David Grace scored what he described as the best win of his career as he beat John Higgins 5-4 to reach the last 32 of the Shenzhen Open.
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Grace, who first turned pro back in 2008, had lost all of his five previous meetings with Higgins but this time the Englishman turned the tables on his legendary opponent to set up a match with Stephen Maguire on Wednesday at the £850,000 event in the Guangdong province of southern China. If world number 75 Grace wins that tie it will be only the second time he has reached the last 16 of a ranking event in China and first since the 2015 Shanghai Masters.
The result extends a slow start to the season for four-time World Champion Higgins, who has won just four matches in ranking events so far this term, and he joins fellow ‘Class of 92’ members Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Williams as opening-round losers this week.
Higgins opened with a break of 116 and soon led 2-0, but Grace then took four frames in a row with runs of 60, 64, 93 and 68. Another century, 101, helped Higgins back to 4-4, but a break of 60 put Grace in charge of the decider and he eventually won it on the pink after his opponent had battled for snookers on the colours.
“It’s probably my best ever win, John is the hardest player of all time to play against,” said Grace. “He has bashed me up so many times, he never gives you anything. I had chances to win 5-3, then John did what he always does and cleared up. At 4-4 I thought I’d had it but fortunately he gave me one more chance and I made a good break.“
Ricky Walden sprang another surprise as he beat Chinese favourite Ding Junhui 5-4, coming from 2-0 down to win with top breaks of 115 and 133. It’s a much-needed victory for three-time ranking event winner Walden as he is 63rd in the projected end of season rankings so the threat of relegation is looming.
“I’m buzzing, it was a good match to be involved in,” said Walden, who now meets English Open champion Ali Carter. “I showed some courage and grit in the end. I have a long way to go to get back to the ranking position that I want, but I have been working hard, my game is good. It’s not easy out there, you run into players in better form than me with more confidence. I have been stuck in the qualifiers which is tough to say the least. I feel I am rebuilding. I feel incredibly low when I’m playing badly and incredibly high when I’m playing well. Results will give me a boost and hopefully things can turn for me.”
World Champion Wu Yize beat Jamie Clarke 5-4 with top breaks of 67, 143, 88 and 123. “I played very well in this match,” he said. “After going 3-0 up, I made two mistakes in the fourth frame and didn’t really react to what was happening, so before I knew it, I was behind. I was a little worried that the situation might affect my confidence, but overall I think I handled it pretty well.”
Kyren Wilson top scored with 100 and 122 in a 5-1 defeat of Sam Craigie while Shaun Murphy saw off Marco Fu by the same scoreline with a top break of 111. Michael Holt edged out Xiao Guodong 5-4 while China Open champion Mark Selby enjoyed a 5-3 success against Andrew Higginson.
The last-32 round got underway in Tuesday’s evening session and Neil Robertson was among those to progress to the last 16 as he beat Lei Peifan 5-1 with a top break of 94. Jiang Jun couldn’t capitalise on yesterday’s win over Ronnie O’Sullivan as he lost 5-3 to Zak Surety, who made breaks of 83 and 118 in the last two frames.
Scott Donaldson knocked out Zhao Xintong on Monday and he followed up with a 5-4 win over Pang Junxu, taking the decider by clearing from the last green to black. Jimmy Robertson was in fine form in a 5-1 defeat of Ben Mertens, compiling runs of 121, 55, 62, 117 and 82.
Chris Wakelin has learned to embrace the opportunity to compete in tournaments in China and his positive attitude was reflected in a 5-0 win over Stuart Bingham to reach the last 16 of the Shenzhen Open.
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World number 12 Wakelin fired breaks of 77, 64, 72 and 65 in a one-sided victory as he set up a meeting with Neil Robertson on Thursday. Another win would give the Englishman a first quarter-final of the season.
Wakelin spent a month in the Far East in July and August, during the ‘China Swing’ of events in Shanghai, Taiyuan and Wuhan. Before the last of those, he visited the city of Cixi and made a new group of friends who even took him on a mountain cycling excursion. “I was probably the heaviest person there by about 40 kilos so you imagine me trying to get to the top!” the 34-year-old joked. “But they really made me feel at home, I met some amazing people and great friends and they are here with me this week.
“It helps me feel a lot more settled. We can go out, make plans and go for nice meals. When I first came to China my diet was Pringles and McDonald’s. It’s still difficult being away from my family but when I am here I want to feel as comfortable as possible and make the most of the opportunities that come my way. There will be a time in a few years when I’ll be begging to be able to come back out here and play snooker in front of all these fantastic people.”
