Zhang Achieves Maximum 147 Break at UK Championship

China’s Zhang Anda completed the first maximum 147 break of this year’s UK Championship during his 6-3 first-round victory over compatriot Lei Peifan. The 32-year-old Zhang successfully potted 15 reds and 15 blacks, followed by all the colours in sequence. A packed crowd at the York Barbican acknowledged his feat with a standing ovation as he sank the final ball. This maximum break marks the 21st in the history of the UK Championship, the 208th recorded in professional snooker, and the sixth of the 2024-25 season. Zhang’s accomplishment secures him a £15,000 prize. However, this amount will be shared if any other competitors achieve a similar break during the remainder of this week’s tournament, which concludes on Sunday. Zhang commented on his achievement, stating, “This is my third time making a maximum and this time it just felt different as the UK Championship is a big event so I’m just very happy. I opened the reds so well and then I knew I could make it. It was just very exciting, my heart was beating so quickly.” The 147 break occurred when Zhang was trailing 2-1 on table two, just before the mid-session interval. He subsequently secured four of the next five frames, advancing him to the last 16. On Thursday, he is scheduled to face England’s Stuart Bingham, who overcame Mark Williams after being 5-2 down. Zhang, seeded 11th, had previously made two maximum breaks: one against Ukraine’s Anton Kazakov during qualifying for the 2022 European Masters, and another in the International Championship final a year later against England’s Tom Ford. Should Zhang achieve another maximum break in the current tournament, at January’s Masters, or during the World Championship at the Crucible in Sheffield in April and May, he would be awarded a £147,000 prize.