The final in Wuhan tomorrow will be contested between John Higgins and Joe O’Connor. This is not a final line-up many would have predicted but it will certainly be interesting. I will be firmly in Joe’s camp!
John Higgins came from 5-3 down to beat Zak Surety 6-5 in the semi-finals of the Weide Cup World Open in Yushan, remaining on track for a first ranking title in four years.
World number 89 Surety had enjoyed a career-best run, having never previously been beyond the last 16 of a ranking event, but the 33-year-old finished the week in anguish having missed several clear chances for victory in the last three frames. He banks his biggest pay-day of £33,000 but misses out on a certain £75,000 for the runner up and possible £175,000 for the winner.
Higgins will meet Ali Carter or Joe O’Connor on Saturday with the chance of a 32nd ranking title and first since the 2021 Players Championship exactly four years ago. The Scot, who turns 50 in May, becomes the oldest ranking event finalist since the 1986 Grand Prix when a 53-year-old Rex Williams lost to Jimmy White.
World number 13 Higgins will be playing in the 57th ranking final of his 33-year pro career, and second of the season having lost to Mark Selby at the Unibet British Open in September. As it stands he is up to tenth place in the Johnstone’s Paint One-Year rankings and is on track to qualify for both the Sportsbet.io Players Championship and Sportsbet.io Tour Championship.
After sharing the first two frames, Essex potter Surety won a scrappy third then made an excellent 65 clearance to lead 3-1. Higgins hit back with breaks of 113 and 94 for 3-3, only for Surety to regain the lead with a 56 in frame seven, then make a 38 clearance in the eighth for 5-3.
The underdog looked composed in the ninth and was edging towards the winning post until he ran out of position on 53. He then played a loose safety, leaving a red close to a top corner, and Higgins potted it to set up a tide-turning 72 clearance.
Another safety error from Surety in frame ten when he trailed 36-20, leaving his opponent a red to centre, proved costly as Higgins added 38 points for 5-5. In the decider, Surety built a run of 41 and had the balls well-placed, but missed a red to top corner. Higgins, under pressure himself, failed to convert a red to centre, but then Surety’s attempted red to the same pocket also missed the target. This time there was no reprieve as Higgins cleared expertly with 72.
“It feels amazing to win, I’m buzzing,” said Higgins. “Zak will be pig sick because he totally outplayed me, he just missed a couple of crucial balls at the end. He was holding himself together brilliantly at 5-3, every credit to him in his first semi. It’s a tough game when you’re under pressure.
“It will be hard for him to take but hopefully he’ll reflect on reaching the semi-finals and the ranking points. He is such an improved player, I think he’ll keep moving up. Hopefully this will make him better as every player goes through devastating losses. He had some nice words for me at the end and that shows the mark of the man. You want good things to happen to people like that, when they take defeats with good grace.
“At 5-3 I was trying to stay positive. There was pressure at the end and I still had to go in and pot the balls. I have been on the receiving end of so many deciders in the last few years. Maybe beating Zhou Yuelong 5-4 this week helped me because I was able to keep myself under control today.
“I will be playing a great cueist in the final. Ali has won a lot of tournaments, and Joe has hit the ball better than anyone this week. Hopefully play my best tomorrow, I’ll give it my all.”
Joe O’Connor is just one win away from landing his first ranking title as he continued his tremendous form at the Weide Cup World Open by beating Ali Carter 6-3 in the semi-finals.
Playing the best snooker of his life, O’Connor has knocked out five players this week including Judd Trump, Shaun Murphy and Carter, conceding just ten frames. The 29-year-old from Leicester has made four centuries and 18 more breaks over 50, finally showing his potential after a relatively quiet season in which he had previously made just one quarter-final appearance.
On Saturday, world number 39 O’Connor will face the biggest match of his seven-year career when he takes on four-time World Champion John Higgins over a possible 19 frames for the trophy. Already guaranteed a biggest ever pay-day of £75,000, that figure would jump to £175,000 for O’Connor if he can get to ten frames first.