China Open champion Mark Selby boosted his hopes of another title as he made three centuries – 132, 77, 135 and 138 – in a 5-1 win over Jackson Page. “It’s amazing what confidence does, I feel I am going to take chances when I get them, and you have to do that to win tournaments,” said Selby, whose next opponent is Stephen Maguire, a 5-1 winner over David Grace.
Shaun Murphy showed his break-building quality in a 5-1 defeat of Hossein Vafaei, knocking in runs of 132, 76, 64, 78 and 112 as he set up a match with Elliot Slessor.
Michael Holt lost qualifying matches for the International Championship and Scottish Open last week, but has hit back in Shenzhen with wins over Xiao Guodong and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, beating the latter 5-0 with breaks of 60, 67, 62 and 54. He now meets Kyren Wilson who saw off David Gilbert 5-2.
Holt said: “I had a bad run of results which drained my confidence, so I came here thinking I will have a swing at it and luckily I’m still going. I have qualified for a lot of events this season but have not kicked on at the venues which has been frustrating.“
World Champion Wu Yize came from 2-0 down to beat Xu Si 5-3 with breaks of 132, 126, 87 and 66. Wu is yet to reach a ranking quarter-final this season but will progress to that stage if he beats Ricky Walden. Wu said: “Overall we both played pretty well. Matches like this are enjoyable for both players. I have to say, I’m quite impressed by how difficult snooker is to play at the moment. I feel I’ve played well in both of my matches so far, but both opponents have put me under a lot of pressure. Hopefully I can keep this momentum going in the matches ahead. When I get back into that rhythm of playing regularly, I feel very confident out there.
“Guangdong probably has the best snooker atmosphere of any province in China, so hopefully there will be more tournaments here. The spectators here have made a particularly good impression on me. I personally really enjoy a lively atmosphere, and I really enjoy having lots of people watching me play. Hopefully I can give them a few more matches to watch and perform even better.“
Walden is into the last 16 of a ranking event for the first time since the 2025 English Open. He edged out current English Open champion Ali Carter 5-4 thanks to a break of 61 in the deciding frame. Slessor enjoyed a 5-2 victory over Barry Hawkins, while Yuan Sijun won a Chinese derby against Fan Zhengyi by a 5-1 scoreline to set up a tie with Zak Surety.
Shaun Murphy scored a third consecutive 5-1 victory at the Shenzhen Open, beating Elliot Slessor to set up a quarter-final meeting with Wu Yize – a repeat of their epic Crucible clash five months ago.
Having beaten Marco Fu and Hossein Vafaei 5-1 earlier in the week, Murphy continued the pattern as he comfortably saw off Slessor with a top break of 139. China’s Wu, meanwhile, battled past Ricky Walden 5-3 with a top run of 91 to earn his first ranking quarter-final of the season, giving his home fans a huge fixture to look forward to on Friday at 7.30pm local time.
Back in May, 22-year-old Wu edged out Murphy 18-17 in one of the best World Championship finals of all time. The pair met again in the quarter-finals of the invitational Shanghai Masters at the start of this season, Wu coming out on top again 6-5.
Asked after today’s match to look back on their Crucible clash, Murphy said: “Obviously my over-riding memory of the final is disappointment. I have said many times that I will never get over it. I have to live with it and move on. Whatever happens tomorrow, hopefully the best man comes out on top.
“All matches and tournaments are important, but the World Championship and particularly the final stands above all the others. I’m very grateful to have won it back in 2005, my name is on the trophy. I have lost in four other finals so I could be stood here as a three, four or five time champion – but I’m not. So every time I play one of the players who beat me in a final, of course I’ll remember.”
Wu, reflecting on his tie with Walden, said: “I tried a few things that I haven’t really dared to try much in matches before, such as adding certain side spin to my safety play. I’ve been working on my safety game recently, and in this match I managed to play one or two safety shots that I was really pleased with. I don’t think I was quite strong enough in terms of scoring today, so I want to do better tomorrow.
“I’ve always really enjoyed playing against Murphy. He’s one of the best players in the game at the moment, so I’ll just try to enjoy it and hopefully give the spectators something to enjoy as well.“
Judd Trump enjoyed a 5-2 success against Si Jiahui and he’ll meet Mark Selby in another blockbuster quarter-final. Breaks of 80, 71, 53 and 54 helped world number two Trump to reach the last eight of a ranking event for the 113th time in his career – the same tally as Selby.
