The final in Shenzhen tomorrow will feature two Chinese players, Yuan Sijun and Wu Yize.

Here is how we got to this, as reported by WST:

Yuan Reaches Maiden Ranking Final

Yuan Sijun edged out Jimmy Robertson 6-5 in a tense last four clash to make his maiden ranking event final at the inaugural Shenzhen Open.

China’s 26-year-old Yuan was competing in only his third ranking semi-final and the £34,500 he’d guaranteed ahead of today was already a career-high payday.

He now progresses to face either compatriot and World Champion Wu Yize or 2019 Crucible king Judd Trump in tomorrow’s final. A top prize of £177,000 will be on the line, with the first to ten frames taking home the title.

Defeat will be a bitter pill to swallow for Robertson. He misses out on the opportunity to add a second ranking title to the European Masters crown he won in 2018.

However, this event has heralded a marked improvement in the Englishman’s form. He’s won five matches in the tournament, as opposed to three in the rest of the campaign put together.

It was Yuan who looked more comfortable in a fragmented opening to the game. Trailing 2-0, Robertson had a chance to get off the mark, but spurned a frame-ball brown. Yuan punished and cleared to steal on the black to lead 3-0.

Crucially for Robertson, he stopped the rot by taking a 41-minute fourth and went into the mid-session just two behind at 3-1.

When play resumed, the standard moved up a level. Robertson pulled another back, before back-to-back century runs of 100 and 102 made it four on the bounce and saw him lead for the first time at 4-3.

Yuan rallied and made breaks of 64 and 62 to claim the following two frames and move one from the win, leading 5-4. However, Robertson dug deep to make 62 in the tenth and force a decider.

The final frame was more in keeping with the opening half of the match and lasted a nerve-shredding 50 minutes.

It all came down to the last red. With Yuan in control of the frame, Robertson laid a difficult snooker. He amassed 41 penalty points and turned the frame in his favour.

The ascendancy was to be short-lived when Yuan found a snooker of his own, Robertson failed to hit and left the balls at his opponent’s mercy. Yuan cleared to the pink to seal victory.

World number 33 Yuan said: “The pressure was huge throughout the whole match, right from the moment I came out to play. I could feel that I was playing completely differently compared with the previous few matches. Although I kept telling myself not to think about it, sometimes your brain just instinctively and subconsciously goes back to those thoughts.

“There were so many different feelings mixed together. There is happiness, but also the sense of how difficult it has been and all the struggles over the years. I suppose, in a way, this is a little bit of an answer to myself after all these years. So many emotions came together, and in the end, I probably just couldn’t quite control them.

“Of course, the crowd were very supportive of me throughout the match today. Whether I was behind or had made a break to go beyond my opponent’s total, they gave me very warm applause. So I’d also like to thank them very much.

“I feel that my first ranking final has come a little bit late. Since the pandemic in 2020, the years in between have been quite difficult, and I feel it hasn’t been easy. So after all these years, I just hope I can give myself something to show for it.”

Wu Overpowers Trump To Make Final

World Champion Wu Yize swept to six frames in a row to beat Judd Trump 6-1 and book his place in the final of the inaugural Shenzhen Open. 

Wu is chasing his third ranking crown and will face Chinese compatriot Yuan Sijun over the best of 19 frames, with a top prize of £177,000 on the line. 

The 22-year-old claimed snooker’s top prize back in May, beating Shaun Murphy 18-17 in a classic Crucible final. That saw him follow in the footsteps of Zhao Xintong the year before and become his country’s second World Champion. 

Having failed to go beyond the last 16 of a ranking event so far this season, Wu is now gunning for his first silverware since claiming glory in Sheffield. 

31-time ranking event winner Trump was remarkably competing in his 77th ranking semi-final. 

However, the world number two will have to wait to add to his silverware collection as he bids to regain top spot in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings, having been surpassed this season by Zhao.

Trump took the opener this evening with a break of 77, but Wu quickly shifted the momentum and gained a stranglehold on proceedings. 

A tight second went the way of the Crucible king, before a run of 81 gave him the lead at 2-1. 

The fourth came down to the final red, with Trump missing two opportunities before affording Wu his chance. He pounced and cleared to the pink to lead 3-1 at the mid-session. 

When play resumed, it was Wu who made a charge for the line. Breaks of 53 and 51 helped him take tight fifth and sixth frames to move one from the win. A century contribution of 110 took him over the line and booked a place in his fifth ranking final.

World number four Wu said: “This was the best safety performance of my professional career. It would have been nice if I could have been a little more fluent in scoring. This match was also very important for my career. To be able to perform at this level in terms of safety play is very satisfying.

“Playing Judd is always very straightforward in one sense. Even though I won six frames in a row, he put me under a huge amount of pressure in every frame. I needed to perform well in every aspect because it’s very difficult to get easy chances from him.

“When I was preparing for the evening match, I saw that Yuan had shed some tears. I believe it is his first ranking final. Hopefully we can put on a great match for everyone. Of course, I hope I can take the trophy home, but we will both give it everything we have. 

“Even when there isn’t a tournament here in Shenzhen, I come here quite often, so having the chance to play here for the first time made me even more excited. I’ve felt very energetic this time, and I hope I can finish the tournament on a high and give it everything I have.”

There isn’t much to add to the above reports.

Jimmy Robertson is a fantastic player when it his best, but he’s not always dealing that well under huge pressure. I felt like it showed a bit again at the very end of the match today, but, maybe, I’m wrong and I’m being too harsh on him. Him and Yuan Sijun served us a thrilling match and, from me, it’s “thank you” to both of them for the great entertainment !

Wu played like you expect from a World Champion, which isn’t always easy as it comes with huge pressure, precisely because of those “expectations”, not to mention that Judd Trump is always a formidable opponent. But today Judd had no answer to Wu’s excellent safety game and scoring power.