He will be aiming to win a maiden professional title, and playing in his second ranking final, having lost the first 9-2 against Gary Wilson at the 2022 Scottish Open. “Joe has hit the ball better than anyone this week,” admitted Higgins after his semi-final, and the all-time legend knows he will have a battle on his hands for the silverware despite his vast advantage in experience.
Victory would bring significant spin-offs for O’Connor as he would jump into the top 16 of the Johnstone’s Paint One-Year rankings and earn a place in next month’s Sportsbet.io Players Championship, as well as moving into contention for a top 16 Crucible seeding and earning a spot at next season’s Sportsbet.io Champion of Champions.
Breaks of 62, 68 and 75 helped him build a 4-1 lead today. Carter pulled one back with a 96 before O’Connor’s run of 73 made it 5-2. World number 14 Carter, who had hoped to win a seventh ranking title, won frame eight with a break of 71 and had an early chance in the ninth, but made just 11 before missing a mid-range red.
O’Connor, seemingly unaffected by the pressure of the situation, made 31 before running out of position and playing safe. Carter went for a do-or-die long red and hit the jaws of a top corner, handing his opponent the chance to wrap up the result with a run of 45.
“It was another solid performance, Ali wasn’t at his best but I took my chances when I got them,” said O’Connor. “I feel I’m a more complete player than I was when I last reached a final in 2022, I am more consistent and my scoring has definitely improved. Hopefully that can continue and who knows what will happen tomorrow. I’d say 99.9% of the time I don’t feel nerves, I try to just focus on the next shot and that doesn’t leave room for nerves to creep in.“
Just before traveling to China, O’Connor posted on social media paying tribute to his grandfather who sadly passed away recently. Asked if he was thinking about his grandfather this week, he added: “I have had little moments. The little rubs of the green I am getting might be him up there moving the balls for me and making sure I can go on and win this. That’s what I want to do, it would be for him.
John Higgins will be favourite to win tomorrow if only because he has such vast experience of being in that situation- playing in a final – and he has vast experience of winning finals as well. Joe has only been in one ranking final before.: it was in the 2022 Scottish Open and he was beaten heavily by Gary Wilson. That said, he looks a different player nowadays, more experienced, more assured. He really impressed me this season. Also the pressure will be on John precisely because he’s the one expected to win. Let’s hope for a good match.
World number 89 Zak Surety said he feels as if he’s “playing PlayStation” as he continued his amazing run at the Weide Cup World Open by beating Tom Ford 5-3 to reach the semi-finals, where he will meet John Higgins.
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Essex cueman Surety first turned pro in 2014 and had never previously gone beyond the last 16 of a ranking event. But in this tournament the 33-year-old has knocked out Si Jiahui, Jordan Brown, Duane Jones, Liu Hongyu and Ford, setting up a clash with all-time great Higgins on Friday.
Surety, who has made six centuries and ten more breaks over 50 in this event, is already guranteed £33,000, by far his biggest career pay day and virtually doubling his season’s earnings having previously banked £33,750.
He is certain to leap up the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings and could even earn a place in the Sportsbet.io Players Championship in Telford next month if he can go all the way to the £175,000 top prize in Yushan.
Breaks of 133 and 103 put Surety 2-1 up today. World number 20 Ford levelled before Surety took the next two frames with runs of 88 and 73 for 4-2. Ford pulled one back but an excellent 70 clearance in frame eight secured the result for Surety.
“I am in unknown territory now,” said Surety, who was relegated from the tour in 2022 but regained his place via Q School. “I am enjoying it, although I’m also waiting to go home. I want to have a cup of tea, go running in the woods, play with my dogs and see my mum. Maybe that’s relaxing me. But when I’m in the arena, I’m desperate to win. I want to be a top snooker player and there are big ranking points on offer. So I’m fighting myself.
