China holds 2 seats in the top 8 in the Champions League! Yao Peng wins and loses, Xu Si and Pang Junxu make their first championship in the season

With the successful conclusion of the second phase, the roster of the quarterfinals of the 2025-2026 Champions League was officially announced. In this highly anticipated event, two outstanding Chinese players, Xu Si and Pang Junxu, successfully advanced in the fierce competition. Unfortunately, another group of players Wu Yize, Liu Wenwei and Yao Pengcheng failed to break through the siege and ended up missing the quarterfinals. It is remarkable that Ford and Mertens successfully grabbed the last two promotion places in a tense competition. Although there are only two Chinese players on the quarterfinals, they are still likely to meet in future finals according to the group arrangement.

On the last day of the second stage, three Chinese players appeared, namely Wu Yize, Liu Wenwei from Group H and Yao Pengcheng from Group G. The atmosphere of the event climaxed before three games of the night. Tom Ford, who played first, defeated Liu Wenwei 3-0 without any suspense, showing his excellent competitive state. Immediately afterwards, Wu Yize competed with Matthew Stevens, and after a fierce battle, he finally drew 2-2. In the subsequent showdown between Wu Yize and Liu Wenwei, Wu Yize defeated Liu Wenwei 3-1, showing extraordinary strength. When they entered the three games in the early morning, the showdown between Tom Ford and Matthew Stevens ended 2-2, and Matthew Stevens defeated Liu Wenwei 3-1. Fude then defeated Wu Yize 3-1, continuing to consolidate his leading position in the group.

It is undeniable that Wu Yize performed very well in the China derby with Liu Wenwei. In the first game, he scored 100 points in a single shot, demonstrating his superb skills. In addition, in the confrontation with Tom Ford, he also scored 132 points in a single shot in the third game, which is very exciting. Despite this, Wu Yize finally ranked third in the group with a poor record of 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss, and missed the promotion. The top spot in the group Tom Ford firmly controlled the opportunity to advance with a record of 2 wins, 1 draw. Liu Wenwei ended in three games and ranked last in the group, although Matthew Stevens won one win and two draws, slightly surpassing Liu Wenwei and ranked second in the group.

In the Group G competition, Yao Pengcheng's performance also attracted much attention. He lost to Ben Mertens 0-3 in his first game, and then defeated Sam Craigie with a perfect 3-0 counterattack. Although he drew with Amir Sakhosh in the last game, his final record was 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss, and he also bid farewell to the opportunity to advance. In these three games, Yao Pengcheng scored two 50 points in total. Despite his unremitting efforts, he still failed to visit a higher stage. It is worth mentioning that all players in Group G have achieved a record of 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss. In the end, they need to decide on the promotion quota through their respective highest single shots. Ben Mertens successfully broke through with his outstanding performance of 111 points in a single shot, while Amir Sahosh's highest single shot was 90 points, Sam Creggie had 69 points, and Yao Pengcheng ranked last in the group with 67 points.

As Ford and Mertens finally won the last two quarter-finals, the grouping arrangements for the quarter-finals of the Champions League were released. The players who entered the first group were Xu Si, O'Connor, Walton and Ford, while the second group included Pang Junxu, Maguire, Celter and Mertens. Among these quarter-finals, there are four former ranking champions, as well as four other young players who have the potential to compete for their first championship. The two Chinese players Xu Si and Pang Junxu will do their best to strive to bring back the glory of their first championship in the new season.

According to the bonus distribution of the event, the winner can receive a prize of up to 20,000 pounds, while the runner-up will be 10,000 pounds. At the same time, the champion and runner-up in the third stage group stage can earn £6,000 and £4,000 respectively, and the third and fourth in the group also have £2,000 and £1,000 bonuses. This undoubtedly adds more competitive momentum and expectations to the players.