Marco Fu has pulled out of the upcoming International Championship qualifiers and Xi’an Grand Prix having fractured his elbow.
The three-time ranking event winner from Hong Kong posted on social media to say: “Ouch I’ve just fractured my elbow haha…..don’t ask me how. Nothing too serious, but will be out of action for roughly 2 months. Sadly l need to withdraw from a number of tournaments, hopefully l can get back on the table ASAP. Thank you for your support, take care and see you soon.”
In the International Championship qualifiers, Fu was due to face Neil Robertson on Tuesday September 30th, and he has been replaced in the draw by Umut Dikme.
In the Xi’an Grand Prix, Fu had already won his qualifying match and was due to face Kyren Wilson or Haris Tahir in the second round, so the winner of that tie will receive a bye to the last 32.
Fu had enjoyed a strong start to the season, winning eight of his first 12 matches, and has an average sot time of 15.6 seconds, the fastest on the tour this term.
Ouch indeed! I’m wishing Marco the best possible, a full recovery, without lingering pain and a prompt but not hastily return to the baize.
Shaun Murphy came from 7-6 down to beat Anthony McGill 10-7 in a high quality final to win the Unibet British Open for the first time and his first ranking title in 26 months.
Murphy stepped up a gear in the last four frames of an intriguing contest which featured four centuries and ten more breaks over 60. The 43-year-old Englishman receives the Clive Everton Trophy and a top prize of £100,000, landing his first ranking crown since the 2023 Championship League.
Fearing that his career on the baize was on the slide, Murphy began work with fellow former World Champion Peter Ebdon last year, and that partnership has paid dividends as he won the Johnstone’s Paint Masters in January and has now added more silverware to his collection. He moves on to 13 ranking titles in all, one ahead of Mark Allen into tenth place on his own in the all-time list.
Murphy had a tough draw in Cheltenham, knocking out the likes of Judd Trump and Neil Robertson to reach the final, but proved his enduring class with a series of excellent displays. He becomes the first player to complete the ‘grand slam’ of ITV-televised events having previous won the World Grand Prix, Players Championship, Tour Championship and Champion of Champions. Moving from 16th to 12th in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings, he is up to fourth on the Sportsbet.io One-Year list.
Victory for McGill would have been the biggest triumph of his career – though he has previously won the Indian Open and the Shoot Out – and he looked composed at 7-6 ahead. But the contest slipped away from him and he had to settle for the £45,000 runner-up prize. Having struggled with his game over the past three years and fallen to 57th in the world, this is a much-needed boost for the Scot and he jumps back to 45th.
Tied at 4-4 after the first session, Murphy started strongly with a break of 78 to take the opening frame tonight. Ahead for the first time, the Englishman had another scoring chance in frame ten, but missed the black to a top corner on 15 and McGill responded with a run of 81 for 5-5. In the 11th, Murphy once again missed the black to corner when he led 37-0, and McGill took advantage with a break of 77.
Frame 12 was in the balance until McGill, leading 32-31, missed a long pot on the fourth-last red and Murphy added the points he needed to square the tie. After the interval, McGill’s run of 73 put him 7-6 ahead and he was among the balls early in frame 14 but failed to pot the pink to centre and Murphy restored parity again with a 76. McGill led 30-0 in the 15th when he ran out of position and missed a tough red to a baulk corner, letting Murphy in for a run of 72 which proved enough for 8-7.
Leading 34-0 in frame 16, Murphy converted a clever cross double on a red to centre, creating the chance for a break of 66 to go two up with three to play. McGill was on 43 in the next when he overcut a red to top corner, and he was later out-foxed in a safety exchange on the last red. Murphy slotted the red into a top corner to initiate the winning clearance.
“When you haven’t been in a ranking final for a long time, I was grateful for the opportunity and so pleased that my game was there today when I needed it,” said Murphy. “I have a great team behind me who help me so much, when I am not feeling 100 per cent they push me on. For it all to come together today is extremely rewarding. Having Peter Ebdon in my corner was invaluable because he has done it himself so he understands how I am feeling out there.