“I have been to a few quarters and semis this season and been knocked out so it’s important to try to kick on this time,” said Trump. “At this stage there’s always a crucial ball or crucial frame. So far this season and maybe last season I have not been winning those. But that can change at any point, you have just got to keep putting yourself in those positions. When I was winning a lot of titles it was going my way, then there have been periods when I have done the same things but just rattled a ball instead of potting it. You have to keep putting the work in and wait for your turn.”
Selby beat Stephen Maguire 5-3 with a top break of 99. “It was a horrible match, I felt I brought Stephen down a bit. It was just a scrap really,” admitted the China Open champion, looking for a second title in the Far East within seven weeks. “I am always out there fighting, I would love to play one-visit snooker but it doesn’t always happen like that.”
Michael Holt reached his first ranking quarter-final since the 2024 UK Championship as he kept nerves at bay to beat Kyren Wilson 5-2. World number 46 Holt admits that anxiety during matches has held him back during his career, but this time the 48-year-old remained composed to knock out 2024 Crucible King Wilson. Nottingham’s Holt is already guaranteed a payday of £22,350 and if he can beat Yuan Sijun on Friday he’ll be into his first ranking semi-final since he won the Shoot Out in 2020.
“When you play someone at the top they are probably calmer than you at the start, if they miss you have to take your chances, you’ve got to show you are ready for it,” said Holt, who compiled breaks of 126 and 54 in taking a 3-0 lead, then later added two runs of 84 in the last two frames. “If you can get on top of them you have to keep potting. I did that today, I was pretty good.
“Towards the end he came back at me but I stood up to it. If he senses weakness then he can roll over you. I have said it for years but I can play the game properly, it’s just about doing it more consistently. I felt calm and my attitude was good. I just tell myself to be calm in the moment because ultimately that’s what the best players are better at. When they get the chance they can stay in that moment and pot the balls. There are loads of players who can pot the balls, but staying calm in that situation is the key.“
Wilson remains in danger of failing to qualify automatically for the Crucible in the Spring as he is currently 23rd in that race, so may need to win a title over the coming months to climb into the top 16.
Jimmy Robertson enjoyed a 5-0 success against Scott Donaldson to reach the ninth ranking quarter-final of his career. Donaldson had knocked out world number one Zhao Xintong as well as Pang Junxu, but he was no match for Robertson who fired runs of 68, 100, 63 and 75.
“From 2-0 I felt in control, it’s very pleasing to win 5-0,” said world number 45 Robertson. “I rate Scott very highly. We are in similar boats, we are more than capable of beating anyone and having deep runs, but then we can go missing for a while, it’s hard to get the results. At the qualifiers everyone is so strong, if you get on a losing run it’s difficult. But then you get a few wins and you are a danger for anyone. It’s nice to still be in and feeling good.
“I have still got a lot to prove and a lot to learn. If you don’t think you can win tournaments you shouldn’t really be playing. I have had 20 years on the tour now and I used to always look at draws, but I have realised you can’t do that because everyone is tough. If you get to a quarter-final then the chances are you will be up against a top player. I am trying to learn just to play my game rather than worrying about my opponent.”
He will now face Chris Wakelin, who enjoyed a 5-2 victory over Neil Robertson with runs of 86, 80, 72, 77 and 75. Wakelin, ranked 12th, is into his first quarter-final of the season and remains full of self-belief as he chases what would be the biggest title of his career.
“I’m really proud of that performance, especially playing Neil in front of a big crowd on table one,” said the current Scottish Open champion. “I felt I dominated from early on and made the most of my chances. I’ve had a new cue for the past two weeks which was a big change for me because I had used the previous one for 11 years and I really trusted it. But I feel very comfortable with the new one. It’s a big opportunity over the next few days but the only thing I am focussed on is being ready for my next opponent.“
I haven’t watched much at all, so can’t really comment.
The quarter-finals tomorrow will be interesting. We have two “heavy-weigths” matches as Mark Selby faces Judd Trump and Shaun Murphy faces Wu Yize.
The other two matches feature two players who are lower down the rankings. Jimmy Robertson will play Chris Wakelin. Of course, Chris is a top 16 player, but Jimmy Robertson on form is extremely dangerous. Yuan Sijun will play Michael Holt, who, currently ranked 51st, is the lowest ranked player left in the draw. However, everyone knows how good Michael is when at his best … and when he stays calm and focused 😉