I would like some feedback on this one, by people who attended the event, and people who play the game and are able to express a meaningful opinion about the way the tables play in this event, and played in recent events.
‘The conditions out there are absolutely embarrassing’ – Mark Allen
Antrim snooker player blasts tables at the British Open championship.
THE FOLLY OF LEAVING doors open to drafts was exposed at the British Open snooker championships, when Mark Allen lost his cool with the state of the tables after his 4-3 win over Gary Wilson.
Speaking to ITV after his match at the Centaur Arena at Cheltenham Racecourse, the Co Antrim man got a few things off his chest.
“The conditions out there are absolutely embarrassing,” Allen told ITV.
“It’s some of the worst weather outside and they’ve left the massive transport doors open. It’s so cold, it’s so humid, out there.”
He got on a roll then, proclaiming, “The table needs to be burned.
“The cushions are unplayable, uncontrollable. It was heavy. The speed was decent.
“There are new guys doing the tables this year and they’re clearly not up to it.”
World Snooker then issued a response, saying in a statement, “Our table-fitting team has been consistent for some time and works to the highest standards.
“The weather in the area has seen unprecedented rainfall over the last couple of days which can negatively influence the conditions.
“We have raised the issue of an open door with the venue.”
Allen has since clarified his remarks on X, formerly Twitter, this morning, writing about his interaction with interviewer Rob Walker, ‘After having some time to calm down I’d like to apologise to @robwalkertv for that interview. My anger wasn’t directed at him and he definitely deserved a better interview. My frustrations were 100% at the conditions which frankly haven’t been anywhere good enough this season.’
Indeed it seems to me that the conditions in general this season have been suboptimal. I have seen a lot of players this season staring at the table in incredulity after shots went astray.
And it seems to me that the fans haven’t exactly been “crowding” the venue. Most matches I watched were not on the main table and the “crowd” watching was very small, only a few people really. Also it’s been like that in early rounds in previous events as well. It’s only at the final week-ends1 that things get better.
And for some player(s) when they elect to play… ↩︎
Ukranian teenager Iulian Boiko scored what he described as the best win of his career so far, beating Si Jiahui 4-1 in the second round of the Unibet British Open.
Flamboyant cueman Boiko, who turned 19 the day before this event in Cheltenham started, is not currently on the pro tour but earns invites to certain events as one of the leading players in the Q School rankings. And he has taken advantage this time, beating Farakh Ajaib in the qualifying round then knocking out world number 13 Si to set up a last-32 tie with Jak Jones or Alfie Burden.
“It’s my biggest win on the pro tour because I really rate Si,” said Boiko, whose top break today was 78. “I’m really happy with result. I have had a few tournaments recently so I feel sharp. My schedule is busy because I can play in amateur and pro events. But I much prefer the pro tour because the atmosphere and the venues are great, and I bring my best game.“
English Open champion Neil Robertson maintained his momentum with a 4-1 win over Chris Totten, making breaks of 100, 99, 86 and 53. Looking back on his success in Brentwood, his 24th ranking title and first for two years, the Thunder said: “A victory after a tough time is always far sweeter. When you are winning regularly you can take it for granted. This one was really special. My wife and kids have seen me struggling over the last years because they were used to me winning before.
“My son Alexander would come back from school and a teacher had asked him why his dad was not winning any more. So it can impact your kids, they go through it as well. That was actually a chance for me to be a good example to him, by saying that you have to be patient and keep working hard and wait for things to turn around. As a dad, and as a sportsman who tries to inspire people watching on TV, that’s the influence you can have on the younger generation. Last week, he was with me from the quarter-finals with two of his friends and they were all enjoying it.”
World number three Mark Allen fired runs of 102 and 101 as he beat Aaron Hill 4-1. Thepchaiya Un-Nooh got the better of a Thai derby against Noppon Saengkham by a 4-0 scoreline.
Chris Wakelin top scored with 99 as he earned a 4-2 win over English Open runner-up Wu Yize, while Stan Moody enjoyed an impressive 4-0 victory over Michael Holt.
