Eight players qualified yesterday for the last 32 round of the 2024 UK Championship. He re are the reports by WST on the two sessions that were played yesterday

Afternoon session

MAGUIRE WINS EPIC DECIDER TO REACH YORK

Stephen Maguire won a 59-minute deciding frame which he described as the toughest of his career to beat Elliot Slessor 6-5 and reach the final stages of the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship. 

Maguire, who lifted the trophy in York 20 years ago, survived a marathon challenge in the final qualifying round in Leicester to get his name in the hat for the last 32 draw, which will take place on Thursday afternoon live during our Judgement Day production. 

The Glaswegian led Slessor 4-2 with top breaks of 134 and 85, then his opponent fought back with 78, 61 and 69 to lead 5-4. Maguire levelled with a 71 to set up a decider which developed into a tense tactical battle. It came down to the colours and Maguire capitalised on a safety error from Slessor to convert excellent pots on green, brown, blue and pink for victory.

“That was the toughest frame I was ever played,” said 43-year-old Maguire, who won the last of his six ranking titles in 2020. “If I had lost that frame I don’t know what I would have done – maybe given up. I was over the edge mentally.” Maguire also revealed that he is now working with former Scottish pro Chris Small and has regained his enthusiasm for practice.

Stuart Bingham was the first man to book his place in York as he beat Jimmy Robertson 6-0 with a top break of 79. Bingham is a former World and Masters champion but has never been beyond the semi-finals in York and needs the title to complete the Triple Crown set.

“I scored well before the interval, I feel I am going in the right direction with my game,” said Bingham, a semi-finalist at the Crucible last season. “It’s great to be going to York to feel the atmosphere. Just to get through these qualifiers is a feat because the players are so good.“

Jackson Page, a quarter-finalist at the recent International Championship, kept his momentum going as he reached the last 32 of this event for the first time thanks to a 6-2 victory over Hossein Vafaei, his top break 93. “I have had some results recently and I am feeling good at the table,” said Welsh 23-year-old Page. “I love playing in front of a crowd on the main table so I will enjoy York.” 

Crucible runner-up Jak Jones scored heavily in a 6-3 win over Fan Zhengyi, compiling runs of 64, 74, 59, 135, 72 and 101. Jones broke into the top 16 at the end of last season with his run to the world final, but has had a patchy start to the new campaign and dropped down to 17th. The Welshman will relish the chance to compete on the main stage again.

Evening session

LISOWSKI ENDS BAI RUN

Bai Yulu was denied a place in the final stages of the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship as her historic run in the qualifying rounds ended with a 6-1 defeat to Jack Lisowski.

In winning three matches to reach the last 48, China’s 21-year-old Bai became the first woman to get that far in a Triple Crown tournament, though her dream of reaching the televised phase in York came to an end. Lisowski goes through to the last 32 and will be in the draw on Thursday afternoon.

Bai, the World and UK Champion on the women’s tour, knocked out Farakh Ajaib, Jamie Jones and Scott Donaldson to get this far, making 15 breaks over 50 in that trio of wins. She was outplayed by world number 21 Lisowski, but has shown enough potential to raise excitement about her results and performances in upcoming tournaments. She will be back in action at the Shoot Out in Leicester on December 5th.

Lisowski took the first frame with a break of 79, then Bai had a chance to snatch the second from 69-0 down but missed the final blue. That proved a key moment as Lisowski went 2-0 up, and soon runs of 64 and 77 made it 4-0. Bai at least showed her break-building quality with a run of 59 to take frame five, before Lisowski fired runs of 85 and 66 to complete the scoreline.

Bai said: “I had a chance to take the second frame but I felt a bit nervous. I felt relaxed before the match, but once I was out there I felt tension. I have gained a lot of experience of these occasions this week, it gives me more confidence. I can see some weaknesses in my game which I will work on. I need to get more good results in order to influence more girls to play snooker.“

Lisowski added: “Bai had an incredible run and that storyline was in the back of my head so I had to keep my concentration tonight. If she had potted the blue and gone 1-1 it could have been different. My game is patchy, good and bad, but I am enjoying the game.“

China’s Wu Yize, runner-up in the English Open, booked his place in York with a 6-3 win over David Lilley, top scoring with 82, 61 and 51. Ryan Day saw off Sanderson Lam 6-2 with a top break of 82, joining fellow Welshmen Jak Jones and Jackson Page who made it through earlier in the day. 

