Mark Williams certainly wasn’t the favourite to emerge the winner yesterday in Bolton but he did, apparently much to his own amazement. Here is the report by WST:

Williams Pips Wilson In Thriller

Mark Williams defeated World Champion Kyren Wilson for the first time in his career, prevailing 6-5 in a classic clash to reach the semi-finals of the Grosvenor Casinos Champion of Champions.

The pair had previously met on seven occasions, with Wilson coming out on top each time heading into this evening’s showdown.

Remarkably today also represents Williams’ first match wins in the Champion of Champions. This is his fourth appearance in the event. He defeated Bai Yulu 4-1 in his first match this afternoon, while Wilson beat Luca Brecel by the same scoreline.

The opener this evening went the way of Wilson with a break of 83. He had the first opportunity in frame two but missed a red to middle, which Williams ruthlessly punished with 109 to restore parity at 1-1.

Wilson reclaimed the lead by taking the third, before a contribution of 72 from Williams ensured they were all-square heading in for the mid-session at 2-2.

The Welshman took the lead for the first time in the match when play resumed, but Wilson immediately reeled him back to 3-3 with a run of 105. They continued to go blow for blow and three-time World Champion Williams then crafted a stunning 140 to go 4-3 ahead.

Williams moved one from victory after capitalising on an unexpected miss from Wilson to lead 5-3. The Crucible king showed his steel though and fired in a 123 break to stay in contention and then made 58 to claim the tenth on the pink and force a decider.

Williams had the first chance in the final frame, but spurned a red. However, Wilson then missed a cut back black when he got his opportunity. Williams stepped in and made a match winning 43 to book his place in Saturday’s semi-final.

“I’ve been hitting it quite well when I’ve been having a knock with my coach Lee Walker. I can’t really be hitting it much better when I’m practising. It doesn’t come out so much on the match table, but a bit of it came out there,” said 49-year-old Williams.

“I played well there and beat him 6-5. He’s one of the best players. I lost 10-9 on the black to Judd Trump in Saudi. I’m pushing these top players close. I don’t know how I am, but lets see how long it can continue.”

The action continues tomorrow with a mouth watering group featuring Judd Trump, Ding Junhui, Ali Carter and Neil Robertson.

I didn’t see the final. A violent thunderstorm, heavy rain and the inevitable power cut under such circumstances are to blame. This was really frustrating because I certainly hadn’t enjoyed the afternoon session. I really like Kyren and him winning wasn’t the reason for my unhappiness. The reason was Luca. He is blessed with so much talent and he’s wasting it. Of course, it’s his life, his choices and none of my business … still!

Mark Allen, the highest seed in Group1 and the defending champion emerged the winner yesterday, the first day of the 2024 Champion of Champions. But it wasn’t as straightforward as some would have expected.

Here is the report by WST:

STRONG START FOR CHAMP ALLEN IN BOLTON

Mark Allen made a winning start to the defence of his Grosvenor Casinos Champion of Champions title, coming from 3-0 down to beat Jak Jones 6-4 in the Group One final in Bolton.

World number three Allen won this title for the second time last year, thrashing Judd Trump 10-3 in the final, and this time hopes to become the only player other than Ronnie O’Sullivan to lift the trophy for a third occasion. 

The Northern Irishman looked in danger of defeat to Crucible runner-up Jones, who took the first three frames with a top break of 137. The key moment came in frame four when Allen potted nine reds with blacks before over-cutting a red to centre on 72, and Jones had the chance to clear the table for a 4-0 lead, but missed a straight-forward pot on the final red on 38. That allowed Allen to gain a foothold in the tie at 3-1, and he took four frames in a row after the interval with breaks of 64, 104, 66 and 82. 

Jones pulled one back with a 104, his fourth century of the day, but Allen won frame ten to earn his place in the semi-finals.

“At 3-0 down I was frustrated,” said 38-year-old Allen. “I tried to increase my tempo. That’s why I went for a 147 in the fourth frame, I felt I needed something like that to get me back into the game. I played some good stuff after that, although I won a couple of frames which I could have lost. I love this event, it has always been one of my favourites on the calendar and I want to defend the title.”