Resurgent Luca Brecel believes he is playing well enough to win more titles and he reached round three of the Unibet British Open with a 4-2 defeat of Tian Pengfei.
World Champion in 2023, Brecel has struggled for results in ranking events over the past 16 months, and currently lies 58th on the provisional end of season list. But the 29-year-old Belgian has regained his enthusiasm for practice and is also working hard on his fitness with regular cycling.
Breaks of 54 and 65 helped him build a 3-1 lead tonight, then Tian made a 133 to win frame and was unlucky not to make it 3-3 as he potted the final black in frame six, only for the cue ball to roll the length of the table and drop into a baulk corner.
“I’m playing the best I have ever played in practice, and in matches I am making progress,” said Brecel, who now meets Anton Kazakov or Liam Davies. “Everything is sharp and I am in a good space. I am looking forward to this season more than ever. There are a couple of things to improve and I have not been used to winning a lot of games in a row, but I feel I am playing well enough to win the tournament.
“I have lost around ten kilos so I am feeling fit off the table. Cycling is great because I love being outdoors, it’s good for my body and mind. I used to look at rankings but not any more, I don’t even know where I am. It doesn’t matter because the way I am playing, I am never going to be really low. People keep busy with rankings. Did they really believe that Neil Robertson was never going to come back? If you are good, then you will always be good.“
Judd Trump is still waiting for his 1,000th career century, stuck on 999, but he’ll have another chance on Thursday as he beat Ryan Day 4-2 with a top break of 80. Trump will now face Mark Davis, who first played in this tournament in 1992. Veteran Davis scored a 4-2 success against Xiao Guodong.
Crucible runner-up Jak Jones saw off Alfie Burden 4-0, while 2015 World Champion Stuart Bingham beat Bulcsu Revesz 4-0 with a top run of 84.
Regarding what Neil Robertson said, I really wonder what kind of teacher would ask such a question to a kid. Really? What are they expecting to get for an answer? Or was it petty revenge against a child who regularly “boast” about his father, who he admires and loves?
Iulian Boiko played really well, did not take unduly risks but did not go into his shell either. Really good stuff.
Wu Yize on the other hand didn’t play well. It never “clicked” for him yesterday. That was maybe to be expected after his huge efforts in the final in Sunday, especially as it was all in vain eventually. It must have taken a lot out of him.
Marco Fu played good stuff to beat Ma Hailong. Ma himself didn’t play badly. Between them they had five breaks over 50, including one century each. It’s great to see Marco playing well again and it might be important for the future of snooker in Hong Kong.
Stuart Bingham is another player who seems to be coming back to form. He scored heavily in whitewashing Bulcsù Révész. The third frame was a bit special: Bulcsù scored a break of 51, only for Stuart to steal it with an 84.
The 2024 British Open got underway in Cheltenham yesterday, and all the matches on display were actually round one “qualifiers held-over matches”. Ronnie withdrew from the tournament. So far, no reasons were given but this didn’t surprise me, nor did it surprise a lot of snooker fans. This was to be expected given the recent circumstances in Ronnie’s private life obviously but also because this is clearly an event he doesn’t like. He’s only actually played in it just once, in 2022, and he went out first round, beaten 4-1 by his “nemesis” Alex Ursenbacher.
Yesterday brought some more unexpected results, notably the defending champions’s early exit.
Defending champion Mark Williams suffered a Rory Thor hammer blow on day one of the Unibet British Open in Cheltenham, losing 4-1, while player of the season so far Judd Trump took his career century tally to 999.
…
Williams was runner-up to Trump at the recent Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters but then changed his cue, and so far that decision has backfired as he lost in the first round of last week’s English Open, and again today against world number 81 Thor. Scoring a top break of 85, Malaysia’s Thor enjoyed one of the best results of his career so far as he progressed to the last 64.
