Shaun Storry, Dylan Leary, Gareth Potts and Chris Melling are all still in with a chance of winning the 2021 Ultimate Pool Professional Series Event 7 title after a very busy opening day at the Players Pool & Snooker Lounge where four rounds were completed.

Winner of Event 5 here in October, Storry could be the first player to win back-to-back ‘Tier One’ Pro Series titles. ‘Autopilot’ continued where he left off, dropping only seven frames during a trio of victories.

In a rerun of the Event 5 final, he dispatched Carl Morris 7-3 in the last 32, Brian Halcrow 7-2 in the last 16 before a supreme display to eliminate Declan Brennan 7-2 in the quarter-finals on the live TV table.

Storry will face Leary in the last four on Saturday morning. Leary came to Newcastle-under-Lyme 31st in the provisional rankings having won one match in the previous six events this season so far. However, the former European Champion showed his class with triumphs over John Roe (7-4), David McNamara (7-5) and Jimmy Croxton (7-3). His run has currently pushed him into 16th place with potentially more ranking points to come.

In the bottom half there will be a dream clash between former multiple-time world champions Potts and Melling.

Four-time world title winner Potts is starting to look a lot more comfortable as he continues his return to the smaller table after a seven-and-a-half-year absence – an ominous thought for his rivals. ‘The Golden Boy’ came from behind to deny Rob Wharne 7-4 before needing to take the final three frames to oust Karl Sutton 7-6 in the last 16. And Potts made sure of his first semi-final appearance on the Professional Series with a 7-4 success over Greg Batten.

Melling is on course for his third Professional Series final of the campaign following victories against reigning World Blackball Champion Scott Gillespie 7-4, Shaun Chipperfield 7-4 and Aaron Davies 7-5.

Two of the sport’s all-time greats and icons, Potts claimed his first world title when he defeated Melling – who was already a former two-time world champion at that point - in the 2005 WEPF final.

Three-time event winner and top of the provisional rankings, Shane Thompson bowed out first round after a loss to France’s Christophe Lambert. Both Storry and Melling can still finish as the end-of-season number one following the conclusion of Event 8 on Sunday night.

The Event 7 semi-finals will be live televised on FreeSports in the UK – and livestreamed on ultimatepool.tv - from 10:00GMT on Saturday morning.