Barry Hawkins battled to a 6-3 defeat of Wang Yuchen with top runs of 64, 111, 55 and 69. “It’s tough coming here to qualify but it feels great when you get through,” said Hawkins, whose best run in York came three years ago when he reached the semi-finals. “York is one of the best venues we play at and the atmosphere is always special, hopefully it will bring the best out of me.“

That’s a seriously dangerous set of qualifiers! The seeds who come cold in the last 32 in York will face a daunting task playing this lot. The less experienced player of the lot is Wu Yize, who is only just 21 years old but has already reached a ranking final this season… I expect some “upsets” at the start of next week in York.

The third round of qualifiers at the 2024 Snooker UK Championship concluded yesterday¹ and you will find all the results on snooker.org.

Here are the reports by WST:

LISOWSKI BEATS THOR TO REACH JUDGEMENT DAY

Jack Lisowski came through a tough challenge in his first qualifying match at the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship, beating Rory Thor 6-4 to reach the final round.

Lisowski reached the semi-finals of this event two years ago but has since dropped out of the world’s top 16 so must negotiate the qualifiers in Leicester this week. He will play Scott Donaldson or Bai Yulu on Wednesday, with the winner to go through to York for the final stages which start on Saturday.

After sharing the first two frames, Thor made a break of 124 to lead 2-1, then Lisowski hit back with 61 and 70 to edge 3-2 ahead. The next two were shared, then Thor made a superb 65 clearance to snatch frame eight from 52 points behind, levelling at 4-4. The Malaysian had chances in the ninth and led 41-0 when he ran out of position, allowing Lisowski to clear with 76 to regain the lead. That proved the turning point as world number 21 Lisowski finished with a 123.

“Every game is tough and it was close tonight,” said Lisowski. “At 4-4 it was in the balance but I felt great at the end, and in a way it’s good to be tested because you learn more that way. I’m relieved to get through because the first round is always a bit nervy. If I practise hard and apply myself on the day, I’ve always got a chance. I have been in Dubai recently but I have been working hard there.” 

Stephen Maguire became the third player to make 100 centuries in the UK Championship, joining Ronnie O’Sullivan and Stephen Hendry, with a 119 during a 6-3 defeat of Artemijs Zizins. Crucible runner-up Jak Jones enjoyed a 6-2 win over Ian Burns, while Stuart Bingham ended the run of amateur Oliver Sykes with a 6-3 success.

Bingham, whose top break was 129, said: “There have been times this season where I have felt I am playing well enough to win a tournament. I’m not quite the player I was in 2015, there are a few yips in there and my arm gets tight sometimes. But I have played some very good matches this season. I haven’t qualified for York for a couple of years so I would love to get there this time.”

China’s Fan Zhengyi came from 2-0 down to beat Florian Nuessle 6-2, firing breaks of 104 and 133, while Jackson Page won a Welsh derby against Jamie Clarke 6-4.

BRILLIANT BAI KEEPS HISTORIC RUN GOING

Bai Yulu extended her sensational run in the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship qualifiers as she came from 5-3 down to beat Scott Donaldson 6-5 to set up a Judgement Day clash with Jack Lisowski. 

In beating Farakh Ajaib and Jamie Jones earlier in the week, China’s 21-year-old Bai had already become the first woman to win back-to-back matches in a ranking event since 1999, and she has now made it three in a row with a superb victory over world number 44 Donaldson. Bai, the World and UK Champion on the women’s tour, will face Lisowski on Wednesday evening with the winner to go through to the final stages in York.

Having made 15 breaks over 50 in her three matches so far, she hopes to continue her prolific scoring and become the first woman to reach the last 32 of this event. She compiled runs of 55, 51, 52 and 53 on Tuesday morning but fell 5-3 behind against Donaldson when the match was pulled off. They returned late in the evening and Bai rose to the challenge by taking the last three frames with breaks of 54, 51 and 66.

“I was very nervous and I didn’t think I would win, but I did well,” said Bai, who is competing on the pro tour for the first time this season. “I don’t want to think too much about the next match, I have already done well to win three matches. I have learned a lot.“

Neil Robertson also came through a tense decider to beat Oliver Lines 6-5, narrowly avoiding defeat which would have seen him miss out on the final stages of both this tournament and the Masters. Three-time UK Champion Robertson is on the fringes of the world’s top 16 so may need a deep run in York to secure a Masters spot. He will now face another former UK Champion, Matthew Stevens, on Thursday night.