Trump has two titles under his belt already this season and started strongly today with a 4-1 win over Robert Milkins. World number one Trump was in danger of missing the tournament when he was stuck in a three-hour traffic jam on the M5 from Bristol. But he made it just in time and rattled in breaks of 104, 81, 74 and 81.
Last week, John Higgins joined Ronnie O’Sullivan as the only players to make 1,000 centuries, and Trump will surely follow soon. “I wanted to do it in style with a 147 in the last frame,” he said. “It didn’t quite happen today – but maybe in the next game. It would be special to join Ronnie and John, two of the greatest of all time. But one day I want to be the best and take all the records on my own.“
World number three Mark Allen edged out Gary Wilson 4-3 and now meets Aaron Hill, who scored an excellent 4-3 win over Ding Junhui with a top break of 117. Higgins compiled runs of 72 and 88 in a 4-1 win over Ross Muir, while Shaun Murphy made a 105 in a 4-0 defeat of Ian Burns.
Mark Selby made a superb 58 clearance in the deciding frame to beat Pang Junxu 4-3 on the final black, while World Champion Kyren Wilson dismissed Julien Leclercq 4-0 with a top break of 98.
Hungary’s promising tour rookie Bulcsu Revesz edged out Ali Carter 4-3. “It’s a fantastic win for me,” said Revesz. “I am really enjoying being on the tour. Everything is so serious and professional, it’s so great to play in these conditions, better than expected. Snooker is brilliant just to watch on television, so to live it – with so many amazing players on the other tables – is something else. My father tells me to think like I can beat anyone.”
Ding’s defeat was disappointing and puzzling. Ding played great for the first two frames but as soon as Aaron Hill started coming back at him, I could sense the defeat coming. I had that feeling of “déjà vu”. I have stopped counting how often in recent years Ding has lost matches despite a dominant start. It’s worrying. Don’t get me wrong, Aaron played very well after losing the first two frames, he deserved the win but … it’s not the full story. What that story really is I’m not sure.
Amongst the matches overlooked in this report by WST features an excellent 4-3 win over Tom Ford by 18 years old Gong Chenzi. Gong is in his rookie year and this early in the season is already ranked 85th. He’s got some very good wins under his belt in his short career so far. It’s the second time he beats Tom Ford actually, he did beat him in the first round of the 2024 Xi’an Grand Prix as well. He also had wins over Si Jiahui and Jackson Page.
Another surprising omission from this report is 18 years old rookie Liam Davies 4-1 win over Barry Hawkins. This is a good win for the youngster, especially as, going by the scores, this was a close match. Barry is a hard “match player”, the kind that usually gives the young potters a hard time at the table.
Julien Leclercq was trashed 4-0 by Kyren Wilson. Kyren is the reigning World Champion of course but Julien’s results so far this season are worrying.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has pulled out of the Unibet British Open, which starts today in Cheltenham.
He was due to face Manasawin Phetmalaikul at 7pm on Monday. O’Sullivan has ben replaced by Lewis Ullah, the highest available player from the 2024 Q School ranking list.
The tournament at the Centaur Arena at Cheltenham Racecourse runs until September 29.
Although this was only published around 3:30 pm UK time, the way it’s redacted suggests that the text was written well before that time, probably some time this past week-end. The text in bold, if written this afternoon, looks unnatural to me. We are Monday today, so why not simply write “He was due to face Manasawin Phetmalaikul at 7pm this evening” or something similar?
Anyway… maybe I’m reading too much in this … (or not?).
Neil Robertson and Wu Yize served us a wonderful final yesterday. The evening session in particular was thrilling. Wu had struggled to settle in the afternoon and, when the match resumed in the evening he was 7-1 down. Nobody was giving him a chance, especially when it went 8-2 and Neil only need one more….
But … what happens from then on was quite extraordinary. Wu relaxed, played the way we know he can and won five frames on the spin before Neil eventually was able to get over the line. Here is the report by WST:
ROBERTSON HOLDS OFF WU IN THRILLING FINAL
Neil Robertson survived a stunning fightback from China’s Wu Yize to win the BetVictor English Open final 9-7 and secure his first ranking crown in over two years.