“I have been watching the likes of Trump, Selby and Robertson winning multiple titles in a season and I would like to get back to that level. I still think I am dangerous on my day, as I have proved this week so I just need to add consistency. I’ll be back on the practice table tomorrow.
“I have to give Anthony credit because he is so tough to beat, I respect him so much as a player and I’m sure there will be more titles for him in the future.“
McGill said: “I felt like the stronger player all day. I’m not sure what happened towards the end, I wasn’t nervous or anything, I just didn’t seem to participate in the last few frames. Shaun is a quality player. I have got my ranking back up so there are some positives, I feel a lot better about my game.”
I have nothing to add. I didn’t watch any of the final, because at the moment life is really coming in the way of snooker … and of any other hobby as well BTW. Also, I don’t particularly like or dislike any of the two finalists.
Anthony McGill remained on course for the greatest triumph of his career as he came from 3-2 down to beat John Higgins 6-3 in the semi-finals of the Unibet British Open.
McGill has two ranking titles to his name, at the 2016 Indian Open and 2017 Shoot Out, but the 34-year-old Glaswegian made it clear after today’s tie that victory in Cheltenham tomorrow would be the best moment of his life on the baize. He will meet Shaun Murphy or Mark Selby in the final, with first to ten frames to lift the Clive Everton Trophy and bank £100,000.
This week’s success is particularly sweet for McGill as his form and results had suffered over the past three years – indeed his previous ranking semi-final was at the 2022 Northern Ireland Open. He has slipped to 57th in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings – from a career high of 12 – and had even been in danger of relegation from the tour. But he is already guaranteed a boost of £45,000 and a return to the top 50.
Having turned 50 in May, four-time World Champion Higgins had hoped to become the oldest ever winner of a ranking title, but was outplayed today in the closing stages by his close friend and practice partner.
A cagey 30-minute opening frame came down to the colours and Higgins potted a tricky yellow but went in-off, handing McGill the chance to go 1-0 ahead. The second was resolved by a safety battle on the brown, Higgins converting an excellent long pot to create the opportunity to level the tie. A run of 62 gave Higgins the lead and he was among the balls first in frame four but missed a red to top corner on 16, letting McGill in for a break of 99 to make it 2-2 at the interval.
A superb 111 from Higgins gave him the fifth, then McGill dominated the next two with runs of 50 and 57 to lead 4-3. In frame eight, Higgins was on 13 when he was unlucky to knock a red in when splitting the pack off the blue, and his opponent punished him with an excellent 104 to go two up with three to play. Wishaw’s Higgins had an opportunity to pull one back but missed a red to centre on 37 in frame nine, and again McGill was clinical with a 93 clearance.
“It’s fantastic win for me because John is a legend,” said McGill, who is through to his fourth ranking final – the only one he lost was the 2017 Indian Open against Higgins. “This will be the biggest final of my career. I have had a lot of good wins at the Crucible but this would definitely top all of them. I wasn’t nervous today, I was really enjoying the occasion. I made a few mistakes, but tried to put them to the back of my mind and I felt good all the way through.
“I really want to compete in the final. Then if it doesn’t go my way, I’ll look back and it will be fine. But right now, I really want to end the week with the trophy in my hands. In the last couple of years I have won hardly any matches so this is a huge week for me.”
Higgins said: “Anthony hit the ball superbly well, like the way we all know he can. A big turning point was the fourth frame when I missed an unforgiveable red with the rest with the balls at my mercy. If I had gone 3-1 up I would have been in control. Then in the last frame I butchered a red to the middle, it was a horrible shot and I’ll leave the tournament with that in my mind. But every credit to Anthony, he finished the match off very well.“
Shaun Murphy is just one win away from ending a 26-month drought without a ranking title as he hammered defending champion Mark Selby 6-1 to reach the final of the Unibet British Open.
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In one of the few events with a random draw, Murphy has been handed some tough assignments this week in Cheltenham but has knocked out the likes of Neil Robertson, Judd Trump and now Selby. The 43-year-old’s final challenge will be against Anthony McGill over a possible 19 frames on Sunday for the Clive Everton Trophy and £100,000 top prize.