Robertson led 4-2, having made breaks of 52, 102, 77 and 74, but Lines got the better of a close seventh frame then made 83 and 100 to lead 5-4. A match-winning chance went begging for Lines in frame ten as he ran out of position on the last red leading 50-38, and Robertson later enjoyed a slice of luck as he fluked a snooker on the last red then cleared for 5-5. Lines led 44-0 in the decider when he missed a tricky mid-range red, and Robertson replied with 41, then got the better of a safety exchange on the last red and added the points he needed.  

“I was dead and buried at 5-4,” admitted Robertson. “I played great apart from the seventh frame, then Oliver took control and he had chances to win. I made a really good break in the last frame to get back into it. I know there’s a lot on the line, my Masters spot is at stake so every game in this event is a double whammy, despite the fact that I have had a great season. My game is there, in a way it was good to have to dig deep tonight in a match where things were not going my way.” 

Zhao Xintong continued to show signs of the game which made him UK Champion in 2021 as he thrashed Noppon Saengkham 6-2 with a top break of 127. In his three matches so far this week, China’s Zhao has compiled three centuries and 11 more breaks over 50. He will now meet Ricky Walden, who saw off Antoni Kowalski 6-2.

Julien Leclercq has struggled for results this season and lies 109th in the one-year rankings, but is looking to make amends this week and beat Dominic Dale 6-2 with a top break of 102. “I’m very happy and I feel I am playing really well,” said Belgium’s Leclerq. “I would love to get to York, I have never seen the venue. It’s all about experience for me and trying to improve on the tactical side.“

Zhou Yuelong came from 3-0 down to beat Marco Fu 6-3 with top breaks of 134 and 141, while Lei Peifan came from 4-2 down to beat Tom Ford 6-5, making a 107 in the decider.

Sanderson Lam made a superb break of 114 in the deciding frame to edge out Yuan Sijun 6-5. Yorkshireman Lam is just one win away of qualifying for his home tournament and will now face Ryan Day, who came from 3-0 down to beat Louis Heathcote 6-3. David Lilley enjoyed a surprise 6-3 win over Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, compiling breaks of 59, 61, 61, 111 and 76.  Barry Hawkins eased to a 6-1 win over Alfie Burden, while Wu Yize fired breaks of 137 and 130 in a 6-2 win over Ashley Carty.

Bai Yulu is undoubtedly the story of these qualifiers so far. She started the season slowly and some were already writing her off but this slow start was to be expected. It isn’t that easy for anyone to move to the other side of the world, to adapt to a different social environment, a different mentality, different food and climate, away from family and friends. It’s probably even more difficult for a young woman in an essentially masculine sport and environment. She is actually doing very well.

The other story is Zhao Xintong. It’s obvious that he is working extremely hard to try to re-qualify for the main tour and has a good chance to succeed. I find the level of hostility he gets from some corners very unfair. According to the findings of the independent commission, Zhao did not fix any match. He was punished for not reporting on (intended) match fixing plans he was aware of. Yet, his ban was long enough to force him to have to re-qualify. Same as Jamie Jones actually. Zhao is trying his very best and that should be recognised.

You compare that with the John Higgins case, John who was caught on camera, promising to fix matches and suggesting that he could bring more players into the “scheme”, Higgins who was heard discussing how that money could be “hidden” using his properties in Spain … and you wonder. One “excuse” coming from those who defended him was that those were “exhibition” matches. I’m not sure that was the case because Pat Mooney had been tasked to develop the game in Eastern Europe by organising the PTCs in that area, and he was a member of the board. As such Mooney’s punishment and exclusion from the sport was totally justified. Higgins got a very heafty fine but not one he couldn’t pay. He got a few months ban, with a large part of it served during a period of the year where there was no WST tournament on. He didn’t miss any of the majors. Yes, Higgins was set up … but that doesn’t make any difference because he didn’t know that it was a set-up. And yet… Higgins was generally welcomed back on tour.

For the record here is the Guardian columnist reaction to Higgins “punishment”

Why Higgins was cleared after News of the World entrapment

The man who led the investigation into the News of the World’s entrapment of  John Higgins has explained why the snooker player was cleared of fixing matches.

