Yesterday delivered two one-sided semi-finals. Here are the reports by WST.

Afternoon session – Wu Yize 6-0 Ishpreet Singh Chadha

Wonderful Wu Makes Maiden Final

Chinese 20-year-old Wu Yize is through to the first ranking event final of his career after a blistering 6-0 defeat of India’s Ishpreet Singh Chadha at the BetVictor English Open.

Wu has long been regarded as one of the World Snooker Tour’s brightest young talents. He enjoyed a superb maiden season on the circuit in 21/22, earning the Rookie of the Year award.

He went on a brilliant run to the final stages of the World Championship in 2023, winning three matches to qualify for the Crucible. Wu defeated Chris Wakelin on Judgement Day to secure his ticket to the Theatre of Dreams, where he lost to Neil Robertson. This evening sees Wakelin take on Robertson in the second semi-final.

Last season saw Wu make the first ranking event semi-final of his career. Having beat the likes of Marco Fu and Stephen Maguire to make the last four, he lost out to Judd Trump. Wu has already had his revenge this week, beating 2019 World Champion Trump in the quarters.

Wu becomes China’s 14^th ranking event finalist, while defeat for Singh Chadha ends what has been a brilliant run for the Mumbai cueman. His maiden semi-final appearance sees him become India’s first player to reach the last four of a ranking event since 2013.

Singh Chadha scored a late night 6-5 win over Mark Selby and the hangover from his heroics appeared prominently, as he struggled to settle. He had his share of chances, but was unable to capitalise as Wu ruthlessly punished him to reach the final in a whitewash win, composing breaks of 56 and 73 along the way.

“I’m feeling great now. There was quite a bit of pressure in this match for me and this is a very good result. It is great making it to this point, but I’m now competing for the title,” said former World Under-21 Champion Wu.

“My opponent probably felt a lot of pressure today and couldn’t perform to his usual level. It definitely took up a lot of his energy winning last night. I regularly practise with him and I think he’s a very good player.

“It would be a new beginning to win the title. This is my fourth year as a professional, I won’t put too much pressure on myself. I’m eager to win, but I’ll maintain a calm mindset. Winning a title would bring a new sense of responsibility.”

Singh Chadha said: “I’m a little bit sad that I couldn’t play up to the standards. I’m disappointed for the crowd and feel bad for that as everyone bought their tickets. I was probably overwhelmed by yesterday. I tried to relax my mind but I had too many thoughts.

“I am so happy with myself, even though I lost 6-0 today. I don’t even care about that as I know I am going to be stronger next time I get to the business end of a tournament.”

Evening session – Neil Robertson 6-1 Chris Wakelin

Thunder Storms To Brentwood Final

Neil Robertson thrashed Chris Wakelin 6-1 to make the final of a ranking event for the first time in over two years, at the BetVictor English Open in Brentwood.

The Australian last appeared in a ranking title match at the 2022 Tour Championship, where he beat John Higgins 10-9 in an epic contest. In the following years Robertson has struggled to produce his best snooker and has slipped to 26^th in the world.

However, tomorrow marks an opportunity for him to return to the world’s elite tier and dislodge Higgins, who has occupied the world’s top 16 since 1995. A win for Robertson would see him move to 15^th in the world and knock Higgins down to 17^th.

Robertson has been showing signs of a return to his best after a run to the quarter-finals of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters and wins over the likes of Shaun Murphy and Barry Hawkins this week.

Melbourne’s Robertson now faces China’s Wu Yize tomorrow over the best of 17 frames with the Steve Davis Trophy and a top prize of £100,000 on the line.

The pair first met at the 2023 World Championship, where Robertson stormed to a 10-3 win. However, they’ve met twice since, with each player registering a win.

The first frame this evening went the way of Robertson on the black and he then fired in 92 in the second to move 2-0 ahead. Wakelin reduced his arrears with a break of 82 in the third, but it was Robertson who took the fourth to lead 3-1 at the mid-session.

When play resumed it was the Thunder from Down Under who coasted to victory, winning the next three on the bounce to reach 37^th ranking event final of his career.

“It’s been quite a while. It doesn’t feel like two years since I’ve been in a final. There’s been a lot of hard work and I set out to have some good targets this year. I’ve changed my day-to-day routine and been super focussed every day. That has been key,” said 23-time ranking event winner Robertson.