Australia’s 2010 World Champion Robertson had looked to be surging to victory when he stormed to an 8-2 lead over his 20-year-old counterpart. However, the talented Wu blitzed back into contention to ensure a nerve shredding finish.
The Thunder from Down Under has endured a trophy drought since his epic 10-9 win over John Higgins at the 2022 Tour Championship. That came during a season where he secured three ranking crowns. However, since then Robertson has struggled to find his form.
After failing to qualify for this year’s World Championship, the Melbourne cueman embarked on a summer boot camp to rediscover his brilliant best. He’s also been working with fellow professional and close friend Joe Perry in a coaching capacity.
The slump in form saw Robertson enter this week’s event ranked 26th in the world, but the £100,000 top prize sees him leap back up to 15th in the world. It means four-time World Champion Higgins loses his spot in the elite 16 for the first time since 1995.
It’s been a landmark week for Wu despite the defeat. He breaks into the top 32 for the first time, moving into 31st position. It was Wu’s maiden ranking final and he defeated the likes of world number one Judd Trump, Stuart Bingham and Ali Carter to get there.
With today’s match seemingly beyond Wu’s reach at 8-2, the former Rookie of the Year summoned a dazzling burst to stay in contention. Breaks of 100, 82 and 73 thrilled the Brentwood crowd, who had looked set to only witness a handful of frames this evening.
That left Wu 8-5 behind and a fluked opening red in frame 14 led to a break of 95, which narrowed the gap to just two frames. A contribution of 50 then helped the former World Under-21 Champion to claw within one at 8-7.
The penultimate frame saw the white situated at the black end with both players gradually shifting reds up the table into an ominously open situation.
Robertson eventually fluked a red into the yellow pocket and pounced with a critical break of 55 to leave Wu needing snookers. It was enough to see him edge over the line for the 24th ranking event victory of his career.
“I haven’t won for a couple of years and I was looking great at 8-2. I played brilliantly in the first session and capitalised on every minor error he had. I then had everything thrown at me,” said 42-year-old Robertson.
“I was trying to use little bits of motivation to stay calm. There wasn’t much I could do, because he played amazing. It is just about keeping my composure at all times. You need to be ready for when the chance comes your way and I was.
“This was the last opportunity for me to win with my dad Ian over, before he goes back to Australia. He’s a man of very few words, but he will be chuffed to bits tonight. I’ve spent 20 years as a professional and he’s never seen me win a final in person. I’m really happy to get one for him.
“Up until 8-2 in the final, you could argue this was the best I’ve ever played in a tournament. I controlled so many matches and only conceded five frames to get to the final. I am really pleased with everything. It is nice to get a win with Joe Perry in my corner. There may have been people questioning if it was working with him and this proves it definitely is.”
Wu said: “I think for the second half of the match I was into it and under no pressure. I felt really good, but it was a little bit too late. This was my first final, so I felt a bit of pressure in the afternoon.
“I wasn’t setting myself any goal in this match. In the last 16 I played Judd and I wanted to beat him. I got my revenge and did that. It was great to play in the final in front of such a great crowd. There are no regrets from me.”
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
And some videos shared by ES on their youtube channel:
The start of the comeback…
The end of the match
Wu Yize, I’m sure, has won himself a lot of fan yesterday. He showed so much heart out there. He should be proud of himself. It was great to see him being interviewed on the floor by Tai Chengzhe.
Neil Robertson returns and Wu Yize compared to snooker great after epic English Open final
Phil Haigh
Neil Robertson eventually held off the challenge of Wu Yize (Picture: Getty Imag
Neil Robertson returned to the winner’s circle on Sunday night, but only after being pushed hard by 20-year-old Wu Yize in a brilliant English Open final.
It was the Chinese youngster’s first ranking final and looked like it was going to end very badly for him as he slipped to 7-1 behind against the former world champion.
He is clearly made of stern stuff, though, as the evening session saw Wu play some incredible snooker, winning six out of seven frames with breaks of 127, 100, 82, 73, 95 and 50.
