John Higgins won a dramatic deciding frame on the final black to beat Zhao Xintong 6-5 and reach the semi-finals of the Johnstone’s Paint Masters, raising his hopes of a first Triple Crown title in 15 years.
In the match of the tournament so far, Higgins hit back from 5-3 down to take the last three frames, getting the better of a thrilling decider by clearing from the last red. The 50-year-old snooker legend is into the last four at Alexandra Palace for the first time since 2018 – though he was runner-up in 2021 when the event was staged in Milton Keynes.
Scotland’s Higgins now meets Judd Trump or Mark Allen on Saturday afternoon and he is just two wins away from becoming the oldest ever Masters champion, a record held by Ronnie O’Sullivan who was 48 when he lifted the trophy in 2024. Though he has won huge titles in recent years including last season’s Tour Championship and World Open, Higgins has not landed a Triple Crown since the 2011 World Championship.
Masters champion in 1999 and 2006, Higgins is into the last four for the tenth time and he is the oldest semi-finalist since Eddie Charlton in 1983.
Both players received a standing ovation as they entered the bear pit, then World Champion Zhao took the opening frame with a break of 89 before Higgins responded with an excellent 114. In the third, Zhao led 49-30 when he stroked a superb long pot on the third-last red to a top corner, creating the chance to lead 2-1. Back came Higgins with a run of 64 to level, then Zhao regained the advantage with a break of 74.
Higgins took frame six with contributions of 43 and 37, then the seventh came down to the last red and Zhao trapped his opponent in a snooker to set up the chance to edge 4-3 in front. In frame eight, Higgins had a chance to clear for 4-4, but missed an awkward black to a top corner after potting the last red at 45-33, and his opponent punished him to double his lead. A scrappy ninth frame went Higgins’ way and in the tenth he enjoyed a huge slice of fortune as, leading 35-28, he attempted a risky long plant, missed the target but one of the reds flow into another pocket and he went on to make 58 for 5-5.
World number five Higgins had first chance in the decider and made 34 before missing a red to a top corner, then Zhao countered with 53 and laid a snooker on the last red. Higgins hit the red but left a tough pot to a baulk corner, and China’s Zhao went for it full-blooded but it rattled in the jaws. Holding his nerve, four-time Crucible king Higgins cleared with 31, punching the air in delight.
“It’s an incredible feeling,” said Higgins. “I was really lucky from 5-3 to 5-5 because I missed a few balls and got away with it, that’s the reason I am still standing here. At 5-4 I tried a plant and butchered it and fluked the red. It was fate maybe. I stayed down a little bit extra on the final black to make sure I could not miss it.
“At my age I appreciate wins like this a lot more. Even when I missed the black and went 5-3 behind, normally I would be devastated but this time I was looking around and thinking this is an incredible arena, and I just told myself not to give up. I can’t wait to get back out there on Saturday afternoon.”
Zhao, who needs to win the Masters to complete the Triple Crown but will have to wait for another chance, said: “John played really well today. In the last frame I had a chance but I missed the last red.”
Judd Trump moved another step closer to ending his 13-month title drought as he beat Mark Allen 6-2 to reach the semi-finals of the Johnstone’s Paint Masters.
World number one Trump will now face John Higgins in a huge clash on Saturday afternoon at Alexandra Palace – a repeat of the 2011 and 2019 World Championship finals though it will be their first meeting at the Masters. Trump has won their last seven fixtures and will hope to continue that sequence.
Trump is into the semi-finals of this event for the eighth time and he dreams of lifting the trophy for a third occasion having landed the top prize in 2019 and 2023. The Englishman has unquestionably been the most prolific winner of the past decade but is in a barren spell as he has not held silverware since the 2024 UK Championship. Victory this week for the 36-year-old would represent an emphatic return to form.
Allen came from 54-0 down to win the opening frame with a 69 clearance, before Trump levelled in a scrappy second. Frame three was the longest of the tournament at 48 minutes and a long tactical exchange on the final blue ended with a fabulous long pot from Trump, adding pink and black for 2-1.
Northern Ireland’s Allen made a 76 to square the match and in frame five he was on 68 needing just one more red when he missed a straight-forward pot to a top corner. That proved a pivotal moment as Trump capitalised with as 50 clearance, then compiled a run of 70 in the next for 4-2. He went on to dominate frame seven to extend his lead, and made a break of 68 to take charge of the eighth, eventually sealing the result by potting the last red.