“I am back to my best and better. I’ve added a new arsenal to my game with the safety. I’ve really developed a lot the last couple of months. I’ve been working really hard.

“I said after I played Wu in the World Championship that he would have a mega future ahead. That has proved to be the case. He made a semi-final last season and has had some really good wins this week. It is really nice to have an overseas final between Australia and China.”

I only watched the afternoon match. Wu Yize played really well and very positively. He never backed away from difficult shots, but hewas never reckless or adventurous either, he played the right shots. His father was sat in the crowd and looked under more pressure than his son on the floor. After the match, Wu was interviewed, in Chinese, on the floor. I can’t remember such a thing happening before, certainly not in Home Nations event but it a very good move by WST. Ishpreet Singh Chadah never really got going, never totally settled. His positive attitude in defeat is to be admired. He has a lot of self-belief, and why not? He has tremendous ability.

The outcome of the second match doesn’t surprise me, although I didn’t expect the score to be so “severe”. The Thunder is back and striking! He has to be favourite today, if only on experience, but I want to hope for a good match, a match where both players can showcase their talent and abilities.

Here are the reports by WST on yesterday’s action in Brentwood

Afternoon session

BETVICTOR ENGLISH OPEN THURSDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE

Ishpreet Singh Chadha became India’s first ranking event quarter-finalist in 11 years after a 4-3 win He Guoqiang at the BetVictor English Open in Essex.

Former professional gamer Singh Chadha gained his place on tour at the start of last season. He switched a career as one of his country’s best Counterstrike Global Offensive players for the green baize, when he came through Asia/Oceania Q School last year.

Today’s win sees Singh Chadha become the first Indian since Pankaj Advani and Aditya Mehta to make a ranking quarter-final. The duo faced each other in the 2013 Indian Open quarter-finals, when Mehta prevailed 4-3.

Defeat for He ends a tremendous week, which has seen him defeat the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan and Stephen Maguire.

Breaks of 59, 73, and 52 helped Singh Chadha to a momentous win this afternoon and earned him a quarter-final showdown with four-time World Champion Mark Selby, who defeated Si Jiahui 4-3.

“I wouldn’t say I have surprised myself this week, but I’m close to playing the way I should have done in the first season. It takes time to adjust to the tour. I handled the pressure so well and I’m delighted with myself,” said 28-year-old Singh Chadha.

“I am going to play my game in the quarter-finals. I won’t be frightened or intimidated by anything. We Indians aren’t afraid of anyone. I’m just going to play my game, hope for the best and see what happens. He is one of my favourite players, but that is just off the table, on the table it is a different game.”

World number one Judd Trump prevailed 4-2 against former European Masters winner Fan Zhengyi to set up a last eight meeting with Wu Yize, who beat Ben Woollaston 4-2.

Trump last faced Wu at the recent Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, when he prevailed and went on to scoop the £500,000 top prize. However, it required a fightback from 4-0 down to beat Wu 5-4. Trump admits that he was looking for routes home during the interval of that match.

Trump said: “I was 4-0 down and ended up looking for flights at 4-0 down in the interval. You can check my history if you want! It is just funny how snooker goes having won that event and got to the quarters here.”

WU YIZE INTERVIEW

Evening session

BETVICTOR ENGLISH OPEN THURSDAY EVENING ROUNDUP

World number three Mark Allen prevailed in an marathon encounter with John Higgins 4-3 to make the quarter-finals of the BetVictor English Open in Brentwood. 

Higgins captured a piece of snooker history by becoming the sport’s second player to register 1000 career centuries, but it was Allen who prevailed in a gruelling final frame. 

It was Northern Irishman Allen who took an early 2-0 lead, having crafted a break of exactly 100 in the opener. Scotland’s four-time World Champion Higgins cut his arrears in half with 108 in the third, but it was Allen who took the fourth to go 3-1 up. 

The landmark moment for Higgins came in the fifth with a break of 108 to reach 1000 centuries, he then made 65 in the next to force a tense decider. 

A 50-minute frame saw lengthy safety exchanges where no balls were potted. With Allen leading, Higgins had his chance to steal the win, but he spurned a pink off the spot and the Antrim cueman got himself over the line. He now faces a quarter-final with Chris Wakelin, who came through 4-3 against Pang Junxu. 

