represents the next test of whether the English Open was a breakthrough or a one-off. The Waterfront Hall is a different stage: one table, a knowledgeable crowd, and the weight of expectation that comes with a headline run. His qualifying form suggests he is ready for the challenge: five straight wins across the Northern Ireland and Scottish Open qualifiers, with the scalp of Anthony McGill at the International Championship qualifiers adding further depth to his season.
Davies's story is not just about one tournament. It is about a 20-year-old who lost his tour card, refused to give up, came back through Q School, and is now beating the sport's biggest names.
The "top secret" text messages he has exchanged with Ronnie O'Sullivan, revealed by Wales Online during his English Open run, hint at a level of mentorship from the sport's greatest player that most 20-year-olds could only dream of. Davies has spoken about the pressure of keeping a tour card and how falling off the tour and getting back on has freed him to play without fear.
His wins over Ding Junhui, Barry Hawkins and Gary Wilson before the English Open established his credentials. Beating Wu Yize, the world champion, confirmed them. The quarter-final against Mark Williams, a fellow Welshman and three-time world champion, was a test of how far he has come and how far he still has to go.
The 2026/27 season is still young. Davies has qualified for multiple Home Nations events through the qualifying rounds. The question now is whether he can back up the English Open run on the bigger stages. Belfast, with its single table and passionate crowd, will be the first real answer.
MyiCue
Previous meetings from snooker.org
Source: snooker.org | Completed matches only
Before a ball is struck in Belfast, make your call on the Liam Davies question in the poll below - and lock in your cue order entry for the Northern Ireland Open while you're at it. We'll revisit the verdicts once the Waterfront Hall has its answer.