Murphy will be aiming for the 13th ranking title of his career and first since the 2023 Championship League, although he has lifted major silverware in that time as he won the Johnstone’s Paint Masters earlier this year. World number 16 Murphy could become the first player to complete the ‘grand slam’ of tournaments televised by ITV having previous won the Champion of Champions, World Grand Prix, Players Championship and Tour Championship.
His previous meetings with McGill have included two at the Crucible – Murphy winning a 2015 quarter-final then McGill gaining revenge in the opening round in Sheffield the following year.
Each of the first two frames tonight came down to a safety battle on the final green, and both times Murphy came out on top as he went 2-0 ahead. He then compiled a break of 116 to extend his lead, before Selby responded with a run of 123. In frame five Selby was on 54 when he missed a red to a centre pocket, and he later botched a safety on the last red, gifting Murphy the chance to go 4-1 ahead.
Former World Champion Murphy led by 60 points with three reds left in frame six, before Selby clawed his way back, gaining 20 penalty points. However, four-time Crucible king Selby then missed an awkward yellow to a baulk corner, and Murphy eventually went 5-1 ahead. That ended Selby’s resistance as Murphy’s break of 93 secured a 27th ranking final.
“If you are going to beat Mark you have to take the game to him and score when you get chances,” said Murphy. “I’m reluctant to say I mixed it with him in the safety department because I had to ride my luck at times. But overall I’m delighted with the performance.
“I’ve had a very tough draw to get to the final but hopefully that hasn’t taken too much out of me. It has been a while since I won a ranking event so it would be nice to pick up another one. This event has a huge history going way back to when I was young, I came to watch it as a kid . It holds special memories for me and it would be lovely to take the trophy home.”
Selby, who beat John Higgins in the final here last year, said: “Shaun played great from start to finish. There were a few fifty-fifty frames I could have won which could have made a difference. I should have won the fifth to get back to 3-2 to get back of the match. But I wasn’t good enough and Shaun was very strong.”
I don’t have anything to add about yesterday’s action. For some reason I can’t really explain why but I find Anthony hard to watch. Still i really want him to win today …
Shaun has been at it again recently …IF, really, Ronnie has abused him verbally when he was 12, that is, of course, wrong, but Shaun doesn’t give any information regarding the circumstances nor about what was said.
The rest is nonsense. Ronnie has brought more fans to snooker than anybody else and, importantly, he’s done it during a period when snooker was truly in decline and really needed a boost. He’s done it under constant media scrutiny. He’s done it despite a very difficult family situation and his battles with depression and addictions. What more does he need to do? He’s not perfect, true, but nobody is. He’s not doing or saying the right things all the time, true, but nobody does. He’s human. Now, surely, that’s unforgivable …
Mark Selby remained on course for a third consecutive Unibet British Open final as he beat Mark Williams 5-3 to reach the semi-finals in Cheltenham.
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Anthony McGill is also into the last four thanks to a 5-3 defeat of Stan Moody, reaching the semi-finals of a ranking event for the first time since the 2022 Northern Ireland Open.
Selby is defending champion having beaten John Higgins in last year’s final, and he also reached the final in 2023 before losing narrowly to Williams. He took a measure of revenge for that defeat today as he came from 3-2 down to take the last three frames.
Leicester’s Selby landed three titles last season but has had a relatively slow start to 2025/26 – today was his first ranking quarter-final. The 42-year-old is now into his 68th career ranking semi-final and he’s just two wins away from a 25th title.
In a battle between two players with seven world titles between them, Selby took the opening frame with a 41 clearance and added the second on the colours. Williams fought back to take three in a row before Selby’s break of 106 made it 3-3.
In frame seven, Williams led 54-1 when he missed a tricky mid-range red to a top corner, and that proved costly as Selby made 44 then got the better of a safety exchange on the last red and took advantage to regain the lead. Williams trailed 22-1 in the eighth when he missed the black to a top corner and his opponent sealed the result with a run of 39.