“I’m just delighted to win a tight one against John. Normally when I beat him it is a one-sided game so it is nice to finally get on the right side of a close one against him for a change,” said former UK and Masters champion Allen. 

“I wanted John to have his moment when he did it and enjoy that 1000th century. We were just about to start the next frame and I went to congratulate him on my own. He said to me he was glad to have done it against someone like me. That means a lot coming from John. I actually said to him at the end it was a shame he had to be on the losing side after creating a piece of history. What a guy John Higgins is. He thoroughly deserves that.“

Australia’s Neil Robertson continued his resurgence with a 4-1 defeat of Ross Muir to make the quarter-finals. The 2010 World Champion has slumped to 26th in the rankings but is showing signs of returning to his best. He now faces Barry Hawkins, who scored a fine 4-2 win over World Champion Kyren Wilson. 

As always all the results are on snooker.org

I don’t have much to add to this. I’m very impressed with Ishpreet Singh Chadha. I hope that, unlike Pankaj Advani and Aditya Mehta, he will settle well in the UK and does not become too homesick. India is very different from the UK, of course, in every aspect … the climate, the food, the social life.

These are the reports by WST on what happened yesterday in Brentwood

Afternoon session

BETVICTOR ENGLISH OPEN WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON ROUNDUP

A deluge at Paris Airport recently destroyed John Higgins’ cue, but armed with a new replacement he extended his quest for a maiden BetVictor English Open title today after a 4-1 win over David Gilbert in Brentwood.

The Scot’s cue was left in an irreparable condition after the protective casing housing it was flooded whilst flying home from the recent Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.

That left Higgins despondent, but he is hoping now that his new cue can provide an impetus for him in the coming months, as he battles to remain in the world’s top 16. The 31-time ranking event winner currently finds himself in 16^th position.

Today’s win sets up a last 16 meeting with either world number three Mark Allen or Lyu Haotian.

“When I was coming back from Saudi Arabia, my cue got ruined. During the three-hour stopover between Paris and Edinburgh there were monsoon levels of rain and my ski tube must have been sitting on the tarmac,” explained four-time World Champion Higgins.

“When I got back to Edinburgh it was soaking wet, but I just left it in the hall as normal. I went to Portugal on holiday and before I left I went to check my cue. The water had actually seeped inside and the cue is ruined. I’m playing with a new cue.

“It was soul destroying. I really liked it and when I opened the case up it was like a banana. The wood was all warped. As I was away to Portugal the next day, I just decided to go and have a good holiday and come back to see what happens.

“It is maybe a blessing, as I’ve gone back to the measurements I was playing with two or three years ago. I was going shorter and shorter and that maybe wasn’t suiting my game. It has given me a new lease of life. It is maybe a bit better”

Kyren Wilson prevailed 4-1 against Anthony McGill in a repeat of their classic Crucible semi-final from 2020 to make the last 16.  

The pair contested an epic last four meeting at the World Championship, where a fluke eventually helped Wilson win 17-16 following one of the most dramatic final frames in snooker history. The frame score in the decider was 103-83.

Wilson went on to lose that final against Ronnie O’Sullivan, but a victory over Jak Jones earlier this year made him World Champion for the first time.

Today’s match was a more straightforward win for the Warrior, who crafted breaks of 84 and 80 this afternoon. He now plays either Barry Hawkins or Xu Si.

Wilson said: “To Anthony’s credit, he was one of the first ones who came up to me in Xi’an and congratulated me on becoming World Champion and said he thought I’d be a really good ambassador for the sport. That just shows the class of him, especially after what happened in that semi-final.

“People forget how good that game was. We were toe to toe the whole way through. Despite the fact there was no crowd we created so much drama. Whenever we draw each other it is something which always springs to mind.”

World number one Judd Trump extended his incredible winning streak this season after a 4-1 win over Matthew Selt.

The Ace in the Pack has picked up silverware at the Shanghai Masters and the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters. Having also been runner-up to Wilson at the Xi’an Grand Prix, Trump has now won 17 of 18 games this season. He now plays Fan Zhengyi, who beat Oliver Lines 4-1.

Essex cueman Ali Carter lost out 4-2 on home soil against China’s Wu Yize, while Mark Selby was a 4-0 victor against fellow Leicester potter Joe O’Connor.