“It was a hard game, sometimes against Mark it goes a bit scrappy,” said Trump. “That was probably the worst I have played for a while so it’s pleasing to get the win. It will be a brilliant game against John, he’s my favourite player of all time to go up against. This event is on a par with the World Championship for me, the atmosphere is even better. So to play John here in a semi-final, it will be an incredible occasion.
“You need really good concentration out there. It will be special. As John gets older he is appreciated even more because we don’t know how long he will keep playing for.”
Allen said: “Missing the red in the fifth frame turned the match. I was disappointed to be 2-2 at the interval because I felt I should have been 3-1 up. Judd made a great clearance to go 3-2 up because before that he looked all at sea with his positional play, but that break settled him down and after that he got very strong as the match went on.“
The afternoon match was a great match to watch, for the neutral, or for John Higgins fans. I’m neither. Twenty years ago, in this event, Ronnie called John a “lucky bastard”. It was in jest, of course, but … there is some truth in it. Some players seem to get more run of the balls than others. John is one of them. But then, maybe it’s skills, not luck. Maybe they are better at weighting “percentages” therefore seemingly getting more “luck” than others.
Judd Trump produced perhaps his best performance of the season so far as he fired three centuries in a 6-2 win over Ding Junhui in the opening round of the Johnstone’s Paint Masters, earning a quarter-final tie with Mark Allen.
World number one Trump hopes that 2026 will prove a more prolific year than 2025 as he hasn’t lifted a trophy for 13 months. And he made an ideal start to snooker’s biggest invitation event with a tremendous display of break-building to reach the last eight for the tenth time.
The result continued the amazing sequence of all seven matches so far this week finishing with a 6-2 scoreline.
Trump in fact showed consistent form before Christmas, reaching the finals of the Northern Ireland Open, Champion of Champions and UK Championship, pipped to the title by Jack Lisowski in the first of those and Mark Selby in the other two. Perhaps this could be the week when he ends his barren spell and the 36-year-old, who lifted the Paul Hunter Trophy in 2019 and 2023, hopes to become only the seventh player to win it on three occasions.
Trump took a 31-minute opening frame by getting the better of a safety battle on the last red, and soon extended his lead to 3-0 with breaks of 116 and 69. Ding hit back with a run of 98 in the fourth, then he came from 54-0 down to win the fifth, compiling a run of 53 before out-foxing his opponent in a tactical exchange on the yellow.
However China’s Ding failed to pot a ball in the last three frames as Trump finished in superb style with breaks of 88, 117 and 109. He will meet Allen at 7pm on Thursday evening.
“It was a good performance, I didn’t do a lot wrong,” said 2019 World Champion Trump, who has now won his last five meetings with Ding. “I started well then Ding was back in it at 3-2, so I was happy to find some momentum and make good breaks.
“In the last six weeks I have been confident with my cue and had a lot of good performances. When I have played decent I have made it hard for my opponents.
“If I went the whole season without winning a title I would be disappointed because I feel I have played well enough to win an event. There is a lot of time left and a lot of big events. You just have to be patient and wait for the chance to pop up. In the last few finals I have fallen short and not played to the same standard, so next time I have to find that fire when I get to a final.”
Ding said: “I played a few terrible safety shots and let him have chances. He was playing well and I wasn’t at a good enough level to play against him. His standard is very high. He didn’t miss much and it is very difficult to play him.”
Neil Robertson raised his hopes of a third Johnstone’s Paint Masters title, and his chances of taking his season’s prize money into seven figures, as he beat Chris Wakelin 6-2 in the opening round at Alexandra Palace.
World number three Robertson is into the quarter-finals of this event for the 13th time and, having won the title in 2012 and 2022, hopes to become the seventh player to reach three crowns, joining Ronnie O’Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis, Cliff Thorburn, Paul Hunter and Mark Selby. His next test will be against Kyren Wilson on Friday evening.
What Are The Chances?
It’s The 202-6 Masters!
All eight first round matches this week have finished with a 6-2 scoreline. The odds against that happening are estimated at 1.9 million to one!
Last August Robertson won the top prize of £500,000 at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, the biggest of his career, and if he could add the £350,000 winner’s cheque this week then his total for the season would go past £1 million for the first time, with four months of the campaign still to run.