“We both played ok in patches and there were some silly balls missed as well,” said world number ten Selby. “It’s always a great win to beat Mark. This event has been good for me and hopefully I can get to the final again and get my confidence up. I am close to playing well, my concentration is wavering a bit. I am missing a few easy balls so I need to stay more focussed.“
Glasgow’s McGill won ranking tiles in 2016 and 2017 and was a Crucible semi-finalist in 2020. In recent years he has struggled to regain those heights, and was even in danger of tour relegation, having dropped to 57th in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings. So this week’s run is a much needed boost for the 34-year-old Scot.
Moody, who turned 19 this month, was seeking his first ranking semi-final and hoped to be the first British teenager to reach that stage since Judd Trump at the 2008 Grand Prix. He led 3-1 at the interval with a top break of 81, but McGill then dominated and took three in a row with top runs of 61, 77 and 71 to go 4-3 ahead. Frame eight came down to the colours and Moody’s attempt to pot the green to a top corner, playing with swerve as he was partially snookered, missed the target and that proved his last shot.
McGill said: “In the third frame I played a kamikaze shot on the blue and went 2-1 down, my head was gone. I deserved to lose the match just for that shot. But in the end I turned it around. At 3-1 down I actually felt in control. I had let him get ahead by making daft mistakes, but at 3-1 there was still a long way to go and I knew there was time to pull it back. It’s good still be here at this stage of a tournament, it has been a long time. I haven’t played in front of a crowd like that for a while. I feel good, I’m just trying to sink the balls.”
John Higgins played his best snooker of the season so far as he beat Louis Heathcote 5-2 to reach the semi-finals of the Unibet British Open, boosting his hopes of a 34th career ranking title.
From 2-0 down, Higgins produced a vintage display to take the next five frames in a row, compiling breaks of 86, 74, 66, 52, 135 and 50 to reach the 89th ranking event semi-final of his career. One more win would put him back into the final in Cheltenham, where he lost to Mark Selby a year ago. Higgins is seeking a third ranking title within six months having won the World Open and Tour Championship towards the end of last season. His next opponent will be close friend and practice partner Anthony McGill at 1pm on Saturday.
Just a month ago at the Wuhan Open, 50-year-old Higgins admitted that he was “really struggling with motivation” but he looks to have regained the enthusiasm this week, notably knocking out World Champion Zhao Xintong and then hitting top gear tonight.
“I hit the ball better, that’s probably the best I have felt this season,” said the Wizard of Wishaw. “I came over to the practice table today trying to find something because I wasn’t happy with the way I was hitting the ball, I felt I was bashing it. I tried a few little things and changed something technical, hopefully it works. Louis will be disappointed, he had chances to make it 3-1. After that I played well.
“It has been an enjoyable week, (wife) Denise has come down so it has been great to have company. It can be soul destroying at some events because you are basically on your own in your room a lot of the time. I’m not sure if she will be able to come to all of them.
“I’m looking forward to tomorrow, especially playing Anthony. I am delighted to see him in a semi-final and he’s pushing onwards again. It will be a great game, I will be trying my hardest, but if I lose to him then he’ll be in a big final and that would get his confidence back up. He’s a great boy.”
Shaun Murphy continued his bid to win a first ranking title in 26 months as he thrashed Mitchell Mann 5-1. He will now meet Mark Selby in a blockbuster battle on Saturday at 7pm.
Murphy was 3-0 up within 40 minutes, compiling breaks of 57, 54, 75 and 87. Frame four came down to the colours and Mann converted an excellent long pot on the blue to keep his hopes alive at 3-1. But after the interval, Murphy regained his momentum with a break of 51. Mann looked set to pull one back when he made 63 in frame six, only for Johnstone’s Paint Masters champion Murphy to clear superbly with 73 to reach his 54th ranking event semi-final.
“It’s really rewarding to see the hard work paying off,” said world number 16 Murphy. “Last summer I took a leaf out of Judd Trump’s book because he has said in the past that it’s not rocket science, he just practises harder than everyone else. He hasn’t practised harder than me in the last few months. I am doing the right things away from tournaments. I am still a long way from taking the trophy home, but if it’s not this week then it will be soon.
