The 2024 German Masters Qualifiers and more about exhibitions in China

The 2024 German Masters qualifiers finished yesterday and, with a slightly longer format, there weren’t that many upsets. All the results are on snooker.org.

Upsets

  • Ding Junhui lost by 5-2 to Yuan Sijun, despite Yuan being docked the first frame after the interval because he was late. I didn’t see the match, and Yuan is a very good player but that scoreline is really surprising.
  • Jack Lisowski lost 5-3 to Zak Surety. Zak is a solid player and played solid snooker. Jack was his inconsistent self. Brilliant at times, missing unexpectedly at other times. After all these years, Jack still has no B-game. His collaboration with Ebdon has – so far - not bring any improvement, rather the opposite. Someone on social media said that Jack has a “potting brain”, but not a “snooker brain”. Nail on the head.
  • Stuart Bingham was beaten by 5-1 by Liam Pullen. Stuart was not able to build any substantial break until the last frame where he had a 58, and even that wasn’t enough. Liam punished his mistakes and scored heavily. He had four breaks over 50 in the match. He impressed me. Stuart was playing without his glasses. It’s not easy to get used to glasses when you never needed them until your mid forties. Glasses change your perception of distances. But then. playing in a blur is no good either…
  • Gary Wilson lost by 5-4 to Scott Donaldson. Not really a big upset. Scott is a very good player and Gary had maybe a bit of a hang-over after his Scottish triumph. That match was decided on the last black.
  • Ashley Carty beat Noppon Saengkham by 5-2. Now, like Gary, I think that Noppon suffered from some fatigue after his efforts in Edinburgh. He won the first frame, but wasn’t at the races at all for most of the match. From 4-1 down, Noppon pulled one back and made a break of 65 in the next, only for Ashley – who reached the Crucible in 2020 – to steal it with a 75!

Interesting matches …

Which matches are interesting is, of course, a matter of personal interests and preferences. Here are mine

  • Si Jiahui beat Lyu Haotian by 5-4 from 4-0 down. This was a case of ”the MSI changing the course of the match” if there ever was one. Lyu completely dominated the first four frames, he scored breaks of 83, 64, 89 and 112 to lead 4-0. Si completely turned the tables after the MSI, winning the five last frames with breaks of 123, 87, 98 and 103. It was a scoring fest, it was strange and fascinating.
  • Ben Mertens beat Rory Thor by 5-3. This match was as hard fought as it gets. The were on table 4 and I guess the conditions weren’t optimal. There was on one break over 50 in the match, a 51 by Ben in frame 1. Every frame was scrappy and close. It was hard work from start to finish. This is not the kind of match young players relish. Most of them can’t handle it. Ben only turned 19 last October. It’s a very, very good win for the lad.
  • He Guoqiang beat John Astley by 5-4. He is a bit older than Ben, he’s 23, but he is in his first season. Beating a solid, experienced player like John Astley, is a very good result. It’s all the most remarkable because He trailed by 3-4 and forced the decider by winning frame 8 on a re-spotted black. To do that you need a good head and solid nerves. BTW, that frame, frame 8, was the only one in the match that didn’t feature a 50+ break. Great entertainment and quality.
  • Tian Pengfei beat Reanne Evans by 5-4, from 4-2 down. Now, I wanted Reanne to win this one and she was absolutely gutted to lose. Despite the loss, I’ll say that this is probably the best she’s played in a ranking match on the main tour as a professional. Tian is a seasoned pro, a very good player. Reanne pushed him really hard. I hope this gives her some confidence. It should, and the fact that she was so upset is also a sign that she really believes that she could have won this one. That’s positive.

Exhibitions in China…

The Melco Style presents Macau Masters is underway, the group stage was played to a finish and all the results are on snooker.org. There, you will also find the links to two short videos showing the last balls of John Higgins 147, and Mark Selby’s 147. Yes, they were seriously at it. Higgins nearly made two 147 on the day, he missed the last black!

We already know that Ronnie and Ding will play in the Wynn presents Macau Masters. This will start just after Christmas. But there are posts on Weibo hinting at a Lhasa Peak Showdown Exhibition, played on 31 December 2023 and 1st of January 2024 as part of the “Ding Olympic Games” feast. That’s all I found about it for now.

Finally, it seems like the Hong Kong Masters will return in March 2024.