Robertson took the opening frame with breaks of 40 and 44, then he could have pinched the second from 72-1 down as he clawed his way back and got the snooker he needed on the final blue to trail by just 17 points. But the Australian then fouled the blue himself and eventually Scottish Open champion Wakelin potted the pink for 1-1.
A run of 53 helped Robertson take the third, before Wakelin responded with an excellent 101 for 2-2. After the interval, Robertson stepped up the pace with breaks of 116 and 135 to go 4-2 ahead. Frame seven was resolved on a safety exchange on the last red and Robertson converted a cracking long pot to a baulk corner which set him up to extend his advantage.
Wakelin, who made his debut in this event last year, had a clear chance in frame eight but overcut a tricky red to a top corner on 33 and Robertson stormed over the winning line with a break of 102. That was his third century of the match and 46th at the Masters, equalling the tally of Hendry; only O’Sullivan has scored more.
“At 2-2 I hadn’t done much wrong, then after the interval I got on a roll,” said 43-year-old Robertson. “At the end I really wanted to win 6-2 in case someone had £1 on all eight matches finishing by that score! I always get tremendous support here and I am humbled by that because it is tough being an Australian over here and trying to get the crowd on my side when I am playing someone from the UK. The fans have always been brilliant with me and hopefully when I am playing well that’s something they want to see.“
Wakelin said: “I felt really good at 2-2, then Neil came out and made back to back centuries, and I felt like I melted out there. What an amazing tournament and a great opportunity. You can’t play amazing snooker every week, I haven’t got that consistency yet.”
It was always going to be difficult for Chris Wakelin facing someome like Neil Robertson but despite the defeat he seems to have really enjoyed the experience, and I’m glad he was given the opportunity.
As for Ding, I have lost the count of the matches were he looked strong at the start and then faded away. It often “turns” on one shot, one mistake… Ding would probably benefit from the help of someone like Steve Peters, but that person should be a Chinese native speaker. This is the kind of therapies where talking, expressing oneself accurately and being certain the therapist understands every nuance and underlying emotions is of essence
Yesterday at Ally Pally served us two great matches, one of them was always going to produce a winner I like, the other one no so much … well, ok, I won’t go that route again.
Having cut a dejected figure at last month’s UK Championship, Kyren Wilson was back on form on and off the the table in the opening round of the Johnstone’s Paint Masters, beating Si Jiahui 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals.
The first half of this season was full of obstacles for Wilson as his wife Sophie had serious health issues, while on the baize he lost form and the cue which won him the 2024 World Championship was accidentally broken. His struggles reached a low point when he lost to Elliot Slessor in the opening round in York and he told BBC he was on the edge of a mental breakdown and that he “wanted to smash the place up” in frustration.
Thankfully Sophie’s health has improved and the couple are working on a new initiative which aims to provide a support network to the families of players. World number two Wilson found a new cue before the Scottish Open and on today’s evidence it is working just as well as the old model as he fired as he fired two centuries and two more breaks over 50 in a fine display.
With his natural enthusiasm restored, the 34-year-old can look forward to a meeting with Neil Robertson or Chris Wakelin on Friday evening. It will be his sixth Masters quarter-final and he will be determined to lift the trophy for the first time having finished runner-up in 2018 and 2025.
Wilson got the better of the opening frame, then in the second he potted ten reds with blacks and had his sights set on becoming only the sixth player to make a 147 at the Masters, but with the balls well placed he missed a tricky pot on the 11th red to a top corner.
Si pulled one back with an excellent run of 97 and he had a chance to snatch frame four from 53-0 down, but on a break of 21 he misjudged the black to a top corner, clipping a red first, and Wilson took advantage to lead 3-1 at the interval. Frame five lasted 34 minutes, the longest of the week so far, and was resolved when Si laid a tough snooker on the final yellow then took the chance that followed to halve his deficit.
But Wilson stepped up a gear and finished strongly with breaks of 59, 101 and 105 in the last three frames. Remarkably all five matches so far this week have finished with a 6-2 scoreline.
“I felt really strong out there,” said Kettering’s Wilson. “When you can go out and trust your cue and just play the game, it makes my job an awful lot easier. At 3-2 Si was looking dangerous, he has great technique, so it was important to win the next frame.
“In this era you have to play an attacking game, because grinding out frames takes too much out of you. So I have wanted to speed it up and play in a natural way. I have been playing snooker since I was six so it has always frustrated me when people say I am not a natural player compared to others. It has been nice to put that to bed and play good flowing snooker, and there is no better place to do that than Ally Pally.”