“I was very nervous today, although I felt better after the interval and I can’t work out why, because it’s the biggest match I have ever played in. I have had a twitch-up a few times and lost my way. But when I’m in the balls, I feel good, as if I am playing PlayStation. I’ve got to enjoy it, let’s see what happens tomorrow. I have played John before in China (losing 5-3 at the 2024 Wuhan Open) and it was a close game, though that was on an outside table. It will be different in a semi-final on the TV table. John is one of the best ever, I still pinch myself just being around him. But I need to believe in myself.“
Higgins eased to a 5-0 win over Pang Junxu to reach the 86th ranking event semi-final of his stellar career. If he beats Surety, the 49-year-old will become the oldest ranking event finalist since 1986 when a 53-year-old Rex Williams lost to Jimmy White. The Scot is aiming for his 32nd ranking title and first since the 2021 Players Championship; tomorrow’s match will be the four-year anniversary of that triumph.
The four-time World Champion fired breaks of 125, 87, 96 and 81 in a superb display against China’s Pang. “I feel better today,” said Higgins who was suffering from a stomach upset yesterday. “Pang had a bad fever, I could see in the practice room he wasn’t feeling well. He missed a few today which he would usually never miss and I took advantage. I played better today than yesterday.
“If you ever lose the hunger to win, you may as well not bother. For me that has never been in question, but sometimes it’s the mental fragility or the pressure. I have been doing something different for the last couple of months, you try little things.
“I played Zak in Wuhan and we had a good game. He’s really improved this week. He’s very relaxed and really enjoying it. He’s had a great win against Tom today. He’s such a dangerous player so I’ll have to try to play my best.“
It’s always very unfortunate when a player suffers from ill health and can’t perform to their best. Get well soon Pang!
Joe O’Connor fired three centuries as he added Shaun Murphy to his list of big-name scalps, storming to a 5-1 victory to reach the semi-finals of the Weide Cup World Open in Yushan.
O’Connor knocked out world number one Judd Trump earlier in the week, and also beat World Champion Kyren Wilson at the recent BetVictor Welsh Open. Today’s the world number 39 thrashed Johnstone’s Paint Masters champion Murphy to reach his fourth ranking event semi-final. He will meet Ali Carter on Friday and victory would earn him a second ranking final appearance, having finished runner-up at the 2022 BetVictor Scottish Open.
If O’Connor can go all the way to the £175,000 top prize in China, he could leap into the top 16 of the Johnstone’s Paint One-Year rankings and earn a place at next month’s Sportsbet.io Players Championship in Telford. Murphy, meanwhile, has made up ground this week in the Race to the Crucible but remains outside the top 16 of that list and will need wins over the trio of upcoming Players Series events to ensure a seeded status for the World Championship.
In a high quality contest, O’Connor opened with breaks of 135 and 100 to lead 2-0, before Murphy responded with a 128. Runs of 66 and 132 put Leicester’s 29-year-old O’Connor 4-1 ahead, and a break of 68 in frame six helped him seal an emphatic win.
“I played really well and didn’t give Shaun many chances,” said O’Connor. “When the long pots are going in you have to punish the top players, that’s what I did today and I’m proud of it. It’s cementing confidence I have had for many years. This week it has all come together and hopefully I can win the trophy. If I play like that it will take a lot to stop me. I have been consistent for a while now and when my game clicks I feel I can beat anyone.
“I changed my cue before the Shoot Out, it’s a new one from Maximus and I loved it as soon as I picked it up, I think I’ll be sticking with this one. Matt Selt arranged it for me so I have to say thanks to him. I have gone to a titanium ferrule as well. I took the plunge and thankfully it has worked.“
Carter came from 3-1 and 4-3 down to beat Barry Hawkins 5-4 and reach his 33rd ranking event semi-final, and second in a row having appeared in the last four of the BetVictor Welsh Open. The 45-year-old started the season in perfect fashion by winning the BetVictor Championship League, then lost form for a few months but is now at the top of his game. This week’s run has already boosted Carter from 18th to 16th on the one-year list and he’s now on track to qualify for Telford, and is also into the top 16 in the Race to the Crucible.
Hawkins made breaks of 89, 66 and 91 to lead 3-1 before Carter recovered to 3-3. A run of 85 saw Hawkins regain the lead but he scored just 8 points in the last two frames as Carter compiled runs of 60 and 59 on his way to the winning post.