David Douglas, the former Met Police chief superintendent, spoke about the case to freelance sports journalist Nick Harris, and his lengthy report can be found on his sportingintelligence website.

What emerges – as I suspected from the outset – is that he was an innocent who was lured into an indiscretion by a conniving partner, Pat Mooney, who candidly admitted his culpability to the inquiry.

Though Mooney was unaware that “the businessmen” with whom he was negotiating a sponsorship deal were undercover NoW journalists, he was aware that one of their requirements was that Higgins deliberately lose certain frames of snooker.

Higgins was kept in the dark until he entered a room in Kiev, where he was covertly filmed agreeing to throw the frames in what Douglas called “apparently damning video” footage. Douglas said: “You realise John was going in as a rabbit in the headlights.”

That was the central reason that two serious charges against Higgins by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association about fixing matches and corruption were dropped.

Instead, the WPBSA tribunal banned Higgins for six months and fined him £75,000 on the lesser charges of talking about betting and failing to report an approach about illicit gambling.

A News of the World executive responded to the tribunal’s decision by saying: “We were amused by the portrayal of disgraced snooker champion John Higgins as an innocent ‘rabbit in the headlights’ during our investigation.

“As our video footage shows, it was Higgins himself who suggested laundering the €300,000 bribe he expected to receive through a Spanish property he owned. He even proposed a vodka toast to seal the deal. Some rabbit.“

Roy Greenslade

The green bold highlight at the end of the above article is my doing. The truth is probably that this was bad enough as it was – a (future) member of the board involved in organising match fixing – without putting emphasis on the fact that the reigning World Champion was involved as well. I know that Higgins had lost earlier at the Crucible, but as long as the World Championship was still underway, he was still the reigning World Champion.

The truth is probably that Mooney and Higgins who had tried to organise the “European Series” and had lost a lot money in that endeavour, were “vulnerable”. The European Series was an excellent idea at a time when the official calendar was very “meagre” but it hadn’t worked out as well as expected and they had lost money on it. The players who had taken part had not been paid in full yet. They needed money, badly, and the unscrupulous NOWT became aware of it … Who tipped them has never been elucidated or, if it has, it’s never been made public.

I know it was a different time. I know that before Hearn, cases of match fixing that were reported, were largely ignored by the gouverning body, and that, therefore, most players weren’t bothered to report them should they become aware of one. I know that some “figures” in the game, like Steve Davis f.i., have since downplayed what happened on that night … but I was there in the media room, I remember it vividly: the shock, the horror, the fear that snooker might lose its sponsors … and Steve Davis in tears. I remember Graeme Dott’s disbelief and shock when he was made aware of the situation right after winning his semi-final late in the evening. He immediately distanced himself from Mooney and surely it didn’t put him in the best conditions for the Final starting on the next day.

I know all that … and maybe indeed forgiving and welcoming Higgins back was the right thing to do but then, the same should apply to Zhao whose mistakes were comparatively largely unconsequential for the future of the sport.

Whilst the top guys were battling in out in Bolton, most other players focus was on the 2024 UK Championship Qualifiers currently underway in Leicester.

The first two rounds have been completed already and the third round started yesterday evening.

All the detailed results are available on snooker.org.

WST has, so far published four reports, three of them covering those first two rounds.

BAI SCORES FIRST PRO WIN IN UK QUALIFIERS

Bai Yulu made four breaks over 50 as she scored her first win since joining the World Snooker Tour, beating Farakh Ajaib 6-4 in the first qualifying round of the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship in Leicester.

China’s Bai, age 21, has established herself as the most exciting young talent in women’s snooker this year, winning both the World and UK Championship. She has joined the pro tour for the first time this season, and after a run of early defeats, she now has a victory under her belt.

From 3-1 down against Ajaib she took four frames in a row to lead 5-3, and eventually clinched the result in frame ten. Bai scored heavily across the contest, firing runs of 68, 57, 52 and 73. She will meet Jamie Jones next on Sunday evening and needs three more wins to make it to the final stages in York, which run from November 23 to December 1. 

Liam Davies came within two pots of his first 147, but narrowly missed the pink with the rest on 134 during his 6-3 win over Ahmed Aly Elsayed. A maximum for the Welsh teenager would have got him halfway to a £147,000 bonus, available for any player who makes two 147s across the four majors this season.