I’m happy for Kyren that the health of his wife, Sophie, is improving. He’s a family man and his wife health problems must have been constantly on his mind every time he was away from home. I’m happy for Sophie as well of course, and for their children. But for Kyren, not being able to provide as much as he certainly wanted to, at a time when the money was particularly needed, with care costs to face and maybe someone needed to help at home when he was away. Not to mention the psychological support Sophie surely needed, and that he only could fully give her by staying at her side, at home.
On his record-extending 32nd consecutive appearance at the Johnstone’s Paint Masters, John Higgins was outstanding in a 6-2 win over Barry Hawkins as he set up a huge quarter-final with Zhao Xintong at Alexandra Palace.
Higgins’ extraordinary longevity at the top of the sport is underlined by the fact that he has been ever present in this tournament since 1995, and now at the age of 50 he is still ranked as high as fifth in the world and is capable of tremendous performances as he proved tonight, making six breaks over 50 and converting almost every long pot he attempted.
It’s 20 years since Scotland’s Higgins won the second of his two Masters titles, beating Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-9 in the 2006 final with one of the all-time great deciding frame clearances. He has also been vulnerable in the first round, losing 16 times out of 31 including each of the last three years. But on this occasion he was by far the stronger player particularly after winning the vital third frame. In an intriguing clash of generations, Higgins will meet World Champion Zhao Xintong at 1pm on Thursday.
The first two frames tonight were shared, then Hawkins had a golden chance in the third but missed a short range black to a top corner on a break of 46 and his opponent punished him with a 71 clearance. Higgins extended his lead to 3-1 with a run of 53 before Hawkins took frame five with a break of 64.
Runs of 99 and 58 put Higgins 5-2 ahead, and though he broke down on 61 in the next, Hawkins’ attempted counter ended when he lost position on the last red. A thumping long pot from Higgins on the red to a top corner sealed the result – and continued the sequence of all matches so far this week finishing 6-2.
“I’m delighted, the way I hit the ball tonight,” said Higgins, who won the World Open and Tour Championship at the tail end of last season. “I was surprised at how well I played because I didn’t practise that much over Christmas then I was out in China, and after that I was stuck for a few days in Amsterdam waiting for a flight home. So it wasn’t the best preparation, but I wanted to enjoy it tonight and that’s half the battle. I have got to the stage in my life where I am just smiling more at events and staying relaxed. Before I was uptight, trying so hard to get ready for matches, but it can’t work like that any more.
“I’ll really look forward to playing Zhao, you go with him because he plays at a really good pace and he’s a great champion. It will take a bit of time for him to settle into consistently being one of the best players. He’ll be looking at guys like Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson and try to emulate them, but he’s well capable of doing that.”
John Higgins is one of the all time greats, of course he is, and his match against Zhao should be tremendous to watch. But yeah … I just hope Zhao wins it. He too made mistakes, but at least he admitted to it, and he had to re-qualify to get back on tour, after a ban that lasted more than just a few weeks, mostly during the “off season” when no event was on.
Three matches into the tournament at Alexandra Palace and three former World Champions have been knocked out, all by a 6-2 scoreline, as Williams joined Shaun Murphy and Mark Selby in suffering early exits. By winning his first ever Masters meeting with Williams, Allen goes through to the quarter-finals and will face either Judd Trump or Ding Junhui next.
World number ten Allen won this title in 2018, beating Kyren Wilson in the final, and is looking to join a group of 12 other players to have lifted the trophy on multiple occasions. For most of last week he was sick in bed but fortunately for the Pistol he was back to full fitness today as he booked an 11th Masters quarter-final.
Allen took the opening frame with a break of 67, then the second was in the balance at 47-47 when Williams stroked an excellent long yellow into a baulk corner and cleared to the blue which proved enough for 1-1. The Welshman then got the better of a scrappy third to go ahead, before Northern Ireland’s Allen took the fourth with runs of 54 and 28.
Williams had a scoring chance early in frame five, but on 13 he missed a short range red to a top corner and Allen punished him with 60 to regain the lead. Riding the wave of momentum, Allen fired a break of 125 to go 4-2 ahead then dominated frame seven with a run of 70. In a fragmented eighth, Williams trailed 40-10 when he overcut a tricky red to a top corner, and that proved his last shot as Allen added the points he needed.