Evening session

BETVICTOR ENGLISH OPEN WEDNESDAY EVENING ROUNDUP

Neil Robertson continued his bid to return to the summit of the sport with a 4-1 defeat of Shaun Murphy at the BetVictor English Open.

The 2010 World Champion endured one of his worst seasons as a professional in 23/24 and as a result has dropped down to a current position of 26^th in the world rankings. However, he has recently stated that he feels back to his best and is ready to contend for silverware once more.

Murphy also struggled last season, but has shown signs that his best form his returning in recent months. He went on a brilliant run to the Shanghai Masters final, but was denied the title by Judd Trump. Murphy also made the semis at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, where he again lost out to Trump.

Australia’s Robertson crafted breaks of 50, 57 and 71 on his way to winning this evening and now faces a last 16 meeting with Scotland’s Ross Muir.

“The most pleasing side was the safety aspect of my game. I’ve got a lot of pride back in my safety and the duels that come with it. Trying to force chances and put players in trouble,” said 23-time ranking event winner Robertson.

“Last year I wasn’t in the best place and it didn’t allow me to confront the issue of my form head on. I talked a good game and tried to be positive, but I wasn’t looking forward to the matches and the travelling. This year it is a different mindset where I can’t wait to play.”

World number three Mark Allen defeated Lyu Haotian 4-2 to set up a huge clash with John Higgins in the last 16.

Allen and Higgins last met at the Crucible earlier this year, when Scotland’s Higgins conjured a classic clearance in the decider to deny the Northern Irishman 13-12.

In this evening’s match Allen made breaks of 71, 56, 52, 75 and 70 to secure the win and was delighted with his performance.

“I played pretty well there. I made one mistake in frame two, but other than that I didn’t really put a foot wrong,” said 38-year-old Allen.

“Lyu is a very good player. I have a good record against him, but he will still have fancied the job. He has won matches to get this far and will have fancied beating me. That shows you the strength of the tour now.”

China’s He Guoqiang, who defeated Ronnie O’Sullivan yesterday, continued to impress with a 4-1 win over Stephen Maguire. Next up he faces India’s Ishpreet Singh Chadha, who defeated Iranian number one Hossein Vafaei 4-2.

WEDNESDAY HIGHLIGHTS

As always, all the detailed results can be found on snooker.org

Once again, with the exception of the match between Hossein Vafaei and Ishpreet Singh Chadah, only matches featuring at least one British player are reported on by WST.

• Si Jiahui beat Jiang Jun in a very hard fought match. Jiang Jun is only 19 and in his second year as a professional. Going by his results over the last year and a half, he’s progressing and longer formats suit him best. He reached round 4 at the 2024 World Championship qualifiers.
• Pang Junxu beat Luca Brecel by 4-3. Luca lead 3-2 and had scored break of 84 and 85 to get that far. Pang however found something extra and denied him: he finished the job with breaks of 112 and 85.
• Wu Yize win over Ali Carter is mentioned in the above report but not the manner of it. Ali Carter lead 2-1 although Wu had won the first frame with a break of 66, whilst Ali himself had scored a break of 61. Then Wu regained the lead: he went 3-2 up with two centuries ( 123 & 126). The last frame was won on a score of 66-63 in favour of Wu despite the fact that it was Ali who scored a break of 61 in defeat.

As for Ishpreet Singh Chadah , he’s definitely one to watch this season.

In other news … Phil Haigh reported on Ronnie’s reaction after his defeat yesterday, something that WST didn’t do.

Ronnie O’Sullivan blasts his game as ‘absolutely useless’ after shock English Open defeat

Phil Haigh

Ronnie O’Sullivan described his performance as ‘useless’ and ’embarrassing’ as he was beaten 4-2 by He Guoqiang at the English Open on Tuesday night.

It was the Rocket’s first match of the event and it got off to a disastrous start as the Chinese won the first three frames, with breaks of 78 and 77 along the way.

O’Sullivan won the next two but He got over the line with another half-century to keep up his 100 per cent winning record over the Rocket, with two victories from two meetings.

As he has been doing this season so far, O’Sullivan played a lot of shots left-handed and when asked about his choice to do so, he told The Sun: ‘I’m absolutely useless, that’s why.

‘Forget about the Worlds. I’m not even bothered to be honest with you, if I’m going to play rubbish I might as well play left handed.