“I lost to Stephen Maguire in the semis of the Welsh, I felt I was hot favourite but I got myself at it, stopped myself from playing well and sort of threw it away,” admitted Carter, who has won two of his six ranking titles in China. “I learned my lesson from that and I was determined not to do that again and lose due to my own temperament and stupidity. In this game you have to stick at it and be resilient. The older you get, the harder it is to do that. Today was a big win in terms of the Players Championship and Crucible seeding as the difference in prize money today was massive.
“Joe bossed the game against Shaun, every time I looked at the scoreboard it looked like he wasn’t missing a ball. It will be an intriguing match and I’m looking forward to it.“
On a different topic, the first Disability Snooker World Championship is underway in Thailand.
Don’t expect big breaks but, please, go and watch with an open mind. What those players do to overcome the limitations created by their disabilities is remarkable and they deserve our full support. For some of them, who are very isolated socially, the snooker community is the closest thing they have to a family and a circle of friends. I know that for certain as for years, before covid, I often traveled to their events.
John Higgins overcame an upset stomach to beat Zhou Yuelong 5-4 at the Weide Cup World Open and equal Ronnie O’Sullivan’s record for the most ranking event quarter-final appearances.
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From 4-2 down, Higgins won the last three frames to reach the last eight in Yushan, where he will face Pang Junxu on Thursday. It will be his 146th ranking quarter-final appearance over a 33-year career, bringing him level with O’Sullivan, who also turned pro in 1992. Wishaw’s Higgins, who turns 50 in May, is chasing a 32nd ranking title and first since the 2021 Players Championship.
China’s Zhou built a 4-2 lead with top breaks of 87, 50, 57 and 56. Higgins admitted he was preoccupied with stomach ache at that point, but he managed breaks of 60 and 74 to recover to 4-4. Zhou had early chances in the decider but mustered just 11 points, and then made a safety error, leaving a red close to a top corner. Four-time World Champion Higgins slotted in the red from distance to initiate a match-winning 72.
“I have been on the wrong end of a lot of deciders lately, so I’m delighted, it’s a great win for me” said the Scot. “Zhou was looking really strong at 4-2. I love him as a boy and as a player. His game is so good, it’s just a matter of time before he gets into the winner’s enclosure.
“I haven’t been feeling great all day, my stomach has been very bad. From 4-2 it probably helped me because it relaxed my mind. I wasn’t thinking about the match, I was thinking about not running to the toilet. I wasn’t thinking about the pressure of the game, just the pressure somewhere else!“
Asked about equalling O’Sullivan’s record, Higgins added: “One more quarter-final for 147 would be nice. I’ve had a long career and maybe that’s why I’ve managed to rack up some of those numbers. I’m proud to still be going. I still love competing out there and I’d dearly love to win a big event. That’s what I’m trying my hardest to do.“
In contrast to Higgins, Zak Surety has now reached just one ranking event quarter-final, and the Essex cueman achieved that breakthrough with a 5-2 win over Liu Hongyu. Breaks of 97, 126, 86 and 65 helped world number 89 Surety to a fine win and set up a match with Tom Ford.
“I was trying not to get ahead of myself because this is a big tournament with big money,” said Surety, who is guaranteed a career-high pay day of £22,000. “I played well until 3-2 up, then in the sixth frame I was trying to keep the same momentum and same rhythm but I started panicking and waiting for things to go wrong. I still managed to go 4-2 up, then in the last frame I was struggling to even count let alone pot the balls. I still can’t feel my legs. I’m playing well, but in the crucial parts of frames and matches I am letting the occasion get to me.”
World number eight Shaun Murphy beat number nine Ding Junhui 5-2 in a clash between the two highest ranked players left in the event. Murphy, who has had an outstanding start to 2025 having won the Johnstone’s Paint Masters last month, rattled in runs of 80, 72 and 93 as he set up a quarter-final with Joe O’Connor, a 5-3 winner over Michael Holt.
Barry Hawkins, runner-up at the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship and the Machineseeker German Masters in recent months, reached his fifth ranking quarter-final of the season with a 5-3 win over Ryan Day.