“Mark Selby seems to love this event – I don’t know if there is something in the water in Cheltenham that he likes or if he is half horse! We have been knocking hell out of each other since we were nine years old, we have played in a lot of gala matches and we are really good mates. I think it will be close.”
I haven’t much to add. I only watched Selby v Williams in the afternoon. There were indeed some apparently silly misses during the match. I write “apparently” because it seems to me that this has been a “trend” all week in all the matches I watched. Maybe the conditions are a factor. There has been a huge crowd all week, which is good but also comes with challenges. We see it at the Masters every year. It’s not just the inevitable coughing, sneezing or movement, it’s also the atmosphere that becomes hotter and more humid as matches go on because humans are living beings, not robots … they react to emotions, they move, they gasp, they breath, their body produce heat and sweat. It can be off-putting at times, but it also creates the huge atmosphere on which players thrive.
There was double disappointment for Neil Robertson on Thursday afternoon at the Unibet British Open as he narrowly missed out on a 1,000th career century and lost 4-1 to Shaun Murphy.
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Robertson is on the verge of becoming the fourth player, after Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump and John Higgins, to cross the 1,000 tons milestone, but for now remains stuck on 999. Murphy goes through to the last 16 in Cheltenham and will face Trump or Martin O’Donnell on Thursday night.
Breaks of 86 and 50 helped put Murphy 2-0 ahead then Robertson replied with a run of 100. Murphy pinched frame four on the colours, then in the fifth Robertson was on course for his 1,000th century until he missed the last red to a top corner on 66. The frame came down to a respotted black and Murphy slotted it into a centre pocket.
Mark Williams edged out Mark Allen 4-3 to set up a tie with Lei Peifan. Defending champion Mark Selby saw a 3-0 lead slip away against Joe O’Connor, but Selby eventually prevailed 4-3.
Ali Carter top scored with 86 in a 4-0 win over Iulian Boiko. Ben Mertens reached the last 16 of a knockout ranking event for the second time in his career with a 4-0 success over Robbie McGuigan, and the Belgian will now meet John Higgins. Wuhan Open king Xiao Guodong edged out Zhang Anda 4-3 with a run of 62 in the decider.
Louis Heathcote equalled the best ranking event run of his career with a 4-2 defeat of Liam Davies to reach the quarter-finals of the Unibet British Open, and paid tribute to his new mentor Anthony Hamilton.
World number 88 Heathcote is into the last eight of a ranking event for the third time and will meet John Higgins on Friday evening. The Leicester cueman has fresh enthusiasm this season as he is working with highly-respected former pro Hamilton who called time on his 34-year career at the end of last season.
“He’s an absolute legend, I love spending time with him,” said 28-year-old Heathcote. “Last season I started practising with him because I felt I was always losing to those type of experienced players so I wanted to learn something from playing with him. I knew it was going to be torture, but I wanted to learn how to beat him. I absolutely loved it, he made me feel great and gave me advice and praise. When he lost in Q School, I gave it two days then I messaged him and asked if he would work with me.
“I am buzzing to be back in a quarter-final. I put a lot of work in over the summer and kept that going into the season, and the results are validating that work.”
Higgins enjoyed a 4-1 victory over Ben Mertens with a top break of 76.
It was some day for Shaun Murphy as he beat Neil Robertson 4-1 and world number one Judd Trump 4-3 to earn a quarter-final tie with Mitchell Mann. He took a 3-1 lead over Trump with a top break of 131, then his opponent fought back to 3-3 before Murphy finished in style with a 123.
“I must be in a very small club of players who have beaten Neil and Judd on the same day,” said Murphy, who recently dropped out of the world’s top 16 for the first time in 19 years, but has already regained his place among the elite. “In a way it made my job easy today because I knew I needed to play at my best
“I wasn’t aware of my run in the top 16 until I was out and it was all over social media. I am very proud of that run although it makes me very old as in my head I am still 25!“
Mann continued his fine run with a 4-2 win over Barry Hawkins and he’s into the third ranking quarter-final of his career.
Defending champion Mark Selby sailed into the quarter-finals by beating Chang Bingyu 4-0 in just 58 minutes with top breaks of 93, 78 and 70. He now faces an intriguing clash with Mark Williams, who saw off Lei Peifan 4-1 with a top run of 123.