‘Play left-handed and enjoy it, but be useless, or play right-handed, be useless and not enjoy it.’

The 48-year-old has not had a bad start to the season by most players’ standards, with a semi-final at the Shanghai Masters and quarter-final run at the Saudi Arabia Masters, but he is far from happy with his game.

Despite winning five events last season, the seven-time world champion feels like his career is coming to an end with decline setting in.

‘I haven’t got long, I’m not going to deny it, I’m not playing well enough, there’s no point in even worrying about it. I’ve just accepted it now which is quite a nice place to be really,’ he said.

‘I’m awful, it’s embarrassing. I miss so many balls. I can’t get away from it, poor, but there’s nothing I can do about it.’

Of course, that’s coming right after a painful defeat but it confirms what I suspected: despite his claims that he’s “accepted it”, he’s deeply unhappy about the state of his game and sees no “solution” to his problems. The only “solution” would actually to come to terms with the natural decline that affects him, and I hope that he turns to Steve Peters for help. He won’t get better unless he can find some inner peace.

Here are the reports by WST on what happened yesterday in Brentwood

Afternoon session

BETVICTOR ENGLISH OPEN TUESDAY AFTERNOON ROUNDUP

Ben Woollaston extended his winning record over Mark Williams after a fine 4-1 defeat of the three-time World Champion at the BetVictor English Open in Brentwood.

Leicester’s Woollaston has now won six of his nine career meetings with Williams. The world number 52 is aiming to climb the rankings again after a difficult few years.

Former Welsh Open finalist Woollaston has recently suffered with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which has impacted his ability to practise and compete at the highest level. However, the condition has eased in recent times and allowed him to regain confidence in his game.

Williams was unable to bounce straight back from a gut-wrenching defeat at the recent Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, where he lost the most lucrative deciding frame in the history of the sport. A 10-9 defeat to Judd Trump meant he had to settle for £200,000 rather than the £500,000 top prize.

With the score at 3-1 in this afternoon’s clash, Woollaston crafted a break of 70 to get over the line and set up a last 32 meeting with Zak Surety.

“I think I’m just a little unorthodox and I think I’m good tactically. I pot a lot of good balls. I maybe don’t score as heavily as Mark but I think we match up well,” said 37-year-old Woollaston.

“I have expectation now that I believe I can win matches. Before, I was coming to tournaments and just hoping to feel well. It is a different pressure now because I have a bit of adrenaline that I didn’t have before.”

World number three Mark Allen survived a real battle with China’s Long Zehuang to secure a 4-3 victory and a place in the last 32.

Having taken the first two frames, Allen then found himself one away from defeat at 3-2 down. However, a break of 67 forced a decider, which he won to progress. Allen now faces Lyu Haotian.

Allen said: “I have to say I was very impressed with him. He’s had some good results already. He played some really good stuff in that match and I don’t feel like I did much wrong from the 2-0 up to the verge of going out.

“I felt I played alright. I think that is the first match this season I haven’t made a century so that is disappointing, but overall I’m good.”

Matthew Selt made the 200th and 201st centuries of his career whilst defeating Ricky Walden 4-3. He now faces Judd Trump in the last 32.

Neil Robertson came through with a 4-1 win to set up a blockbuster last 32 showdown with Shaun Murphy, while Ross Muir secured a fine 4-3 win over Gary Wilson.

Evening session

BETVICTOR ENGLISH OPEN TUESDAY EVENING ROUNDUP

China’s He Guoqiang stated he was in dreamland after stunning Ronnie O’Sullivan for the second time this season, winning 4-2 at the BetVictor English Open in Brentwood.

He scored an upset 3-0 win over the Rocket at the season opening BetVictor Championship League. That came off the back of a 23/24 campaign which saw him burst into the top 64 and be named Rookie of the Year.

Despite O’Sullivan’s clear frustration at his performances so far this season, he has still featured regularly at the business end of events without amassing silverware.

Today’s defeat is his first in a round before the quarter-finals of a knock out tournament so far in the campaign. The seven-time World Champion bowed out in the semis of the Xi’an Grand Prix and Shanghai Masters, while was a losing quarter-finalist in the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.

He fired in breaks of 78, 77 and 50 on his way to this evening’s victory. Next up is a last 32 meeting with 2004 UK Champion Stephen Maguire.