Zhao Xintong, the 2021 champion, made a rare 146 during a 6-3 win over Sunny Akani, establishing a formidable target for the £15,000 high break prize. From 3-2 down, China’s Zhao took the last four frames.

Promising rookie Gong Chenzhi made breaks of 123, 90 and 106 during a 6-2 win over Daniel Womersley, while Latvia’s Artemijs Zizins top scored with 89 in a 6-1 defeat of Mark Joyce. Ukraine’s Iulian Boiko saw off Bulcsu Revesz 6-3, while UAE’s Mohamed Shehab scored his first win of the season, beating Dean Young 6-4. 

African champion Hatem Yassen enjoyed a 6-0 success against Mink Nutcharut, while amateur Oliver Sykes scored an impressive 6-4 win over Ben Mertens.  

BAI MAKES HISTORY WITH WIN OVER JONES

Bai Yulu became the first woman this century to win back-to-back matches in a ranking event by beating Jamies Jones 6-4 in the second qualifying round of the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship.

China’s 21-year-old Bai beat Farakh Ajaib in the opening round on Saturday, and followed up with a superb victory over world number 54 Jones. She compiled breaks of 70, 58, 56 and 68 as she became the first woman to win consecutive matches in a ranking event since Kelly Fisher in the pre-qualifying rounds of the 1999 World Championship.

World Women’s Champion Bai is playing on the pro tour for the first time this season and had not won a match before this week, but is now just two more wins away from the final stages. She will face Scott Donaldson next on Tuesday morning. 

Jimmy White got his campaign underway with a 6-2 win over amateur Paul Deaville. The Whirlwind first turned professional 44 years ago, but is still competing at the top level at the age of 62. The ten-time ranking event winner ran the qualifying gauntlet to make the final stages in 2022 and will be hoping to do the same this week. 

Breaks of 55 and 78 helped White to victory today. He now progresses to the second round, where he will face Scotland’s Ross Muir on Monday afternoon. 

Leicester’s Louis Heathcote came through with a 6-0 demolition of the UAE’s Mohamed Shehab. Heathcote crafted runs of 52, 60, 57 and 59 in the win and now faces Ryan Day in round three.

Latvian Artemijs Zizins beat David Grace 6-3, while Ashley Carty beat Iulian Boiko 6-4. They now play Stephen Maguire and Wu Yize respectively. 

ZHAO REMAINS ON COURSE FOR YORK

Zhao Xintong continued his flying start to the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship qualifiers with a 6-2 victory over Jiang Jun, moving within two wins of a place in the final stages in York.

Results / Tickets / How To Watch

China’s Zhao, who lifted this trophy in 2021, beat Sunny Akani in his first match on Saturday, making a break of 146 which set the target for the £15,000 high break prize. And he followed up today by beating Jiang in just 94 minutes, firing runs of 92, 85, 98, 50, 115 and 77. Zhao faces Noppon Saengkham next on Tuesday afternoon, and victory would put him into Judgement Day with places in York at stake.

Jimmy White’s dream of making it to York ended as the veteran went down 6-4 to Ross Muir, who made breaks of 103 and 125. Matthew Stevens, the 2003 champion, pulled away from 4-4 to beat Manasawin Phetmalaikul 6-4. 

Marco Fu, runner-up in 2008, saw off Amir Sarkhosh 6-1 with breaks of 62, 53, 108, 50, 80 and 66. Poland’s tour rookie Antoni Kowalski beat Anthony Hamilton 6-3 with a top run of 91, while China’s He Guoqiang made 100, 99, 91, 102 and 86 during a 6-1 defeat of Robbie McGuigan. 

Aaron Hill made a vital 57 in the decider to beat Ka Wai Cheung 6-5, while Julien Leclercq came from 4-3 down to beat former World Champion Grame Dott 6-4 with a top run of 106. 

Round three in Leicester gets underway on Monday evening.

Bai Yulu double win is of course the big story of those first two days. She hadn’t won a match so far on the main tour and some were quick to write her off already but getting used to life on the main tour isn’t that easy for players from outside the UK, and is even more difficult for a young woman from China, who is pretty much “one of a kind” on the main tour. She is starting to show how good she is and I’m very pleased with that.