Earlier in the group semi-finals, Allen saw off Igor Figueiredo 4-2 with top breaks of 102 and 107, while Jones enjoyed a 4-2 success against Gary Wilson, firing runs of 106 and 132.

The action continues on Tuesday and Group Three promises an intense clash of World Champions, as reigning World Champion Kyren Wilson takes on 2023 World Champion Luca Brecel in the opening match, then Tour Championship winner Mark Williams squares off against Women’s World Champion Bai Yulu.

Igor Figueiredo, the Seniors World Champion gave a really good account of himself but couldn’t rival Mark Allen’s scoring power.

Ding Junhui beat Chris Wakelin by 10-7 today in Nanjing to become the 2024 International Champion.

Congratulations Ding!

Here is the report by WST:

DING CLAIMS NANJING GLORY

Ding Junhui secured the 15th ranking title of his illustrious career with a 10-7 defeat of Chris Wakelin in the final of the International Championship in Nanjing. 

Chinese sporting icon Ding has now triumphed in seven ranking events in his native country, but this week’s victory is a first on home soil since 2017. Ding’s last victory in China came at the World Open seven years ago, when he beat Kyren Wilson in the final. He’s now a two-time International Champion, having first won the event back in 2013. 

It’s also Ding’s first ranking event win in just under five years. He last tasted silverware in 2019 at the UK Championship, where he defeated Stephen Maguire in the title match.

Victory and the £175,000 top prize for Ding sees him jump from 93^rd to seventh in the one-year-list, while he moves up from ninth to eighth in the world rankings.

That enhances his standing in the race for the lucrative Riyadh Season Snooker Championship in December, where the top ten in the world rankings at the end of the upcoming UK Championship will earn places.

Wakelin has to settle for the £75,000 runner-up prize, but it’s been a momentous week for the Englishman. His performance sees him move into the world’s top 16 for the first time in his career. That means he earns an automatic slot at the UK Championship in York and boosts his chances of qualifying for the Masters in January.

They came into this evening with Ding holding a slender 5-4 lead. However, momentum was very much in his favour, having claimed the last four frames of the afternoon to wrest control from 4-1 down. A raucous home crowd roared their hero on as the action got underway in the final session.

Things continued to move in Ding’s favour in the first frame tonight, but it was Wakelin who had the first chance. A missed black off the spot allowed Ding in and he compiled a frame winning 66 to make it 6-4.

Both players had opportunities in the next. A run of 63 was the telling contribution for Ding, leaving him 7-4 ahead after a crucial burst of six consecutive frames.

Wakelin showed his class and fought hard to stay in contention amid the onslaught from his opponent. Breaks of 82 and 89 gave him frames 12 and 13 to leave him 7-6 behind heading into the mid-session interval.

A brilliant contribution of 98 saw Ding restore his two frame advantage when play resumed. Wakelin continued to battle away though and claimed a 35-minute 15^th to make it 8-7.

That proved to be Wakelin’s last frame of the match, with Ding firing home runs of 72 and 64 to close out the victory in style and return to the winner’s circle.

“Winning in China feels like a home victory. The support I get here is incredible. Players have to stay focused on the match, but external support also helps. It’s been tough, not only for me but for the fans too. I’m glad we all made it through together. The setup in Nanjing, like transportation and facilities, was excellent.“

Ding Junhui

International Champion

Ding added: “I’ve played so well in every match. Chris applied a lot of pressure in this game, especially at 4-1. I put too much pressure on myself at the beginning. That was the perfect start for him, but he started missing and there were some key frames to get 5-4 ahead. The second session was totally different.

“Over the past five years, there were good and bad moments. Sometimes it has been early exits and there have been a few semi-finals and quarter-finals. Reflecting on my career, it looks like I’ve either been eliminated early or gone all the way.

“I didn’t know my family were going to be at the trophy presentation, it was great to see them. My kids hadn’t seen me win anything live before. “

Wakelin said: “I got off to a great start and losing six frames on the trot was the difference. I was proud of how well I handled myself. Only a couple of years ago, that kind of situation would have scared the life out of me. To be out there and feel like I could have won, despite how Ding played, I think I was a credit to myself.

