It was another well attended day of snooker yesterday in York and with only four matches on the menu WST was able to produce decent comprehensive reports and I don’t have much to add to them.
The crowd is always good in York, and fair as well. Still, I was surprised by the reception Zhao Xintong got. Here is a player from China who has been involved in a match fixing affair and, despite not having actually fixed any match himself, he faced some harsh lasting hostility from some corners on the Internet. There was nothing of that on show yesterday.
China’s first World Champion Zhao Xintong and his iconic compatriot Ding Junhui scored respective wins on Monday at the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship.
It was a historic afternoon in York, with the first ever all-Chinese lineup in a two-table session of a Triple Crown event.
Crucible king Zhao put on a superb display to see off Long Zehuang 6-1 in his first Triple Crown appearance since winning a maiden world title back in May.
Zhao climbed to the top of the snooker world with stunning wins over Ronnie O’Sullivan in the semi-finals and Mark Williams in the final.
He’s gunning for a second UK Championship title this week, having lifted the famous trophy in 2021 with a win over Luca Brecel in the final.
Zhao stepped out to a tremendous reception this afternoon and he thrilled the packed Barbican crowd from the off. A break of 107 gave him the opener, before a further three on the bounce meant the 28-year-old led 4-0 at the mid-session interval.
A break of 51 helped make it five, before a dramatic sixth frame. Long looked set to come from behind and steal before missing a tricky final pink on 60 for the frame. A safety battle ensued, with a fluke from Long eventually making it 5-1.
The resistance was to be short lived. A break of 72 helping three-time ranking event winner over the line to book a second round meeting with either Zhang Anda or Gary Wilson.
Zhao said: “I felt really good about my game from the start. After the break I started to make some mistakes. I think it’s alright though. I was able to play at a good level in my first match. It will get better and better. I have greater confidence in myself now.
“We will see more and more afternoons like this in the future. The Chinese players are getting stronger. Another all-Chinese lineup will happen soon, for sure.
“I have been aware of how much people expect me to do well since winning the world title, but I’m trying to keep a composed mindset. If I set my expectations too high for myself then I feel more pressure. I have been learning to deal with it and handle the stress. I’m trying to enjoy matches.”
On the other table, three-time UK Champion Ding overcame former International Championship semi-finalist Xu Si 6-4 in a hard fought encounter.
York is a happy hunting ground for Ding. He last lifted the famous trophy here back in 2019 and was runner-up in both 2022 and 2023.
Breaks of 103 and 66 helped the 38-year-old into a 3-1 advantage at the mid-session. When play resumed, a potentially momentum changing fifth went the way of Xu on a re-spotted black.
Xu then levelled, but Ding stopped the fightback with runs of 92 and 109 to move one from victory at 5-3. Xu pulled one back with 96 in the ninth, before Ding hammered home a match winning 64. He awaits the winner between Mark Allen and Scott Donaldson.
“I was a bit lucky to get the win today. He was struggling when play started but came back in the end. I am happy to win any match, but to have four players from China in a Triple Crown was fantastic,” said world number eight Ding.
“There are many young Chinese players now winning a lot. They are playing much better. I am trying to win as much as I can for the rest of my career. If I don’t, then I won’t get too disappointed looking back. I think I have done a lot for snooker in my career. I think I can be happy that I’m playing the way I want to play.”
An emotional Scott Donaldson scored a superb 6-1 defeat of world number seven Mark Allen to make the last 16 of the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship.
Donaldson’s father Hector sadly passed away last month and the Perth cueman was in tears as he made his entrance to the arena this evening, walking out to the David Gray song Babylon. Gray was one of his father’s favourite artists.
Tonight’s result is a continuation of a remarkable run for the world number 52. He summoned a sensational comeback in the last round of qualifying to reach York. Donaldson overturned a 5-0 deficit against 2015 World Champion Stuart Bingham to win 6-5.
Despite the one-sided scoreline this evening, the fragmented nature of the frames meant it was still a keenly contested clash. With Donaldson leading 2-0, the third frame lasted 59 minutes before the Scot eventually took it to lead 3-0. A break of 57 from Allen then gave him the fourth frame to trail 3-1 at the mid-session.
When play resumed Donaldson won two consecutive frames lasting over 45-minutes and then took the seventh on the black to get over the line. He clenched his fist after deposting the final ball. Donaldson will now face Chinese legend Ding Junhui.
“It is a game at the end of the day. It isn’t life or death. After what I’ve been through I can tell you what is important. When the pressure comes on, I tell myself, this is a game of snooker, get on with it,” said 31-year-old Donaldson.
“I was fine until I got to the top of the stairs – and the last time I was in this venue was with my dad. It was good emotion though. Tough to go through but once I got the first frame, after that I was all right.
“Every game is different. With my technique, I’ve got a lot of movement on different shots but if I can keep that under control I can play half decent. It isn’t just about me though. It is how my opponent plays as well. I’m looking forward to playing Ding.”
On the other table, Zhang Anda staged a superb fightback to defeat Gary Wilson 6-5 and set up a meeting with World Champion Zhao Xintong.
York is a happy hunting ground for Zhang, who made a 147 in last year’s event. He came through qualifying to reach this year’s edition, beating Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in the final round.
With the scores locked at 3-3, breaks of 65 and 91 helped Wilson to the verge of victory at 5-3.
Zhang won a tight ninth and then crafted a gutsy 77 to force a decider at 5-5. He controlled the last to get over the line and seal victory.
Zhang said: “Throughout the match, I felt mentally steady and didn’t worry too much about the result. Even when I was 5-3 down, I was just waiting him to give me a chance and I was ready to take it. That’s how I managed to come back.
“I don’t have high expectations for the next round. Since it is two Chinese players facing each other, we’ve already secured a spot in the quarter-finals, which is great. I just hope we can put on a good show and it isn’t one-sided, especially not on my end!”
During one of the sessions – I can’t remember which – Ronnie could be seen practicing in the background.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 