“I feel fortunate because my game hasn’t be there this week,” said Hawkins, whose top break today was 81 as he earned a tie with Ali Carter. “I am riding my luck, battling hard and nicking frames. I’m still here and I can always improve in the next round. It has been a good season for me, I have been at the business end of a lot of tournaments, although I would have liked to win a final. I am in all of the big tournaments coming up so I can enjoy the rest of the season.“
Carter enjoyed a 5-1 success to end the run of David Lilley, who had knocked out Mark Allen and Wu Yize. That’s a vital result for Carter as he moves up to 16th place in the Johnstone’s Paint One-Year Rankings and is now on track to qualify for the Sportsbet.io Players Championship.
“That’s probably the best I’ve played in the last few events,” said Carter, who made breaks of 68, 100, 51 and 90. Looking back on yesterday’s 5-4 win over Jack Lisowski, he added: “I really enjoy playing Jack because he’s the closest thing we’ve got to Ronnie O’Sullivan. When you play him, you have a tiger by the tail the whole time, he’s so inspirational. For me to grind out a victory was very pleasing.“
Carter won this event in 2016, the first tournament staged in Yushan. He recalls: “All week I ate plain boiled rice, streamed broccoli and no alcohol, which is unheard of for me. I lost about half a stone, felt really good and had a proper detox. I’m doing exactly the same this week. I feel I am coming good in the later part of the season.”
Pang won an all-Chinese battle against Xu Si by a 5-2 scoreline, firing breaks of 71, 62, 64 and 125. Ford, who won his first ranking title this season at the 9Club Shoot Out, came from 2-0 down to beat Jimmy Robertson 5-3 with breaks of 105, 60, 123, 67 and 79.
Shaun Murphy is playing really well this week and, based on what he showed so far this week, I have to make him favourite for the title. Ding wasn’t at his best but didn’t appear to give up, something that, alas, has happened on a more than a few occasions in the past. Of course, he was playing in his own country, in front of his adoring fans as opposed to playing in a foreign country with most of the public supporting his opponent. Psychologically it has to make a difference.
I didn’t watch the Higgins match but Zhou Yuelong lead by 4-2 … Zhou is a very good player but not the most solid under pressure. He has history of losing important matches, he has been in four finals and lost all of them and in the two “proper” full ranking events where he finished runner-up, the score in the final was severe. Maybe he needs some help with the psychological aspect of the game in pressure circumstances but, of course, this help has to come from someone who is a native Chinese speaker because proper and accurate communication is essential for any “therapy” to succeed.
Zak Surety is having the best week of his career so far surely? I remember watching him play in PTCs and wondering how/why he wasn’t more successful. Consistency, or rather lack of it, is maybe the answer. He looks pretty solid so far this week though.
Carter comparing Jack to Ronnie “the closest thing to … ” He has to be joking surely. Ronnie masters all aspects of the game. His safety is first class when he applies himself and, when he’s mentally fit, his temperament is rock solid. Jack? Hum… I like Jack, as a person and as a player, I really do, but … no.
Day 3 in Yushan saw the round of 32 played to a conclusion and delivered two major upsets as both the reigning World Champion and the World Number One exited the tournament.
Judd Trump suffered his first defeat in the Weide Cup World Open for seven years as he lost 5-2 to Joe O’Connor in the last 32 in Yushan.
World number one Trump lifted the trophy in the last two stagings of this event, in 2019 and 2024, so his last defeat was against Gary Wilson at the last 32 stage in 2018. He was favourite for the £175,000 top prize this week but instead it’s an early exit for the player who has already landed three titles this season. O’Connor, ranked 39th, proved the stronger player in the closing stages as he set up a last 16 tie with Michael Holt.
Breaks of 64 and 89 gave Leicester’s O’Connor the first two frames before Trump fought back to 2-2. In the crucial fifth frame, Trump had first chance but could only make 56 and O’Connor capitalised from 56-8 down with an excellent 51 clearance. He went on to take the next two frames with runs of 69 and 113.