“I’ve got very vivid memories of watching snooker as a child and dreaming of being in these sorts of scenarios. As much as it does sometimes feel like a dream world, it also feels incredibly normal. I feel like I belong here and that I am capable of coming back and one day lifting this sort of title. As much as today was disappointing, I am really proud of how I handled myself.”

DING RETURN’S TO WINNER’S CIRCLE

That’s it … in many ways a dream scenario for Ding and the Chinese fans. A totally deserved success and a rare opportunity to celebrate with his family. What’s not to like? ❤️

But I’m also glad to see Chris Wakelin being able to take the positives from what he has accomplished this week. He said that he is proud of himself and he should be indeed. For now, he has only one ranking title to his name, the Shoot-out, but I would be very surprised if he wasn’t winning more titles from here. He’s plenty good enough and he finally truly believes that he can do it. Having that confidence is the key to success.

Ding Junhui booked his place in the final of the 2024 International Championship with a 9-6 win over Xu Si.

Here is the report by WST:

HOME FAVOURITE DING BEATS XU TO REACH FINAL

Ding Junhui remained on track for a first ranking title in five years as he came from 5-2 down to beat Xu Si 9-6 in the semi-finals of the International Championship.

Playing on home territory in Nanjing in China’s Jiangsu Province, not far from his home city of Yixing, 37-year-old Ding has returned to form this week and will receive support from his fans when he meets Chris Wakelin in the final on Sunday, with first to ten frames to lift the trophy and earn £175,000. Wakelin can take heart from the fact that he beat Ding 5-3 at last month’s Wuhan Open.

World number nine Ding had won just three matches in ranking events this season before this week, but has now won six in this tournament alone, and one more would give him a first ranking title since the 2019 UK Championship. He is aiming for a 15th ranking title in all and will be playing in his 24th ranking final – but has lost his last three, at the UK Championship in 2022 and 2023 as well as the 2024 World Open. Asia’s greatest ever player is looking to win the International Championship for the second time having banked the top prize in 2013.

Xu has had the best week of his career having made a 147 and knocked out Judd Trump, but missed the chance to reach his first ranking final. He made a fast start today with breaks of 69, 137 and 113 to lead 3-0, then Ding took the next two with 119 and 77, but trailed 5-3 at the end of the first session. As the evening session got underway, Ding took three in a row with top breaks of 69 and 63 to lead 6-5. Xu took the 12th and he was on 42 in the 13th when he ran out of position, then later missed a tough long pot on the final green, gifting Ding a 7-6 lead. 

Early in frame 14, world number 49 Xu went for a mid-range red and was unlucky to leave it in the jaws of a top corner, setting up Ding for a break of 66 to go two ahead with three to play. Again in the 15th Xu had a scoring chance, but a red to top corner on 29 missed its target. Ding showed his renowned cue ball control in a delightful run of 58 to cross the winning line.

“In the first session, Xu played really well,” said Ding. “I didn’t have many opportunities in the first half, and he managed century breaks with great sharpness, making the most of his chances. However, he wasn’t quite at the same level in the second session. He had many chances tonight but lost the first three frames, which impacted his mindset.

“Any player in good form over a week can achieve great results. If rankings alone determined outcomes, Judd Trump might as well just pick up the trophy and go. A higher ranking doesn’t guarantee winning by a wide margin, it only means a slightly better chance of victory. Chris Wakelin recently has been consistent, performing well over several tournaments. I don’t think much about my opponent, though, as many small details in a match can change the outcome.“

Xu said: “I was feeling good in the first session, but my focus seemed to slip in the second, and I made more mistakes. I had plenty of opportunities but struggled throughout, unable to get the positioning I wanted, and my safety play was quite average. Overall, aside from the second session in this match, I’m pretty satisfied with my performance in the tournament. Now my goal is to qualify for the Players Championship.”

It’s a good thing that Xu seems to be able to take the positives from his run in the tournament and the first session he played. Part of the problem for most lower ranked players is that they have very little experience of multi-session matches. How to relax between sessions, how not to overthink, whether going to the practice table will help, and if so, how long … all that can only be learned by experience. No matter what coaches might tell the player, they are not in their skin and head. Advice of course can help, but they can’t replace experience.