It was a truly crazy day in Shanghai today… read here the report shared by WST:

Superb Wilson Denied History After No Look Black

Kyren Wilson and Si Jiahui narrowly missed out on history after the Warrior spurned a no look black for a century in the final frame of his 6-5 victory at the Shanghai Masters. 

The match included six century breaks, which tied the most ever in a best of 11 match. The pair equalled Judd Trump and Neil Robertson’s match in the 2016 Masters as well as Robertson’s meeting with Selby in the 2020 Champion of Champions. 

Wilson enjoyed a fantastic season last term, following up from his World Championship win in 2024. The Englishman claimed four ranking titles, but was unable to end the Crucible Curse, losing out to Scottish Open Champion Lei Peifan 10-9 in the opening round in Sheffield. 

He’s kicked the new campaign off with an early contender for match of the season. However, it was former Crucible semi-finalist Si who came charging out of the blocks with 55, 124 and 139 to lead 3-1 at the mid-session, with a 120 from Wilson in the third frame keeping him in touch. 

When play resumed, breaks of 82, 114 and 114 helped Wilson on the way to restoring parity at 4-4, before Si hammered home a 127 to regain the lead at 5-4. Wilson forced a decider with 83 in the tenth and had the chance for a record seventh century of the match in the 11th, but attempted to pot the final black while looking away and his run ended on 97. He now faces either Ronnie O’Sullivan or Barry Hawkins. 

“I did the silly no look thing. Especially in China, I feel the sport is blowing up out here and a lot of it is about doing things a bit differently. You have to have a bit of fun. The crowd appreciate that sort of thing. I didn’t know it could have broken the record. That is disappointing, but it was an amazing game to be involved in. It was crazy,” said 33-year-old Wilson. “There’s no chance I’d have just rolled that black in, even if I knew about the record. It is still about doing things differently. We are stepping into a modern era in snooker.

“I don’t think a game can get any harder than that. I think up until the last couple of frames he missed one ball. He was relentless and some of the balls he knocks in are frightening. I worked hard going into this event and I’m glad I can see that shining through. That has allowed me to battle back into the game and do enough to win it.”

World number one and defending champion Judd Trump scored an impressive 6-2 win over Australia’s 2010 World Champion Neil Robertson. 

The Ace in the Pack crafted century runs of 103 and 127 during the win and now faces a meeting with four-time Crucible king Mark Selby. 

2019 World Champion Trump said: “Every match at this tournament is very tough. I’m just trying to treat everyone the same. Mark Selby played very well today, so I will have to be at my best to win. I’ve not played him for a long time in a big event, so it is one I’m looking forward to.“

Selby produced an incredible display to beat close friend and long time rival on the baize Shaun Murphy 6-0. The pair have been battling it out since playing on the junior circuit at the age of ten, with 2005 World Champion Murphy coming into today having won three of their last four meetings. 

However, four-time Crucible king Selby completely dominated on this occasion. Breaks of 66, 52, 115, 81, 73 and 137 saw him coast home to victory.

Chinese legend Ding Junhui scored a thrilling 6-5 win over compatriot Zhang Anda to set up a potential blockbuster showdown with World Champion Zhao Xintong. The match included a stunning 147 for Zhang, but it was Ding who edged through on the colours in the decider. Zhao now faces Chris Wakelin to decide who will play Ding.

Former Shanghai Masters winner Ali Carter thrashed wildcard Lei Qiu 6-1, while Wuhan Open champion Xiao Guodong beat Lei Peifan 6-3. They now face Mark Williams and John Higgins respectively. 

Here is Zhang’s 147, shared by WST on YouTube

One thing I have to say about the Chinese fans is that their enthusiasm truly inspires players to try and entertain whilst giving it everything to win at the same time. Also, they have their favourites, of course, but they are very fair with all players. As a result, the players feeling valued and appreciated are strongly motivated not just to win but also to entertain in the process of winning.