“Judd had the momentum at 2-2, I didn’t expect to get a chance in that frame, but when it came I took it,” said O’Connor, who beat Kyren Wilson on his way to the quarter-finals of the recent BetVictor Welsh Open. “I enjoyed being out there against the best player in the world. Luckily for me it was my day. There’s no reason why I can’t go on to win it.“
O’Connor usually flies economy to events in China but decided this time to fly business as it helps him be ready for the early rounds. “Logically it makes sense,” added the 29-year-old. “Good preparation can lead to a good tournament and it has worked so far.“
World Champion Wilson also fell at the last 32 stage, beaten 5-4 by Zhou Yuelong. That result means that none of the top seven in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings have made it into the last 16. China’s Zhou, ranked 31st, built a 4-0 lead with top breaks of 120 and 109, before Wilson hit back to 4-4, compiling runs of 118 and 100. However Zhou got the better of the decider thanks to a crucial 71 to set up a tie with John Higgins.
“At 4-0 I felt comfortable but then at 4-3 I felt pressure,” said Zhou. “I told myself to forget about the score and I made a good break. John Higgins is my idol, I will enjoy playing him, it will be an honour.”
Ding Junhui delighted his fans with a 5-3 win over Hossein Vafaei, top scoring with 119, to set up a match with Shaun Murphy.
World number eight Murphy followed up Monday’s tremendous 5-0 win over Zhou Jinhao, which included a 147, by whitewashing Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 5-0 with breaks of 83, 94, 94, 85 and 138. A deep run this week will improve Murphy’s hopes of being a top 16 seed for the World Championship as he started this week in 20th place in the Race to the Crucible.
“I’m really pleased as Thepchaiya is very dangerous, I had to keep him at bay and take my chances,” said Johnstone’s Paint Masters champion Murphy, who now meets Ding. “The tables are playing well, they are what we call scoring tables and I enjoy these conditions. I am trying to make sure I am a seed for the World Championship, that’s my main goal.”
David Lilley followed up yesterday’s 5-4 win over Mark Allen with another superb result, beating Wu Yize 5-4 with top breaks of 105, 100 and a vital 86 in the decider. China’s Liu Hongyu, who knocked out Mark Selby on Sunday, came from 4-1 down to beat Elliot Slessor 5-4, taking the last frame by potting the final pink and black. Jimmy Robertson recovered a 2-0 deficit to beat Aaron Hill 5-4 with top runs of 101 and 132. Ali Carter edged out Jack Lisowski 5-4 with a 62 in the decider.
I watched the Trump v O’Connor match and was well impressed with Joe. He’s been around for a while now, he’s 29. Right from the start he was seen as a promising prospect and it has probably taken him more time than most expected to reach his full potential, but he’s come to age now. He’s not flashy but he’s very, very good and very solid under pressure.
David Lilley who knocked Mark Allen out yesterday and Wu Yize today is one of a kind. You will find more about him on Wikipedia. He had a brilliant career as an amateur, but only turned pro for the first time, via the Q-School in 2019, at the age of 42. He became World Seniors Snooker Champion in 2021, beating Jimmy White in the final at the age of 44, a first defeat for Jimmy in the Seniors World Championship at the Crucible, and finally managed to break into the top 64 as a pro – just – last season at the age of 48! The way he plays feels quite “old school” at times but he’s efficient. He’s an excellent break builder when on his game. I’m not overly surprised that very young players often struggle against him. That said, David played fast and fluently today.
David Lilley scored what he described as the best win of his career as he edged out Mark Allen 5-4 in the last 64 of the Weide Cup World Open, a result which boosts his hopes of avoiding relegation at the end of this season.
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It’s a surprise early exit from the £825,000 event in Yushan for world number seven Allen and he remains without a ranking title since the 2024 Players Championship a year ago, though he did win the invitational Riyadh Season Snooker Championship before Christmas.
Veteran Lilley, age 49, started this event in 63rd place in the projected end of season rankings, and could lose his tour card if he is out of the top 64 at the end of the 2024/25 campaign. But having beaten wild card Cao Jin 5-4 (from 4-2 down) on Sunday and then Allen today, he adds vital points to his tally.