Here is the automatic translation of the article (with some correction by me were there were obvious errors1):

  1. Most notably and vey obviously, this will NOT be a table tennis tournament 😂 ↩︎

O’Sullivan will lead five major players to visit Hong Kong in March and join hands with Marco Marco for a decisive battle at the Queen Elisabeth Stadium

The “2024 Hong Kong International Snooker Stars Challenge” will be held at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium from March 25 to 26 next year. A total of five world-class players, including “Rocket” O’Sullivan, will take part in the competition. At the same time, Hong Kong snooker star Marco Fu will once again perform in front of the home audience. The six players will also attend the tournament this Saturday (23rd), and it is expected that relevant details of the competition will be announced.

The event invited O’Sullivan, who won the UK Championship for the historic eighth time last month, “quasi-god” Zhuo Linpu, “golden left hand” Williams, British star Lisowski and Chinese supernova Si Jiahui, will come to Hong Kong to meet the host player Marco Fu and compete for the championship. In addition to Lisowski and Si Jiahui, the other three foreign players will visit Hong Kong again after the “Hong Kong Snooker Masters 2022”.

Last year’s Hong Kong World Snooker Masters attracted more than 8,000 spectators, setting a record for the largest attendance in the history of snooker. Marco Marco’s 147 break against Higgins in the final game of the semi-finals became a classic scene of the tournament. The championship was won by O’Sullivan after defeating Marco. Six players, including Marco Marco , will attend the tournament press conference in Tsim Sha Tsui this Saturday. They will then transfer to Macau to compete in the ” 2023 Macau Snooker Masters Invitational Tournament” that will last for four consecutive days on Christmas

This event is scheduled right after the World Open, so Ronnie might actually be motivated to play in the event… as he’s due to travel anyway.

7 thoughts on “The 2024 German Masters Qualifiers and more about exhibitions in China

  1. Thanks a lot for the information on the German Masters Qualifiers.

    I, too, loosely following the scores, was upset that Evans let that match slip away after being 2:0, 3:1, and 4:2 ahead. Not sure the experience is going to do her any good, though.

    As to the He v. Astley match, the third frame also didn’t feature a 50+ break. Frame #4 featured a 50+ break by both players. Overall, He had five 50+ breaks, but lost two of these frames nonetheless. So, securing the frame win having compiled a nice break is something the young man may work on.

    Lisowski, I find, is the most frustrating player to watch in terms of disparity between potential and achievement. Sadly, Lyu Haotian seems not that far behind on that score. … for reasons defying understanding.

    • Lyu Haotian had very traumatic experiences when staying in the UK as a very young lad alone abroad. You may remember that when Thannawat Tirapongpaiboon and Passakorn Suwannawat were under investigation for match fixing they left the UK before any action was taken against them. Shortly after that their condo was burnt in an arson attack. Lyu Haotian, who was still only a kid really, lived there too. He almost lost his life that night. A few month later he was attacked in the streets of Sheffield and badly beaten up. The official version is that the aggressors wanted his wallet. Possibly but … I can’t help but questioning that version. The bright happy kid I had met in Yixing, had become a shadow of himself, and drank far too much alcohol. When he dropped off the tour he went back to China and didn’t want anything to do with snooker for a long period. Makes you wonder. As for Lisowski … I like the lad, who I met on multiple occasions, but despair on the player…

      • I remember Lyu’s story of 2015.

        But then he was back in 2017, reaching the semi-finals of the Northern Ireland Open. I thought – by dint of his talent and intelligence – he’d be heading for the top 16, if not the top 8, without breaking a sweat. (I thought something similar about Liang Wenbo, so there…)

        Quite obviously, that didn’t happen, and, seemingly, there still are some demons around that wouldn’t let go. It’s one of the most saddening stories in professional snooker. Anyway, I am having my fingers crossed for the guy, hoping next year will see the gap between potential and achievement narrow to next to nothing.

      • Of course anyone can lose a match at this level, particularly at this time of year, and against an opponent like Si Jiahui. Lyu Haotian didn’t do much wrong, but it was a very open game, a bit like one of their practice matches in Victoria’s academy. Nevertheless he’s had a good year. His technical improvements are working quite well, and he got married in June. But he’s never going to be consistently reliable.