The other talking point is the return of Zhao Xintong. There was a lot of hostility coming from some corners on social media. People insisting he’s a “cheat”. According to the findings of the independent commission, Zhao didn’t fix any match. What he did is betting on snooker and failing to grass on his mates. Regarding the latter, considering that Zhao is a child from the “one child per family” generation, it was always going to be difficult for him to “betray” those who are the closest he will ever have to brothers. It isn’t hard to understand and I’ sure that Jason Ferguson in particular understands it very well.

Those who insist he is a cheat go on about a certain match against Paul Deaville in particular. I must admit that I don’t remember that match… unless it’s the one during which Zhao was suffering a terrible cough. The match attracted a lot of comments of people who were apparently convinced that he was “faking” it. But why? On what ground? Because it was excessive? What I can say about that sort of cough is that I have been there myself, I have had bouts of pneumonia during which I couldn’t control a violent and persistent cough, very similar to what Zhao was suffering from during the match I have in mind. If anything, he shouldn’t have been playing out there, he should have stayed warm in his bed … Maybe even the referee should have considered the situation and ruled that he was unfit to play.

BTW, I have looked up YouTube in search of a match between Xao and Deaville in the hope to make a better informed opinion but I had no joy.

..

Mark Williams became Champion of Champions for the first time yesterday night, beating Xiao Guodong by 10-6 in the final. Here is the report shared by WST:

WILLIAMS CROWNED AS CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS

The momentous triumph came in a week which also saw Williams clinch his first match win in the event. The world number six had exited in the first round in all of his three previous appearances.

Evergreen Welshman Williams is still thrilling fans around the world with his unique brand of snooker, just five months short of his 50^th birthday.

Earlier this year, he clinched a 26^th career ranking title at the Tour Championship. In September he came agonisingly close to becoming the inaugural winner of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, losing the final 10-9 to Judd Trump.

Victory for Williams sees him pocket the £150,000 top prize. That goes some way towards making up for the disappointment of missing out on the £500,000 winner’s cheque in Riyadh, where he had to settle for £200,000.

Xiao can reflect on a week where he has produced some sensational snooker during his Champion of Champions debut. He defeated Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby and Mark Allen to make the title match. Xiao earned his place in the event after winning a maiden ranking crown, 17 years after turning professional, at last month’s Wuhan Open.

The afternoon session saw Williams charge into a hefty 5-0 advantage, but Xiao pegged him back to 5-4 to head into this evening with the match in the balance.

Williams reasserted his authority when tonight’s session got underway. Runs of 104 and 62 helped him to move 7-4 ahead. The following two frames were traded to see Williams head in for the mid-session 8-5 in front.

Xiao again reduced the deficit when play resumed, but breaks of 95 and 67 saw Williams over the line with two on the bounce to capture the title.

“I can’t believe it. I don’t know how I’m doing it but I’m sticking in there. He played great all week as well. I didn’t do much wrong for him to come back to 5-4. He just outplayed me for four frames. The interval came at a perfect time for me. If it carried on, he could have ran away with it.”

Mark Williams

Champion of Champions

Williams added: “It is another season where I’ve picked up a trophy. I don’t know what to say really. It seems the older I’m getting, the more support I’m getting from the crowd. It is unbelievable. I’m lost for words.

“I’ve got nothing to prove anymore. I’m just going to enjoy it. Even if I’d lost today I would have congratulated Xiao and said well done. I’m over the moon.”

Xiao said: “The crowd was very nice and I’d also like to thank the Chinese fans who watched me play during the night time. I played a legend today and I learned a lot. I want Ronnie, Mark and John to play for another ten or 20 years!”

Congratulations “Willo”!

And congratulations as well to Xiao Guodong. He came up second last night but he played some fantastic snooker all week, showed exemplary resilience, he beat a string of multiple ranking event winners including two multiple World Champion … whilst staying humble and grounded all week. He’s a very likable character and I’m sure that he has gained many fans over the week … albeit probably not that many among the gamblers 😉 😂

Mark Williams, who will turn 50 in the spring, dominated Neil Robertson in the second semi-final of the 2024 Champion of Champions. He will face Xiao Guodong in the final today.

Here is the report by WST:

Evergreen Williams Sets Up Xiao Final

Mark Williams scored his first win over Neil Robertson in seven years as a tremendous 6-2 victory put him into the final of the Grosvenor Casinos Champion of Champions. 

