Dechawat Poomjaeng moved within one win of a return to the World Snooker Tour by beating Hamza Akbar 4-2 in the quarter finals of Asia-Oceania Q School event one.
Poomjaeng, best known for beating Stephen Maguire at the Crucible in 2013, last played on the pro circuit in 2017 and will win back his place if he beats Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon in a Thai derby in the semis in Bangkok on Sunday.
Tirapongpaiboon is renowned as the youngest player ever to make an official 147, achieving that feat at the age of 16 in 2010. He last played on the pro tour in 2016 and moved a step closer to a return today by scoring a 4-2 victory over Pongsakron Chongjairak.
The other semi-final will be between two players from Pakistan looking to earn a place on the main circuit for the first time. Asjad Iqbal beat Temuujin Enkhbold 4-0 and he now meets Muhammad Asif who edged out Anekthana Sangnil 4-3.
The tournament consists of two events, with the finalists from both to earn a two-year card to the World Snooker Tour. The four successful players will be awarded a place on the professional circuit for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons. The final event finishes on June 11th.