  2. https://www.i-cable.com/%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E%E8%B3%87%E8%A8%8A/184735/%E5%A5%A7%E8%98%87%E5%88%A9%E9%9B%B2%E6%98%8E%E5%B9%B4%E8%A8%AA%E6%B8%AF-%E8%88%87%E5%A4%9A%E4%BD%8D%E7%90%83%E6%89%8B%E6%89%93%E8%A1%A8%E6%BC%94%E8%B3%BD

    with video

    google translate again:
    Cable News】One of the great table tennis players, O’Sullivan, will visit Hong Kong again in March next year and play an exhibition match with many world-class players. On the first day, he will compete against Marco Marco who plays at home.
    The Hong Kong International Table Tennis Star Challenge will be held at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in six games from March 25 to 26 next year.
    O’Sullivan, who won the British Championship for the eighth time at the beginning of the month, together with Zhuo Linpu, Williams and local brother Fu Jiajun, a total of six players participated.

    Fu Jiajun: “I should play in a relatively relaxed mood this time. Everyone enjoyed watching the last Hong Kong Masters. This time the performance is more serious and it feels less serious than before (the competition). I hope everyone has a good time. ”
    After winning the Hong Kong World Table Tennis Masters last year, the “Rocket” visited Hong Kong again and was full of confidence in the tournament.
    O’Sully: “If I perform well, I expect to win. If I don’t perform as well as I should, I still have a chance to win. I don’t care much about what my opponent does. I only worry about myself. I have confidence in myself.”
    He has “stood up” for players many times and publicly criticized the tour for insufficient prize money. He earlier received a warning letter from the World Table Tennis Tour.
    O’Sulliyun: “I don’t think it’s kind to the (World Snooker Tour) asking me to seriously consider retiring and staying away from table tennis. Whenever I feel unfit to participate in the competition,
    They thought I was lying, feigning injury, and I thought they were questioning my credibility and love of pool. ”
    After completing this visit to Hong Kong, these players will go to Macau to compete in the four-day Macau Table Tennis Masters Invitational Tournament.

  3. https://www.hk01.com/%E5%8D%B3%E6%99%82%E9%AB%94%E8%82%B2/974405/%E6%A1%8C%E7%90%83%E6%98%8E%E6%98%9F%E6%8C%91%E6%88%B0%E8%B3%BD-%E5%A5%A7%E8%98%87%E5%88%A9%E9%9B%B2%E6%98%8E%E5%B9%B43%E6%9C%88%E8%A8%AA%E6%B8%AF-%E7%A5%A8%E5%83%B9%E5%8F%83%E8%80%83%E7%BE%8E%E6%96%AF%E6%9C%80%E8%B2%B43380

    The “2024 Hong Kong International Table Tennis Stars Challenge” will be held at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium from March 25 to 26, 2024. The host players Marco Fu, “Rocket” O’Sullivan, and Te Lin will participate in the competition. Judd Trump, Jack Lisowski and Mark Williams attended the press conference on Saturday (23rd).

    The event will be held on March 25th and 26th, with different dramas on both days (see table below). The finale on the 25th will be Marco Marco vs. O’Sullivan, and the highlight on the 26th will be Osu vs. Trimple. There are 4 types of ticket prices, the lowest price is HK$880, and there are others 1380, 2380 and the most expensive 3380 yuan. The ticket price is higher than that of the Hong Kong World Table Tennis Masters (100 to 580 Hong Kong dollars) which was held in the Coliseum last year and was full. Much more expensive.

    game schedule:
    March 25, 2024
    12:00 O’Sully Clouds vs Williams
    15:00 Trimp Vs Lisu Woski
    19:30 O’Sullivan Vs Marco Marco

    March 26, 2024
    12:00 Williams Vs Jiahui
    15:00 Lisa Woski Vs Marco Marco
    19:30 Osuliun vs Trimp

    Players who attended the call-taking ceremony came and went in a hurry. Among them, Trimp, who arrived late, shared his feelings and said that although the weather in Hong Kong has been cold recently, he believes that the weather in Hong Kong is very warm compared to the UK. This man who won the Masters earlier The champion British golfer quickly left the field; Williams only arrived after Trimp left to participate in the kick-off ceremony.