Robertson had gone from leading 8-2 to just 8-7 and there was little he could do about it, but eventually the Australian got a chance and kept composed to get over the line in the 16th frame.
It is the 42-year-old’s 24th ranking title, but his first tournament win in over two years after a notably poor spell by his high standards.
After the barrage of scoring from Wu, he was relieved to get his hands on the trophy, especially with his family in attendance and thanks to his work with friend and now mentor Joe Perry.
‘He completely froze me out, he played some of the best snooker I’ve ever seen in that five or six frame spell. Inspired stuff,’ Robertson told Eurosport.
Neil Robertson had not won a title since the 2022 Tour Championship (Picture: Getty Images)
‘It wasn’t looking good at one stage. You start thinking of runner-up speeches and how humble you’re going to have to be after being 8-2 up!’
‘It means everything. My dad’s here and he’s never even seen me play in a final before. 20 years I’ve been pro and he’s not been in the country when I’ve been doing well. This is the first title I’ve been able to win with my dad here, which means the world to me. My kids here and [wife] Mille as well and this is the first tournament I’ve won with Joe and I working together. It’s a lot of firsts and hopefully there’ll be many more.’
Wu came up short but it was a fabulous week for him, beating the likes of Judd Trump, Stuart Bingham and Ali Carter on his way to the final and picking up £45,000.
Former Masters champion Alan McManus has been touting the young talent for greatness since he got on tour in 2021 and says Wu reminds him of four-time world champion John Higgins.
‘I’ve been a fan of him for a few years, but it just dawned on me tonight. I know he’s not in this class, not anywhere near it, but he reminds me of John Higgins,’ said McManus. ‘I witnessed John as a kid come of age very, very quickly at this level and I thought, my goodness we’re seeing something incredibly special.
‘Neil was a bystander for four or five frames, pretty much, and that takes something incredibly special. We have not seen the last of Wu Yize, not by a long shot, he’s going to win these things.’
Wu Yize won plenty of new fans with his performances in Brentwood (Picture: Getty Images)
Robertson was suitably impressed by his opponent, giving him a hug after the match and feeling like he is already excelling in all parts of the game, significantly improving from their Crucible meeting in 2023.
‘I haven’t really recovered from that onslaught just yet,’ said the Thunder from Down Under. ‘He just kept slamming balls in from an inch off the cushion and making clearances!
‘When I played him in the World Championship I said he has something very special about him. What he’s added to his game now is he’s very smart, he put me in more trouble with his safety than any other player this week.
‘He’s obviously very aggressive when he gets in, so he’s got a wonderful all round game. He’s got a brilliant temperament, never gives in.’
The £100,000 win for Robertson means the Australian climbs back into the top 16 (#15) in the rankings and Higgins slips out of the elite group.
It is an historic moment as the Scot is outside of the top 16 for the first time in 29 years after a record, having shown incredible consistency since turning professional in 1992.
The 49-year-old did enjoy a remarkable moment in Brentwood last week, though, making the 1000th century of his career in a last 16 defeat to Mark Allen and becoming only the second player after Ronnie O’Sullivan to reach that landmark.
The way the rankings work, it could be a very short stay outside the top 16 for the Wizard of Wishaw as a good run at this week’s British Open could see him move straight back up from his current spot of 17.
Chinese 20-year-old Wu Yize is through to the first ranking event final of his career after a blistering 6-0 defeat of India’s Ishpreet Singh Chadha at the BetVictor English Open.
Wu has long been regarded as one of the World Snooker Tour’s brightest young talents. He enjoyed a superb maiden season on the circuit in 21/22, earning the Rookie of the Year award.
He went on a brilliant run to the final stages of the World Championship in 2023, winning three matches to qualify for the Crucible. Wu defeated Chris Wakelin on Judgement Day to secure his ticket to the Theatre of Dreams, where he lost to Neil Robertson. This evening sees Wakelin take on Robertson in the second semi-final.
