Ukrainian teenage snooker star Iulian Boiko hoped his Welsh Open first-round victory over Liam Davies would "cheer people up back home" after securing his first second-round berth of the season, at the Celtic Manor Resort, in Newport. Despite all the turmoil going on in his own country, the 16-year-old fought back from 3-0 down to battle past 15-year-old Wales amateur Davies 4-3, to set up a meeting with Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen.
But the Kyiv-born pro admitted afterwards it had been tough to focus on the match, with most of thoughts on his homeland following the Russian invasion. After his win, he told the BBC: “It has been very difficult with such terrible things going on.
"It's really difficult to focus on your game. I just don't care because you realise there are things so much more important than that Even at 3-0 down I was thinking about all the people back home."