“I was in a bad way last week but I was never pulling out, I would have played sick if I’d needed to,” insisted Allen, who turns 40 next month. “These are the events that your career is judged on.
“I can’t believe it’s eight years since I won it because it feels like yesterday – I can tell you every emotion I went through in those last few shots and in the celebration afterwards with my dad.
“Any win against Mark is a big one, I played some good stuff particularly after the interval and I felt 6-2 was a fair scoreline.
“Both Ding and Judd have had quiet seasons by their very high standards to they will be looking to put something right this week.”
Williams, whose highest break was just 36, said: “I was poor. That’s what I expect, it will probably happen to me more and more and I just accept it. I tried my best but my boy (son Joel) could have had bigger breaks than me. I made it easy for Mark.“
Zhao Xintong raised his hopes of becoming the first Asian player to complete snooker’s Triple Crown as he beat Gary Wilson 6-2 in the first round of the Johnstone’s Paint Masters.
Though he admits that playing as reigning World Champion adds extra pressure, Zhao swept to a comfortable victory tonight to notch a first win in this event, as his only previous appearance at Alexandra Palace ended in defeat against John Higgins in 2022. This time he will meet Higgins or Barry Hawkins in the quarter-finals on Thursday afternoon. Zhao is one of a record five Chinese players in the draw and already three of those are into the last eight, as Wu Yize and Xiao Guodong also progressed on Sunday.
UK Champion in 2021, Zhao went on to become the first Asian to conquer the Crucible last Spring, so he needs only the Masters to become the 12th player to lift all three Triple Crown trophies. The 28-year-old’s knack of making snooker look ridiculously easy was evident tonight as he rattled in five breaks over 50.
Wilson took the opening frame with a break of 76 but scored just ten points in the next four frames as Zhao surged ahead with runs of 50, 51, 54 and 72. The sixth went Wilson’s way and he had chances in the seventh, but crucially missed a tricky green with the rest to a baulk corner, then botched his next safety shot on the green, gifting his opponent the opening to go 5-2 ahead. That ended Wilson’s hopes of a fight back as Zhao wrapped it up in the next with a run of 67, ensuring that all four matches so far this week have finished 6-2.
“I really enjoyed tonight, I heard lot of Chinese fans and I got more confidence from their support,” said Zhao. “Gary is a very good player and he started well, after the first frame I made sure I concentrated and I believed I could play well.
“It’s a surprise and very good news to have five Chinese players still here. Chinese snooker is much better than before and hopefully in the future we can have even more players in the Masters because it’s an amazing event.
“I definitely have big pressure since I won the world title. I don’t think about it until I get to the venue then get close to the table, then I feel it. But I try to enjoy that pressure.”
Wilson, who has now lost his opening tie in all three Masters appearances, said: “I was very chilled out there tonight but I knew deep down I was not cueing well enough, I am cueing like a bad amateur. The better player won. You go out there wanting to put on some kind of performance and I am just nowhere near the player I should be. I used to be a far better player than this.”
Those reports are comprehensive enough and I don’t have much to add. In the evening match, Zhao played well and he’s very good to watch too when on his game. It was a one-sided match, but it was entertaining. The afternoon match was painful to watch at times, as both players struggled. All credits to Mark Allen for battling hard through illness.
About illnesses …
Ronnie has withdrawn from this event citing medical reasons. What exactly those reasons are wasn’t disclosed. Of course Ronnie has a history of mental health struggles and it was natural to assume this was (part of) the reasons for his withdrawal. However, several sources on social media and in the press have revealed that Laila Rouass, Ronnie’s wife, is ill with an incurable disease. From what transpired, it’s not life threatening but it’s something that causes her to “lose control over her body”, without more details. Of course we, the public, have NO “right to know”. However this opens the real possibility that Ronnie is actually prioritising staying with her if he feels she needs/wants his presence during this challenging period in her life over adding more titles to his impressive CV. That would definitively be the right thing to do.
The first day at the 2026 Masters didn’t go the way most expected. Two debutants, two Chinese players, were due to play against very experienced and successful English top players, both former winners of this very special event. Not many expected them to do well, never-mind to win their match, but that’s exactly what they did. Wu Yize and Xiao Guodong will meet each other in the quarter-finals at the Palace and hereafter are the reports by WST about their matches and wins.
China’s new sensation Wu Yize enjoyed an outstanding debut at the Johnstone’s Paint Masters as he ended Shaun Murphy’s hopes of back-to-back titles with a 6-2 victory on the opening day at Alexandra Palace.