Last season saw Wu make the first ranking event semi-final of his career. Having beat the likes of Marco Fu and Stephen Maguire to make the last four, he lost out to Judd Trump. Wu has already had his revenge this week, beating 2019 World Champion Trump in the quarters.
Wu becomes China’s 14th ranking event finalist, while defeat for Singh Chadha ends what has been a brilliant run for the Mumbai cueman. His maiden semi-final appearance sees him become India’s first player to reach the last four of a ranking event since 2013.
Singh Chadha scored a late night 6-5 win over Mark Selby and the hangover from his heroics appeared prominently, as he struggled to settle. He had his share of chances, but was unable to capitalise as Wu ruthlessly punished him to reach the final in a whitewash win, composing breaks of 56 and 73 along the way.
“I’m feeling great now. There was quite a bit of pressure in this match for me and this is a very good result. It is great making it to this point, but I’m now competing for the title,” said former World Under-21 Champion Wu.
“My opponent probably felt a lot of pressure today and couldn’t perform to his usual level. It definitely took up a lot of his energy winning last night. I regularly practise with him and I think he’s a very good player.
“It would be a new beginning to win the title. This is my fourth year as a professional, I won’t put too much pressure on myself. I’m eager to win, but I’ll maintain a calm mindset. Winning a title would bring a new sense of responsibility.”
Singh Chadha said: “I’m a little bit sad that I couldn’t play up to the standards. I’m disappointed for the crowd and feel bad for that as everyone bought their tickets. I was probably overwhelmed by yesterday. I tried to relax my mind but I had too many thoughts.
“I am so happy with myself, even though I lost 6-0 today. I don’t even care about that as I know I am going to be stronger next time I get to the business end of a tournament.”
Neil Robertson thrashed Chris Wakelin 6-1 to make the final of a ranking event for the first time in over two years, at the BetVictor English Open in Brentwood.
The Australian last appeared in a ranking title match at the 2022 Tour Championship, where he beat John Higgins 10-9 in an epic contest. In the following years Robertson has struggled to produce his best snooker and has slipped to 26th in the world.
However, tomorrow marks an opportunity for him to return to the world’s elite tier and dislodge Higgins, who has occupied the world’s top 16 since 1995. A win for Robertson would see him move to 15th in the world and knock Higgins down to 17th.
Robertson has been showing signs of a return to his best after a run to the quarter-finals of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters and wins over the likes of Shaun Murphy and Barry Hawkins this week.
Melbourne’s Robertson now faces China’s Wu Yize tomorrow over the best of 17 frames with the Steve Davis Trophy and a top prize of £100,000 on the line.
The pair first met at the 2023 World Championship, where Robertson stormed to a 10-3 win. However, they’ve met twice since, with each player registering a win.
The first frame this evening went the way of Robertson on the black and he then fired in 92 in the second to move 2-0 ahead. Wakelin reduced his arrears with a break of 82 in the third, but it was Robertson who took the fourth to lead 3-1 at the mid-session.
When play resumed it was the Thunder from Down Under who coasted to victory, winning the next three on the bounce to reach 37th ranking event final of his career.
“It’s been quite a while. It doesn’t feel like two years since I’ve been in a final. There’s been a lot of hard work and I set out to have some good targets this year. I’ve changed my day-to-day routine and been super focussed every day. That has been key,” said 23-time ranking event winner Robertson.
“I am back to my best and better. I’ve added a new arsenal to my game with the safety. I’ve really developed a lot the last couple of months. I’ve been working really hard.
“I said after I played Wu in the World Championship that he would have a mega future ahead. That has proved to be the case. He made a semi-final last season and has had some really good wins this week. It is really nice to have an overseas final between Australia and China.”
I only watched the afternoon match. Wu Yize played really well and very positively. He never backed away from difficult shots, but hewas never reckless or adventurous either, he played the right shots. His father was sat in the crowd and looked under more pressure than his son on the floor. After the match, Wu was interviewed, in Chinese, on the floor. I can’t remember such a thing happening before, certainly not in Home Nations event but it a very good move by WST. Ishpreet Singh Chadah never really got going, never totally settled. His positive attitude in defeat is to be admired. He has a lot of self-belief, and why not? He has tremendous ability.