“It feels brilliant to beat him again. It is an unreal feeling and like I am dreaming. I didn’t expect at all to win again,” said 24-year-old He.

“I think the key is to perform my best and to play my own game. I just needed to get rid of the fear attached to playing a top player like Ronnie. There were so many spectators here, all supporting him. It didn’t allow me to think of anything other than my own performance.

“The best thing I have learned over past few months is how to play against top players and get rid of fear and emotion of facing them. That is the most improved part of my game.”

Scotland’s four-time World Champion John Higgins secured a vital 4-1 win over Andrew Higginson. Next up he faces David Gilbert.

The Glaswegian is currently ranked 16^th in the rankings. His time in the world’s top 16 remains unbroken since 1995, but Higgins’ place in that elite group now hangs in the balance. Despite victory today he remains downbeat about the state of his game.

Higgins said: “I’m struggling to get going. I’ve not got the desire at the moment. That is just the way I’m feeling after a performance like that. You just have to try and take the positives. I need to get back to working. It shows and you can’t get away with it when you don’t put the work in.”

Welshman Jamie Jones was a 4-0 whitewash victor against China’s Zhou Yuelong, while Scotland’s Anthony McGill defeated China’s Xiao Guodong 4-2. Jones now plays Ross Muir and McGill faces World Champion Kyren Wilson.

Here are the scores for Ronnie’s match:

And videos shared on YouTube by WST and Eurosport:

Ronnie elected to play most shots left handed. It may make him happier but he’s not as good left-handed than he is right-handed for sure. He missed too many gettable balls, especially early in the match. Also, he doesn’t quite have the as much cue power left-handed as he has right-handed. Having said that He was brilliant. He decided to play very positively and attack right from the start of the match and it paid off. He’s a very, very good player with a solid temperament. He certainly deserved the win yesterday and I can see him go deep in the tournament.

All the results are on snooker.org (as always).

I didn’t see much from the action yesterday as power cuts in my village spoiled it quite a bit. What is obvious looking at the results is that those first matches are banana skins for the top 32 who come cold into the last 64 and face players who have already played one or two matches, and secured ranking points and money. This system of tiered qualifiers is much better for the young players and the rookies than the brutal “random” straight knock-out draw system. They are at least guaranteed that their first match will not be against a top player and will be a really “winnable” one. Yes, they need to win more matches to get to the titles, but they actually benefit from playing more matches, against various opponents, as they need to gain experience to develop.

After a day hiatus, the 2024 English Open resumed yesterday and the top 32 ranked players entered the fray. There were a few held-over matches as well. From this round on it’s a straight “classical” knock-out.

Here are the reports by WST:

Afternoon session

BETVICTOR ENGLISH OPEN MONDAY MORNING ROUNDUP

Ali Carter took flight on the table, before stating he intends to literally take to the Essex skies this afternoon following a 4-0 whitewash win over Ian Burns at the BetVictor English Open in Brentwood.

As well as being a six-time ranking event winner, Carter is a fully qualified pilot and said he was keen to take advantage of the favourable flying conditions after this morning’s quickfire win.

The Captain needed just 74 minutes to dispatch Burns, top scoring with 78 in the third. Next up Carter faces either Essex rival Stuart Bingham or Wu Yize. 

Carter said: “It’s lovely only being half an hour down the road. I’m going to go flying this afternoon with my mate who is a pilot. The weather has been great so it will be nice to get airborne. We are going to go to Clacton, parking up and getting a bag of chips then fly home. 

“Me and Stuart have known each other since we were kids when we used to practise against each other. It would be another tough match. I’m in the next round and he has it all to do to get to me.“

Hungary’s 17-year-old prodigy Bulcsu Revesz scored an impressive 4-2 win over Yuan Sijun to make the third round. He now faces former UK Champion Stephen Maguire. 

David Gilbert won the last two frames to defeat Michael Holt 4-3, while Ricky Walden whitewashed former Women’s World Champion Mink Nutcharut 4-0. 

Evening session

BETVICTOR ENGLISH OPEN MONDAY EVENING ROUNDUP

World number one Judd Trump got the defence of his BetVictor English Open crown underway with a fiercely contested 4-3 win over China’s Liu Hongyu. 