Teenager Stan Moody continued to underline his potential as he beat Ali Carter 4-3 with top breaks of 86 and 69. His next opponent is Anthony McGill, who saw off Xiao Guodong 4-2 with top runs of 105 and 87.
At times I really wonder why some players enter those competitions, especially as the entry fees are not insignificant. For instance, currently competing in Dubai is Mohamed Al Joker. He’s 52. He’s a former pro … he’s been on tour for one season in 1996/97, his highest competitive break is 114 and his highest pro ranking was 388. Surely he can’t seriously hope to get back on the main tour and to be able to compete with the current pros? But maybe the money isn’t an issue and he just sees it as an opportunity to play in a proper tournament, under pro conditions and, possibly, to reconnect with a few former “colleagues”? Why not, indeed …
Mitchell Mann overcame a broken down car and being docked a frame to beat Gao Yang 4-3 and reach the last 32 of the Unibet British Open in Cheltenham.
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Mann will be back at the table to face Antoni Kowalski in the third round on Wednesday night, and at least will have a much less stressful journey to the baize. The 33-year-old set out from Birmingham to drive to Cheltenham at 8am this morning, but just 20 minutes later saw a ‘flat tyre’ warning light on his dashboard.
“Within a minute I was on the hard shoulder and had no spare type, I was completely stranded,” said the world number 91. “Luckily my friends Tom and Jack, who are greenkeepers at the golf club where I have my practice table, answered my call and they came to pick me up. One of them drove me to Cheltenham and the other waited with my car for the RAC. I should have driven down last night, it’s a lesson learned. I have no idea where my car is now!“
Arriving ten minutes late, Mann started the match 1-0 down, but battled back for victory, taking a tense deciding frame by clearing from the last red.
Judd Trump recovered from a slow start to beat tour rookie Leone Crowley 4-1. Ireland’s Crowley won the opening frame and had a chance in the second but missed a tricky final yellow. World number one Trump stole the frame to gain a foothold then took the last three with a top break of 100.
Mark Allen made it nine wins in a row as he beat Bulcsu Revesz 4-1 with a top break of 69. Allen won the BetVictor English Open last week and is into the third round here and a tie with Mark Williams at 1pm on Thursday. Shaun Murphy saw off Scott Donaldson 4-1 with a top run of 80 and will meet Neil Robertson in another huge last 32 clash.
Defending champion Mark Selby top scored with 115 in a 4-3 win over Liu Hongyu, while Cheung Ka Wai made an 83 in the decider to beat Matthew Stevens 4-3.
John Higgins took a huge scalp in round three of the Unibet British Open as he beat World Champion Zhao Xintong 4-2 to reach the last 16.
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Four-time Crucible king Higgins admitted that he was “really struggling for motivation” at last month’s Wuhan Open but looks to have regained his hunger this week in Cheltenham. After edging past Mark Davis and Jack Lisowski by 4-3 scorelines, tonight was Higgins’ best performance of the week as breaks of 76, 82 and 55 helped him outplay Zhao. Scotland’s Higgins will now face Ben Mertens or Robbie McGuigan on Thursday evening.
Barry Hawkins recovered deficits of 2-0 and 3-2 to beat Jak Jones 4-3, finishing superbly with an 88 in the decider. “I was cueing terribly at the start of the match and felt jaded,” said Hawkins, who was runner-up in the UK Championship and German Masters last season. “It was a late start for me, usually at 9pm I’m tucked up in bed with a cup of tea and the TV on, then I’m snoring by 10pm!
“It was only in the last frame that I switched on and made a really good break, so I’m delighted to still be in the tournament. I have been consistent for a while. When I get to this stage of tournaments I need to push on and try to win more, rather than relaxing.”
Liam Davies kept the best run of his pro career going with a 4-2 defeat of David Lilley, highlighted by breaks of 123, 59 and 63. The 19-year-old Welshman’s only previous appearance in the last 16 of a ranking event came at the 2023 Shoot Out.