The outcome of the second match doesn’t surprise me, although I didn’t expect the score to be so “severe”. The Thunder is back and striking! He has to be favourite today, if only on experience, but I want to hope for a good match, a match where both players can showcase their talent and abilities.
The quarter-finals in Brentwood yesterday delivered two big “upsets” although I’m not sure we can still speak about upsets as the quality of the lower ranked players has surged, and even more so when we look at the quality of non-British contingent. So here are WST reports on QF day in Brentwood:
Wu Yize scored one of the biggest wins of his fledgling career after scoring a 5-3 defeat of world number one Judd Trump to make the semi-finals of the BetVictor English Open in Brentwood.
Chinese 20-year-old Wu has established himself as one of the sport’s brightest young stars since a Rookie of the Year season in 21/22. He’s gone on to qualify for the Crucible in 2023 and make the semi-finals of the 2023 Wuhan Open, where he lost to Trump.
Victory today avenges a gut-wrenching recent defeat for Wu. He led Trump 4-0 at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, before going down 5-4. It proved to be a massive win for Trump, who went on to capture the £500,000 top prize.
After losing to Trump in their first three meetings, Wu finally landed a win over the 2019 World Champion this afternoon. Wu made a fine 108 in the opener this afternoon, before the first four were ultimately shared to leave them 2-2 at the mid-session.
When play resumed, two on the bounce moved Wu one from a momentous win. Trump reduced his arrears with 56 in the seventh to make it 4-3, but a break of 62 in the eighth got Wu over the line. He now faces either Mark Selby or Ishpreet Singh Chadha in the semis.
“This game was very important to me. I wanted to beat him today, because we have played against each other three times previously and I hadn’t won. Last time in Saudi Arabia, I felt winning a game like this was just around the corner,” said former World Under-21 Champion Wu.
“I have always had this goal of winning a ranking event in mind, but when you are actually on the table, you can’t put too much pressure on yourself. Just take it one step at a time and do your best in the moment. No matter which opponent I face tomorrow, I will have more rest time than them.”
Trump said: “I think Wu was the better player and he is deservedly through to the semi-finals. He stands a better chance of doing well than me.
“I hope Wu can fulfil his potential. He has been knocking on the door for a while. I hope he wins and that he can put on a good show in the semi-finals.”
Chris Wakelin secured a place in his third ranking event semi-final after a 5-2 defeat of world number three Mark Allen.
Former Shoot Out champion Wakelin made the final of last season’s Northern Ireland Open, but succumbed to a heavy defeat against current world number one Trump.
Wakelin came back from the brink yesterday evening after trailing Pang Junxu 3-0, but rallied to secure a massive 4-3 win. He now goes up against Barry Hawkins or Neil Robertson to make it two his second title match in a full format event.
Wakelin said: “It has been really tough. Every round I’ve played a difficult opponent but that is the nature of life on tour these days. In all honesty I’m still never going to be fancied over top 16 players in other people’s eyes, but I know my game is so much stronger than a lot of people think. I’ve put in a lot of work behind the scenes and I’m in a good place personally. If I play my best then I am going to win.”
India’s Ishpreet Singh Chadha scored a famous 5-4 victory over his hero Mark Selby to clinch a place in the semi-finals of the BetVictor English Open in Brentwood.
Singh Chadha becomes the first player from his country to make the semi-finals of a ranking tournament since Aditya Mehta reached the last four of the 2013 Indian Open.
The Mumbai cueman gave up a career as a professional gamer in the world of E-Sports to chase his dream of competing on the World Snooker Tour. Singh Chadha achieved that goal two years ago when he successfully negotiated Asia/Oceania Q School.
Coming into this week Singh Chadha’s previous best in ranking competition was the last 32. However, wins over Simon Blackwell, Graeme Dott, Jak Jones, Hossein Vafaei, He Guoqiang and now Selby have seen him make a breakthrough run to the last four. He now faces China’s Wu Yize.