Williams goes through to play Xiao Guodong in Sunday’s final in Bolton, with the winner to collect the trophy and £150,000 top prize. There is sure to be a new name on the trophy as Xiao is making his debut in the event this year and Williams had never previously been beyond the last 16 in three previous attempts.

The Welshman is one win away from his second title of 2024, having landed the Tour Championship crown in April. Just five months short of his 50th birthday, the world number six still thrives on the big occasion. He narrowly missed out on the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters title in September, losing the final 10-9 to Judd Trump, and now has the chance to make amends. 

Williams had lost his previous seven meetings with Robertson, a sequence stretching back to 2017, but dominated from the start tonight. Breaks of 50 and 66 helped the three-time Crucible king take a 2-0 lead, then in frame three, he trailed 52-31 when Robertson trapped him in a tough snooker on the last red. On the second hit-and-hope attempt, Williams enjoyed an outrageous fluke, sending the red scuttling into a centre pocket, and he took advantage by clearing the table for 3-0.

A run of 70 made it 4-0, and though Robertson pulled one back after the interval with a 78, he had to sit his chair as Williams compiled a superb 132 for 5-1. Australia’s Robertson added some respectability to the scoreline with a run of 68 to take frame seven, but there would be no fight-back as Williams settled the result with a 61 in the eighth.

“I’m really pleased, I am hitting the ball very well,” Williams told ITV. “My safety was good, I created chances and potted a couple of crazy balls. Perhaps I should give myself more credit because I am taking it to these youngsters and I’m in another big final. My all-round game is better than ever and that’s why I am still competing with the top players. I came here with no expectations so there is no pressure on me tomorrow.”

The final today should be a good match. Neither finalist has anything to prove. Xiao has won the Wuhan Open earlier this season, has reached the semi-finals in the International Championship last week and he is in the best form of his life. Willo has won everything in the game. He is three times a World Champion, twice a UK champion, twice a Masters champion… bring it on!

Xiao Guodong beat Mark Allen by 6-3 yesterday evening to book his place in the final of this season’s Champion of Champions. Here is the report shared by WST:

XIAO STUNS PISTOL TO MAKE FINAL

Xiao Guodong continued his dream season by defeating world number three Mark Allen 6-3 and reaching the final of the Grosvenor Casinos Champion of Champions in Bolton. 

Xiao, who first turned professional in 2007, clinched his place in this showpiece event by capturing a maiden ranking crown at the Wuhan Open. He followed that up by making the semi-finals of the recent International Championship and is now through to a second final of the campaign. 

The 35-year-old scored stunning wins over Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Selby yesterday to reach this evening’s semi-final, where he overhauled another one of snooker’s superstars. Allen earned his place in the last four with wins over Igor Figueiredo and Jak Jones. 

The opener this evening saw Xiao compile a run of 65 and steal on the black to earn an early 1-0 advantage. Allen equalised by taking the second, but contributions of 83 and 71 saw Xiao lead 3-1 at the mid-session. 

When play resumed, Allen hit back by taking the next two to restore parity at 3-3. However, Xiao responded by pulling away again to move 5-3 up and one from victory. The ninth frame came down to the colours, with Xiao eventually playing a sensational shot on the blue to develop the pink. That allowed him to deposit the final two balls and earn his place in the final. 

He can now look forward to facing either Mark Williams or Neil Robertson in Sunday’s title match, where a top prize of £150,000 will be on the line. 

Xiao said: “I still can’t believe I did it. When it went to 4-3 today, I saw a big change in him. I think he changed mentally after that. I just told myself to keep focussing on every shot. 

“I will just enjoy watching tomorrow’s game now. I don’t care if I play Mark or Neil. They are both legendary players. I will just enjoy it. That’s it.“

Williams and Robertson will do battle in the second semi-final from 7pm tomorrow evening.

I first met Xiao some 15 years ago. He barely spoke a word on English at the time but, despite the language barrier, he came across as a positive and outgoing character, someone who would look at the half-full glass instead of the half-empty one. Someone who, after losing in a deciding frame in the World Championship qualifiers in 2010 reacted by going out and get his hair dyed pink … his own way to try and lift his mood. He’s also very humble, maybe too humble. This week he’s proving everyone, including himself how good he is. I’m happy for him. Make no mistake, no matter who wins today, Xiao is capable to win this title on Sunday.