    Fu Jiajun smiled while taking notes: “I’m confident that I won’t hit 147, let’s leave it to the experts!” He also said that he will compete in the table tennis star challenge next year with a more relaxed mood, “Everyone watched the last Hong Kong Masters I’m so happy. This competition has a heavier performance, so everyone will be more relaxed.” He left in a hurry after taking note of his moves and was not interviewed.

    O’Sully showed his closeness to the people, taking selfies with the guests and not rejecting anyone who came. When interviewed by the Hong Kong media, he revealed that he especially likes to visit Asia. He believes that both the promotion of the competition and the attitude of the fans are better than those in the UK: “China The competition in the UK does a good job in promoting it, and it will feel like a special competition; but the competition in the UK always feels not very special.”

    “The Rocket” continued: “I want to play in the best games, in front of the best audiences and in the best venues, and feel more supported. People in Asia seem to like it more than in my own country. As for me, it feels good to be loved, so I will come more often; but in the UK, I don’t seem to get that much support. No matter when I go to Thailand, Hong Kong, or the Mainland, I get a lot of support… maybe not when I was young. I will care about these things, but when I get older, I want to surround myself with people who treat me well and a good environment.”

    Speaking of his earlier criticism of some golfers for their dull playing style, and believed that methods should be found to punish or stop such golfers, Osu said: “I don’t like any sports without style, and offensive style of play is always attractive. , so in football I like Metz, in tennis I like Fedora, in golf I like Woods… Even if I don’t play golf as well as Woods, at least try to play waves in an exciting way. For me Says it’s bad for any sport if people don’t play waves “the right way.” ”

    Talking about the upcoming year of 2024, he admitted that he has no New Year goals or wishes. “I just want to live every day well, be happy and healthy, and enjoying life is the most important thing.” He also said that he has no thoughts about retirement yet. “I just try to stay healthy. If I’m in good shape, I’ll be better at everything I do. I’m looking forward to life after retirement, but I don’t know when that day will come. If I start losing often, maybe it’s time to put down table tennis. Enjoy a different life.”

    Lisuwoski revealed that he has been to Hong Kong twice, “I have good friends living in Hong Kong, so it feels like home… Hong Kong is my favorite city. Although I also like Sydney, I prefer Hong Kong. ” He also pointed out that he knew that the World Table Tennis Masters held at the Coliseum last year was full. “It is the best atmosphere of the table tennis competition. Table tennis is very popular in Hong Kong. I can’t wait to participate. My goal is to win. .”

    Xu Zhengdao, executive chairman of the organizer Sports Academy Without Borders, said that the ticket prices for last year’s event were low. “Level flights were taken advantage of by scalpers, which was unfair to golfers and organizers, so we start with the ticket prices and understand that the ticket prices are different compared to 2022. Of course, At that time, there was government support, but this time it is a private organization (sponsoring it), and seeing the ticket prices for the Metz (International Miami vs. Hong Kong) exhibition game, the price tends to be at this level.” He continued that this year in Iran “The area has become smaller, the distance is closer, and the visibility has become larger. This also reflects the fact that we have conducted a survey on ticket prices and believe that they are not beyond affordability.” He pointed out that the most expensive tickets accounted for only a small proportion. At least half of the tickets will be on public sale, with tickets going on sale about a month before the game.

    In addition, Xu Zhengdao revealed that there will be no champion in the event. “The champion will not be determined this time. Bonuses will be used, such as the highest score. However, the form still needs to be discussed with the sponsor. Whether to separate several types of bonuses, or just one type A higher bonus.”

  4. https://weibo.com/1734724101/NyjZl9imK
    https://weibo.com/1734724101/NyltKjbnT
    https://weibo.com/1734724101/NymUPmLDG?refer_flag=1001030103_
    https://weibo.com/2526194082/NysiPzpqE?refer_flag=1001030103_

    https://www.ixigua.com/7315605629790323235?logTag=f61157e048daff0cfef8&fbclid=IwAR1Pq51DDMkSg0dzHafALEW9iL6Ab2xCwtFcJl2UKo1qY4W2b6e1r3-o0EY

    Better version of Higgins’ 147: https://weibo.com/2025944645/Nyqr1t6cX?refer_flag=1001030103_
    Especially according to this are we sure that this is not streamed anywhere?

    About the 2nd Macau tournament with Ronnie.
    I read that 2023.12.25. 14.00 (local time) there will be an exhibition between Ronnie and Ding.
    this might be streaming

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