Allen made breaks of 142 and 103 in leading 3-2, before Lilley compiled runs of 66 and 64 to go 4-3 ahead. In frame eight, Tynesider Lilley missed the final green when he had a chance to clear for victory, but he made amends in the decider with an excellent 77.
“Mark is one of the elite. It’s a huge feather in my cap, my best win ever,” said Lilley, who meets Wu Yize next. “My heart was pumping in the last frame, it’s just about slowing down now! I’m fighting for tour survival so that makes a big difference. I’m trying not to look at it too much, I don’t know exactly what I need to do. I am around the 60 mark and every win counts. It always comes down to the World Championship qualifiers. All I can do this week is try to win my next match.“
Shaun Murphy made his tenth official 147, and the 12th maximum so far this season, during a 5-0 win over Zhou Jinhao. Johnstone’s Paint Masters champion Murphy also fired runs of 127 and 119, taking his career total of centuries past the 700 milestone.
Judd Trump has won the last two stagings of this event and made it 16 consecutive match victories with a 5-1 defeat of Long Zehuang. He rifled breaks of 108 and 101 to take his tally of centuries for the season to 78, closing in on a possible £100,000 bonus for the first player to make 100 tons during the 2024/25 campaign.
“I have scored heavily in my first two matches here and could have had more centuries,” said the world number one. “Looking back I probably should have entered a few more tournaments because I didn’t think I would get close to the bonus. But I have had some time off and maybe that’s why I’m more relaxed. It would be nice to ruin the (WST) Christmas party by taking that £100,000! The conditions are always good here in Yushan, the humidity is low. I like these kind of conditions, I find it easier to score and it helps my game.”
Fight-back of the day came from Duane Jones who recovered 4-0 deficit to beat Xiao Guodong 5-4. Only Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson have earned more ranking points than Xiao this season, but the Chinese cueman couldn’t get over the winning line today. Welshman Jones fired breaks of 68, 90, 68 to make it 4-4 then took the decider from 54-1 down with a 56 clearance.
“Xiao barely missed a ball in the first four frames,” said world number 90 Jones. “At the interval, I thought to myself that it’s a long to come to give up so I have to keep trying. At first I was trying to make the score respectable, but then from 4-2 I wasn’t far behind. Xiao has won a lot of matches this year and looked very strong, but as I came back I could see him shaking his head a bit. From 4-0 down, 99 times out of 100 you lose, but you just ever know. I played well and rode my luck.”
World Champion Wilson enjoyed a 5-1 win over Lei Peifan with top breaks of 138, 111 and 90. “It looks like a comfortable win but there were a couple of very close frames early on,” he said. “It was a big frame to go 2-1 up after a long safety battle. From 3-1 I felt I had the match by the scruff of the neck and after that I finished off with two good breaks.”
Stan Moody followed up yesterday’s victory over Zhang Anda by beating Graeme Dott 5-2 with a top break of 123, while Barry Hawkins enjoyed a 5-2 success against Jamie Jones. Home favourite Ding Junhui scored breaks of 123 and 138 in a 5-2 win over Joe Perry.
Shaun Murphy fired in his second 147 break of the season, during a whitewash win over Zhou Jinhao at the Weide Cup World Open in Yushan.
The Magician had already crafted a perfect break on his run to winning the Johnstone’s Paint Masters in January, today’s maximum came in the last frame of a 5-0 victory.
The 147 puts Murphy in line for the £5,000 high break prize. It’s the 214th official maximum in snooker history and the 12th of the season.
Murphy’s tenth career maximum break moves him ahead of Stuart Bingham to fourth on the all-time list. Only Ronnie O’Sullivan (15), John Higgins (13) and Stephen Hendry (11) have made more.
Murphy said: “I did a show in Ormskirk a couple of weeks ago. When I arrived, the promotor was keen to tell me that the last player they’d had there made a 147 in the first frame. I did one there as well! I don’t know if there is something in the water, but I’m delighted.
