The quarter-finals round in Hong Kong yesterday yielded an “all Chinese” semi-finals line-up.
When the first Chinese “contingent” arrived in the UK, following Ding’s breakthrough, some predicted that they would soon dominate the sport because it’s such a huge country with a large population whilst others predicted that they would never be able to reach the level of the British players. Both groups were wrong.
Living in a very different culture isn’t easy and many of them suffered, still suffer, from being far away from their friends and family in a society that isn’t always kind to foreigners. It certainly didn’t help their career. I’m certain that most Brits would find it extremely difficult, maybe impossible even, to live in China, far from home, socially isolated, to learn the language and adapt to the local culture.
So, from me, it’s a big “well done guys!” to the four of them!
Zhang Anda reached his first ranking event semi-final in two years as he beat Wu Yize 5-2 at the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong.
World number 23 Zhang will face Ali Carter or Zhou Yuelong in Saturday’s semi-finals, while Xiao Guodong is also into the last four and he will meet Zhao Xintong or Chris Wakelin. Wins later today for Zhou and Zhao would mean an all-Chinese line semi-final line up for the first time ever in a ranking event.
Zhang, age 34, made his breakthrough in 2023 when he won his first ranking title at the International Championship, and in the same season he also finished runner-up at the English Open and the Players Championship. He climbed as high as tenth in the world, but has since slipped outside the elite bracket.
This week’s run is his best since the Players Championship in Telford in February 2024 when he finished runner-up to Mark Allen. And in fact he could earn a return to that event at the same venue as victory in his semi-final tomorrow would boost him into the top 16 of the Sportsbet.io One-Year rankings.
Breaks of 97, 92 and 74 gave him a 3-1 lead today, and although Wu pulled one back with a 101 in frame five, Zhang finished strongly with runs of 52 and 135 in the last two to reach his fourth ranking semi-final.
“There were a few scrappy moments, but I didn’t make many mistakes and generally played quite consistently,” said Zhang, who comes from the Guangdong Province close to Hong Kong. “I didn’t give him too many chances, and honestly I didn’t expect to win 5–2, because Wu has been in great form and full of confidence recently.
“The more I push myself, the harder it becomes. Sometimes a more relaxed ‘let it be’ attitude actually brings better results. Players like Zhao Xintong and Wu have very strong confidence, and that helps them a lot. With so many tournaments each season and so many chances to play top players, the gap will keep getting smaller, and their potential is huge.
“The younger Chinese players are improving very quickly. They are constantly playing high-level matches and facing top 16 or even top eight players, so they have far more learning opportunities than we did when I first turned pro. Back then, we hardly even met those top players, let alone played them. I’m confident that in the future, more Chinese players will be in the top 16.
“I grew up coming to Hong Kong a lot. This time my family are here with me the whole time, and my child watched me play live for the first time. That made it really special and very happy for me.“
Xiao, who has won the Wuhan Open in each of the last two seasons, followed up yesterday’s win over Ronnie O’Sullivan by beating Si Jiahui 5-2 to reach his 12th ranking semi-final. After losing the opening frame, Xiao took five of the next six with breaks of 72, 97, 122, 67 and 78.
“Today I felt a bit tired, with jet lag and poor sleep, but once you enter a tournament, you have to maintain the right mindset and commit fully,” said Xiao. “Since the start of January I have played more than 30 matches – I don’t think I’ve ever played this many before.
“Zhang Anda winning the (2023) International Championship really motivated me, because we came through around the same time. When I won later, that also helped inspire others and the younger players. This is probably the best year so far for Chinese players, though most of the top five are still British – we need more experience competing against them.“
Evening session
Zhou And Zhao Complete Historic All-Chinese Line-Up
A monumental fluke in the deciding frame helped Zhou Yuelong beat Ali Carter 5-4 in the quarter-finals of the World Grand Prix, a result which meant that for the first time in ranking event history, all four semi-finalists are from China.
In another close finish, Crucible king Zhao Xintong edged out Chris Wakelin 5-4, and he will meet Xiao Guodong on Saturday while Zhou will be up against Zhang Anda. This week’s event in Hong Kong has highlighted the muscle of Chinese players at the top level, as a record nine reached the last 16, six got the quarter-finals and now for the first time, after over 50 years of ranking events, four have made the semi-finals. England and Scotland are the only two nations to have previously achieved the same.
England’s Carter missed chances to beat Zhou and suffered a cruel slice of misfortune in the deciding frame. World number 30 Zhou, considered one of the best players yet to win a ranking title, is into his ninth semi-final and will be aiming for a fifth final.
Zhou took a 3-1 advantage before three consecutive breaks of 88 saw Carter edge 4-3 ahead. The Essex cueman had a match-winning chance in frame eight but missed the green to a baulk corner on 41 and Zhou punished him with a 66 clearance. At 4-4, Carter had the first clear opportunity and made 20 before failing to pot a red to top corner. Zhou went for a mid-range red and missed by several inches, but another red flew into the opposite corner, and he went on to make 56 which proved enough.
“I really wanted to win this match, which put some pressure on and made me a bit nervous,” admitted 28-year-old Zhou. “I had a bit of luck on my side, but most importantly I managed to hold my nerve under pressure. I knew that this match was creating history, with four Chinese players reaching the semi-finals of a ranking event. This is a great milestone and it gives us a lot of confidence going forward. More and more Chinese players are achieving good results, which allows us to learn from each other, encourage one another and motivate each other.
“It definitely won’t be an easy match tomorrow against Zhang, he’s in very good form, and we know each other very well. It will really come down to who can perform better on the day.“
World Champion Zhao continued his bid to win a first ranking title since his Crucible triumph last May as he edged out Wakelin 5-4 in an exciting contest. The 28-year-old is into his sixth ranking semi-final, and on each of the three occasions he has gone on to reach the final, he has lifted the trophy.
Zhao took a 4-1 lead with a top break of 84 before Wakelin stormed back to 4-4 with runs of 91, 76 and 118. In the decider, Zhao had the first clear chance and made 33 before playing safe, then got the better of a tactical exchange and added 33. Wakelin battled on and gained 15 points in fouls to require just one more snooker, before Zhao eventually sealed the result by potting the last red.
The result boosts Zhao’s hopes of a place in this month’s Sportsbet.io Players Championship – he will be in Telford unless he loses tomorrow and Zhang wins. Zhou is now sure of his place while Carter drops out of that race.
Zhao said: “Of course I’m thrilled to advance, though honestly neither of us played well from start to finish. Perhaps because I was coughing a bit today, I made unforced errors on many easy shots. I might have some allergies, so whenever I return to Guangdong, I tend to develop a cough. It’ll probably ease off in a couple of days, and maybe I’ll play better tomorrow.
“When I was leading 4-1 and he started closing the gap, I did wonder what would happen if I lost. But I kept telling myself to take it slowly, shot by shot, and finish decisively when possible.“
That interview with Zhao Xintong was actually in Cantonese, the local dialect. He would make a very popular Champion in Hong Kong. But the ‘mystery illness’ might sap his strength.
I am back from Hong Kong now. It’s a magnificent arena, but very large and the tournament does need to grow a bit to fill it. The numbers were steadily increasing through the week, but even Ronnie’s match was only about half full.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 
That interview with Zhao Xintong was actually in Cantonese, the local dialect. He would make a very popular Champion in Hong Kong. But the ‘mystery illness’ might sap his strength.
I am back from Hong Kong now. It’s a magnificent arena, but very large and the tournament does need to grow a bit to fill it. The numbers were steadily increasing through the week, but even Ronnie’s match was only about half full.