Murphy, who beat Kyren Wilson in last year’s final, had hoped to become the first player to win this event in consecutive years since Ronnie O’Sullivan in 2016 and 2017. But in front of a packed crowd of 2,200 he was out-foxed by the brilliant 22-year-old Wu, who won his first ranking title at the International Championship in November, a result which boosted him into the world’s top 16 and earned him a first appearance in snooker’s biggest invitation event.
A disappointed Murphy told BBC: “I’ve looked forward to today since last year. It was the worst performance of my season, and maybe my worst ever performance at the Masters. I’m gutted, very below par. Everything I touched went wrong. None of my game performed well, but I’ve got absolutely no idea why. I’ve been working hard on my game, practising hard, playing a lot of snooker since the UK Championship, I didn’t expect to play like that. I’m as shocked as anyone.”
“Wu looked calm, he looked at ease. He’s a wonderful talent; he played really well today. He fully deserved his win, and he’ll be a handful for whoever he plays next.”
Wu dominated the opening exchanges, winning the first three frames with a top break of 137. Murphy, who also won this event in 2015, pulled one back but made a crucial error in frame five as an attempted safety on the last red left it over a baulk corner, handing Wu the chance to clear for 4-1.
Murphy dominated frame six, but Wu’s run of 56 in the seventh put him 5-2 ahead. Leading 50-23 in the eighth, Murphy ran out of position and played safe, and could only sit and watch as Wu cracked in a superb long red to set up a match-winning 44 clearance. He goes through to face Xiao Guodong or Mark Selby in the quarter-finals.
Wu said: “Coming down the stairs at the start of the match, it was exactly the stage I had dreamed of as a child. I felt proud of myself, to say the least. I was a bit lost in that moment. I don’t think Shaun played well either today. I played some good shots, but there were also some terrible mistakes. When it came down to crucial moments, I think my consistency gave me a slight edge in a few situations, and helped me to win. I just keep practising, staying in form, while waiting for my next match, and not putting too much pressure on myself.“
Mark Selby became the second multiple champion to lose to a debutant on the opening day of the Johnstone’s Paint Masters as he was beaten 6-2 by Xiao Guodong.
Following Wu Yize’s victory over Shaun Murphy earlier today, China’s Xiao followed up with an equally impressive win over an English all-time great. Having won the Wuhan Open in each of the last two seasons, Xiao has climbed into the elite top 16, and he proved his class tonight at Alexandra Palace with a century and four more breaks over 60 as he outplayed three-time Masters king Selby.
Xiao and Wu will now clash in the quarter-finals in London. It’s the first time since 2009 that two debutants have won their opening match in this event – on that occasion Mark Allen and Ricky Walden were the successful first-timers.
Selby looked the man to beat this week having won the Champion of Champions and UK Championship before Christmas, but his hopes of landing an 11th Triple Crown title were prematurely quashed.
Xiao, age 36, was near-flawless in the early stages as breaks of 95, 62, 76 and 77 put him 4-0 ahead. After the interval the momentum changed and Selby battled back to 4-2 with runs of 101 and 76. But the four-time World Champion missed a routine blue to centre early in frame seven which handed the initiative back to Xiao as a superb 118 made it 5-2.
Selby had a chance to snatch frame eight from 33-7 behind but missed a difficult final yellow along the baulk cushion, handing Xiao the opportunity to make a winning clearance which included an excellent pot on the brown to a centre pocket.
“When the draw came out I knew this would be a very tough game, especially as Mark has recently won two big tournaments,” said Xiao. “Perhaps nobody thought I could win. I just told myself to be confident and enjoy it. In the first four frames I put Mark under pressure and didn’t miss many balls. But I knew he would come back. The seventh frame was very important and when he missed the blue I made a century. At 4-3 it would have been very different.
“When Wu Yize first came to the UK for the first time we played together every day, we are good friends. One of us will go through to the semi-finals so it’s great for Chinese players.”
Selby said: “I didn’t have many chances in the first four frames, Xiao played really well. Then at 4-2 at I was trying to grip the blue to hold for the red, flicked a bit of side on it and missed it. If I had won that frame I would have fancied winning the match because I had the momentum. But Xiao did what he did all night, punished my mistakes. I am gutted because I came here feeling good and playing well. Even though I have lost I still feel good about my game.”