“You just get used to patterns. It was very similar to the 147 I made in the Shoot Out, where the blue moved off the break. I just thought that the black was available, lets see how far I can get. I was trying to get it from the first shot. I didn’t think I would actually do it. I can’t believe it.”
Murphy Magic
I have something to confess … I didn’t watch any snooker at all today. I followed the scores, but didn’t watch so obviously I can’t comment on any of the action. There is one surprising result that isn’t mentioned in the above report though: in the last match to finish today Daniel Wells beat Gary Wilson by 5-4 from 2-4 down.
I’m a bit fed up with the constant focus on centuries and the various “bonuses”. Sure, a nice, well constructed break is something to savour, but I have seen some 30 something breaks that were more skillful than most centuries and a tense safety battle is often more gripping than a big break.
Judd Trump took two more steps towards making 100 century breaks in a single season as he got the defence of his Weide Cup World Open title underway with a 5-0 thrashing of Xing Zihao in Yushan.
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Trump now has 76 tons this season and needs 24 more over the next five tournaments to get his tally into three figures. The first player to make 100 centuries this season willl earn a £100,000 bonus.
China’s Xing scored just 40 points in the match as world number one Trump rattled in breaks of 64, 100, 111 and 98 to win in just 58 minutes and set up a last-64 clash with Long Zehuang.
“I’m very happy to play that well in my first match, in the first round you just want to get through as easily as possible,” said 30-time ranking event winner Trump. “Every time I play in China I try to enjoy it. It’s special to come back here having won last year. I feel I am playing to a consistent level and it always takes a good performance to beat me.”
Home favourite Ding Junhui also scored heavily in a 5-1 win over Jiang Jun, knocking in runs of 81, 141, 50, 130 and 93.
Mark Davis has been a bogey player for John Higgins over the years – notably knocking the Scot out of both the UK and World Championship during the 2012/13 season – but on this occasion Higgins cruised to a 5-1 win with breaks of 50, 111, 126 and 59.
“Mark has often had the better of me, throughout my career,” said Higgins, who now meets Robbie Williams. “He didn’t really show up today, but I played well. At this time of the season, everyone has something to aim for, whether it’s staying on the tour, trying to get into the Players Championship and Tour Championship, or to be a seed for the Crucible. There’s a lot riding on it. I’m no different, I’d love to have a good run and secure my places.”
BetVictor Welsh Open champion Mark Selby saw his winning streak end as he lost 5-2 to world number 61 Liu Hongyu. Breaks of 104, 56 and 102 helped China’s 20-year-old Liu to one of his best wins on tour so far.
World Champion Kyren Wilson fired breaks of 100, 93, 65 and 119 as he saw off Hammad Miah 5-2. Stan Moody enjoyed a 5-3 success against Zhang Anda – the second time this season he has beaten world number ten Zhang. Teenager Moody compiled runs of 60, 123, 55, 75 and 68.
Antoni Kowalski made a 133 in a 5-3 victory over Matthew Stevens while Wu Yize beat Jackson Page 5-4 in a battle of two of snooker’s best young talents. Page, a semi-finalist here last year, came from 3-1 down to 4-4 only for Wu to make a 102 in the decider.
Mark Selby was a shadow of the player who won the 2025 Welsh Open. That said, Liu Hongyu is a really good player and he scored heavily today, but he’s not reached his full potential and is no(t yet a) match for an “in form” Mark Selby. Maybe it was just a not so good day in the office for Mark who has had very mixed results in recent years and has spoken openly about his struggles with depression. Jet lag may also have been a factor.
The other match I watched was Wu Yize v Jackson Page. It was a good match to watch between two talented young players. Both of them like to attack but, despite their young age, they have more to their game than just “great potting”. You can’t survive on the tour nowadays if you don’t master all aspects of the sport, including a very solid safety game and a sound tactical nous. When Hendry started playing professionally, he “out-potted’ the opposition, his safety game was almost non-existent. When Ronnie started playing, and for several years, he won a lot just by being aggressive and being an excellent break-builder and potter. The wouldn’t be enough nowadays.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 