It had looked as if it would be a comfortable evening for Singh Chadha when breaks of 73 and 114 helped him into a 4-1 advantage.
Typically, four-time World Champion Selby refused to give up and roared back into contention. Trailing 4-3 and with his opponent starting to falter, Selby piled on the pressure with a break of 96 to force a decider.
Selby had opportunities to complete the comeback in the final frame, but couldn’t convert them. Singh Chadha eventually got his chance after depositing an incredible opening red. He held himself together with a break of 41 to win on the final black.
It was an emotional victory for Chadha, who showed his relief at the table after depositing the last ball. Meanwhile his mother, who has moved to Sheffield with him to pursue his career, was in tears in the stand.
“I was expecting him to come back, even though I was 4-1 up. I knew it was far from over, because I was playing Mark Selby. I have watched so many of his matches. I’ve not missed any of his world finals. I watched every single frame, even though it can get boring when he is playing safety. I just love watching him and he is my favourite snooker player.”
Ishpreet Singh Chadha
Indian Number One
SINGH CHADHA WINNING INTERVIEW
Singh Chadha added: “This will always be in my memory. It is my biggest win so far and my biggest result in a ranking event. I am very happy and I will see what will happen next.
“I think some qualities from gaming have really helped me in snooker. I can handle pressure much better when I’m playing well. I was known to win deciders in India as well and I am happy to have won this game.
“I am so happy I could win in front of my mum. I wouldn’t be playing snooker if it wasn’t for her. She has given me so much freedom to do whatever I want. So much has hard work has gone in. There have been so many sacrifices from her to let me live my life.”
Neil Robertson secured his first semi-final appearance of the season with a 5-1 demolition of world number 17 Barry Hawkins.
The Thunder from Down Under is fighting to force his way back up the rankings after a torrid 23/24 campaign which has caused him to currently be ranked 26th in the world. If he wins the event he will return to the top 16 and dislodge Scotland’s John Higgins.
Hawkins leaves Brentwood having fallen just shy of knocking Higgins out of the top 16 himself, with the four-time World Champion having occupied that elite tier for the first time since 1995. The Hawk needed to win this evening to move up one place in the rankings and dislodge the Scot.
Robertson has already secured some huge wins this week, including a 4-1 defeat of Shaun Murphy. Today’s win sees the 2010 World Champion notch up another impressive result ahead of tomorrow’s semi-final with Chris Wakelin.
“I feel as though this season is a complete reset. I’m forgetting all of the things I’ve done in the past and this is part two of my career now,” said 23-time ranking event winner Robertson.
“Chris is a greatly improved player from a few years ago. He was always around 50 in the world, but he has come on really well. He is getting to the later stages of tournaments more regularly and got a good win over Mark Allen. I expect a really tough contest but it is something I’m going to embrace.”
Wu’s father was in the crowd as well. He’s now settled with his son in Essex. Wu’s practice base is now at “The Grove”, managed by Django Fung. The poor man was going “through all the rainbow colours”1 .
Whoever from Wu or Chadha goes through, it will be a good thing for the sport. One is a very young, very talented player, the other one is from India, the land where it all started.
The Neil Robertson of old is back, swagger included. He will face Chris Wakelin who is a quality player who probably should have done more through his career so far, but has been held back by mental health struggles. Chris deserves every credit for the way he’s coped with his issues and been open about his struggles.
Whatever happens today, we will have a very interesting final tomorrow.
On another topic, now that we know why Ronnie is so low and inconsistent, it’s time to drop the criticisms about attitude and blabla … . He will need time to get over this and his focus will not be on snooker for some time. Understandably. How much time? It’s impossible to tell.
Belgian/French expression … “il passe par toutes les couleurs de l’arc en ciel” meaning he goes through the whole range of emotions, from joy to pain, to fear, to hope… etc. ↩︎
Ronnie O'Sullivan 