I like both of them. I got to meet Xiao many times and I always admired his mindset. I know that I wrote this before but, for not everyone is reading this blog every day for years, so I’ll say it again. Xiao arrived in the UK not speaking English at all. I met him at the South West Snooker Academy back then. He was a hard worker from the start, but he was also the one Chinese player who invested himself into learning the local language and socialise outside the “Chinese group”. He’s also someone who always tries to react positively to setbacks. One year, after losing at the World Qualifiers he was extremely disappointed but instead of retreating into himself, he went out and got his hair dyed in bright pink. He then came back to the venue, to watch and support the other Chinese lads who were still in the competition. I never met Wu but I like his game and his demeanour around the table. Yesterday I was disappointed though … what happened to your mullet, Wu? 💔
Jimmy White scored his first win since September as he beat Sunny Akani 4-1 to reach the final qualifying round of the BetVictor Welsh Open.J
Legend White, age 63, has been ever present on the tour since 1980 and retains his enthusiasm for competing at the top level. He fired breaks of 54, 54 and 56 today as he set up a match with David Lilley on Saturday, with the winner to go through to the final stages in Llandudno next month.
At the other end of the age scale, 14-year-old Michal Szubarczyk, the youngest ever pro player, enjoyed a 4-0 victory over Hatem Yassen with a top run of 61. The Polish teenager now meets Jamie Jones.
Marco Fu came from 2-0 down to beat Xu Yichen 4-3 with breaks of 76, 56, 100 and 95. Liam Pullen top scored with 102 in a 4-1 win over Ken Doherty while Iran’s Amir Sarkhosh edged out Welsh wild card Riley Powell 4-3.
Luca Brecel booked his place in the televised stages of the BetVictor Welsh Open with a 4-3 defeat of Farakh Ajaib in the final qualifying round.
Crucible king in 2023, Brecel has since slipped to 43rd in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings and the Belgian’s quest to battle his way back up the list will be boosted by today’s result which earned him a spot in Llandudno next month.
After winning the first two frames, Brecel then lost three in a row, but recovered to take the last two for a narrow victory.
Michal Szubarczyk, who turns 15 on Monday, continued to shine in his first pro season as he beat Jamie Jones 4-2 with top breaks of 74 and 98.
Lyu Haotian made a 139 in going 2-0 up but eventually lost 4-3 to Sam Craigie, while Hungary’s Bulcsu Revesz impressed in a 4-0 win over Noppon Saengkham. Switzerland’s Alexander Ursenbacher top scored with 91 as he beat in-form Matthew Selt 4-2.
Robbie McGuigan enjoyed a 4-1 win over Daniel Wells, while Stan Moody saw off Ian Burns by the same scoreline. Iran’s Amir Sarkhosh came from 3-1 down to beat Scott Donaldson. Matthew Stevens missed out on his home event as he lost 4-2 to Mitchell Mann, while Liam Pullen edged out 2023 winner Robert Milkins 4-3. Jimmy White’s hopes of making the final stages ended with a 4-1 defeat against David Lilley.
As so often those reports focus more on UK players than on other countries/nations.
The big positive I take from the event is how well the players from mainland Europe did, and the young ones is particular. Indeed Julien Leclercq, Ben Mertens, Antoni Kowalski, Artemijs Zizins, Michal Szubarczyk, Alexander Ursenbacher, Bulcsú Révész and Luca Brecel all made it to the main event. From the mainland Europe group of professionals, only Florian Nüßle , Mateusz Baranowski and Iulian Boiko failed to qualify. Iulian Boiko played Ben Mertens so one of them would go out, inevitably.
On the other hand, none of the women went through. Bai Yulu lost to Haris Tahir, by 4-3, despite making breaks of 57, 58 and 110 whilst Tahir didn’t score a single break over 50…
Ronnie O’Sullivan has withdrawn from the Johnstone’s Paint Masters for medical reasons.
O’Sullivan was due to face Neil Robertson in the opening round on Wednesday January 14th at 7pm. He has been replaced in the draw by Chris Wakelin who was 17th seed at the cut-off point.
The tournament at Alexandra Palace in London run from January 11-18.
I’m not sure what the real issue is but this is becoming seriously worrying, especially knowing that he traveled to Ireland to prepare for this event. Whatever it is, I wish Ronnie, and those close to him, the best for the future. 😟
Ronnie O'Sullivan 