Anthony McGill top scored with 91 in a 4-1 defeat of Oliver Lines. Mitchell Mann, who almost failed to make it to Cheltenham at all as his car broke down on the way to the venue this morning, is into the last 16 of a ranking event for the fifth time in his career after beating Antoni Kowalski 4-2 with a top break of 101. Louis Heathcote stormed to a 4-0 whitewash of Zak Surety, his top run 105.
Two close matches finished past midnight local time and aren’t mentioned in the above report:
Stan Moody beat Ian Burns by 4-2 in a close match. Most frames were hard-fought. The highest break of the match was only a 70 by Burns. Moody came out the winner with a match high break of 66.
Chang Bingyu beat Noppon Saengkham by 4-3. The match too was hardfought, close and rather low scoring.
Stan Moody scored the best win of his career so far with a 4-2 victory over Kyren Wilson to reach the last 32 of the Unibet British Open in Cheltenham.
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Promising 19-year-old Moody has had a strong start to the season, highlighted by a run to the quarter-finals of the Wuhan Open when he knocked out Barry Hawkins and Ding Junhui. And tonight’s success is another step forward on the English teenager’s journey as he looks to establish himself as a contender for titles.
A break of 132 helped Moody build a 3-1 lead, and although 2024 World Champion Wilson pulled one back with an 82 in frame five, the underdog clinched the result with an excellent 44 clearance in the sixth.
“It’s definitely my best win on tour,” said world number 55 Moody, who now faces Ian Burns on Wednesday night. “Beating Ding in China was very good but this tops it, on ITV in front of a big crowd in Cheltenham. I tried to stay as calm as I could towards the end and managed to get over the line. I felt comfortable out there, I am getting more used to playing on the TV table.”
Pick of the third round ties will see four-time Crucible king John Higgins go head to head with current World Champion Zhao Xintong at 7pm on Wednesday. Higgins enjoyed a narrow 4-3 success for the second round in a row, as he came from 3-1 down to beat Mark Davis on Monday and today edged out local favourite Jack Lisowski.
Leading 3-2, Lisowski failed to take several chances to close out the match in frame six, allowing Higgins to pinch it on the colours before winning the decider with a superb 132.
Higgins said: “The century in the last frame was my only real highlight of the match. I brought Jack down to my level because he was timing the ball well but then he must have seen all the balls I was missing and it played havoc with his head. I am so lucky to still be in the tournament, I really need to improve. Jack looked amazing when he went 3-2 up but then he missed a few in frame six.
“I know I have not put the effort into practice and you get what you deserve – I should have gone out in the first round. But the last frame today did give me some confidence. Last week Mark Allen was behind in so many matches and ended up winning it so it can happen. My fighting qualities are still there.”
China’s Zhao beat Stuart Bingham 4-1 with top breaks of 127 and 133, becoming the first player to reach 20 centuries so far this season.
Bai Yulu just missed out on becoming the first woman to beat a top 16 player in a ranking event as she lost 4-3 to Zhang Anda. Three consecutive centuries, 101, 130 and 125, put Zhang 3-1 up before Bai recovered to 3-3 only to lose the decider.
Robbie McGuigan scored one of his best wins, beating He Guoqiang 4-3, taking the decider on the final black. Mark Williams enjoyed a 4-3 win over Sanderson Lam while Iulian Boiko top scored with 101 in a 4-2 victory over Sam Craigie.
Gary Wilson made a tournament high 144 but was beaten 4-1 by Anthony McGill. Neil Robertson took his career tally of centuries to 998 as a break of 100 helped him beat Xu Si 4-1.
Not mentioned in the above report is the excellent 4-2 win by Antoni Kowalski over the vastly experienced Robert Milkins in a match that featured a break over 50 in 5 out of the 6 frames they played. Antoni scored the highest break of the match, a 109.
Stan Moody is really developing well. In general, I’m not a fan of “bigging” very young players too much. Sometimes it creates expectations that are “too heavy” for their young shoulders and their still immature personality. It can destroy them. I have seen it happen years ago with Rodion Judins. When that happens it’s very sad, it’s not fair and it’s not helping the sport either.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 