…

The Ace in the Pack captured the title here in Brentwood 12 months ago, when he defeated Zhang Anda 9-7 in an absorbing final. That started a sequence of three back-to-back tournament wins with further titles coming at the Wuhan Open and the Northern Ireland Open in the following weeks. 

Trump is once again in red hot form this season, he picked up silverware at the Shanghai Masters and sealed a thrilling triumph in the inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters. Victory in Riyadh came courtesy of a 10-9 final win over Mark Williams, which saw Trump secure a massive £500,000 pay cheque. 

The Bristolian had led 3-1 when he embarked on a 147 attempt in the fifth. However, he left a cut back black short on 65. Liu punished that mistake with a brilliant clearance of 68 to remain in contention. Liu forced a decider, but a break of 57 saw Trump over the line. 

“It was a massive event in Saudi and I’ve already had a brilliant start to the season. It is difficult to keep doing it, but I have showed up here this week. I think it is the best thing for me to keep going while I have the momentum and hopefully I can improve as the tournament goes on,” said 35-year-old Trump. 

“The decider in Saudi was the biggest frame I’ve ever played and probably the biggest Mark has ever played. Not many finals come down to deciders these days and to come down to the last black makes it even more special. It is a frame I’ve watched back quite a few times already. Every time I watch it inspires me to keep practising.”

World Champion Kyren Wilson scored a 4-1 win over David Grace to secure his place in the last 32. 

The Warrior has enjoyed a strong start to his campaign as Crucible king, having picked up silverware at the inaugural Xi’an Grand Prix. He top scored with a fine 108 in today’s match and now faces either Anthony McGill or Xiao Guodong. 

Wilson said: “Every now and then I have to remind myself I’m World Champion. It is a pinch me feeling. I’ve dreamed of it since I was six years old. It is something that does scare me. It was an unbelievable feeling I will never be able to replicate, but I can still get a high of winning events like I did in Xi’an. That is still the focus.”

Shaun Murphy blitzed to a 4-1 win over Jamie Clarke in impressive fashion. The Magician conjured runs of 72, 115 and 124 on his way to victory this evening. He now faces a potential blockbuster clash with Neil Robertson, who plays Jackson Page in the last 64.

Stuart Bingham lost out on home soil in a 4-3 defeat to China’s Wu Yize, who now progresses to face Essex cueman Ali Carter. 

Four-time World Champion Mark Selby beat Aaron Hill 4-2, while home favourite Zak Surety scored a shock 4-0 win over Thailand’s Noppon Saengkham. 

WILSON POST MATCH INTERVIEW

You will find all the detailed results on snooker.org

Although those reports have more “flesh” than what we were served in the earlier rounds, they still mainly focus on the British players results. Whilst the World Champion Kyren Wilson and the World Number one Judd Trump obviously fully deserve the spotlights, it doesn’t explain or justify why only one match won by an Asian player features in these reports. Yet, other than Wu Yize’s victory there were wins for Xiao Guodong, Zhang Anda, Fan Zhengyi (who beat top 16 Ryan Day) , Si Jiahui, Pang Junxu and Ishpreet Singh Chadha who got the better of Jak Jones, the World number 13, and finalist in Sheffield last May.

Ishpreet Singh Chadha is a more than decent player and someone who is unlikely to succumb to nerves. Mind you, before turning professional as a snooker player he was a professional gamer…

Also missing is Oliver Lines win over World number 13, Rob Milkins, but yeah, that was a latish finish.

Yesterday was the last of the “tiered phase” at the 2024 English Open. Tomorrow the round of 64 will start and the big guns will come into action.

Here is the report by WST on what happened yesterday in Brentwood:

BETVICTOR ENGLISH OPEN – SATURDAY ROUND-UP

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh eased into the last 64 of the BetVictor English Open in Brentwood, beating Oliver Sykes 4-1.

…

Thailand’s Un-Nooh fired breaks of 94 and 78 as he set up a third round match with Pang Junxu on Monday night. China’s He Guoqiang made a 61 in the decider to beat Wang Yuchen 4-3 and he will now face Ronnie O’Sullivan on Tuesday evening.

Artemijs Zizins continued his impressive start to the season as he beat Robbie Williams 4-2 with a top break of 138. Joe Perry top scored with 97 in a 4-1 defeat of Jimmy White, while India’s Ishpreet Singh Chadha fired runs of 53, 76 and 88 in a 4-2 defeat of Graeme Dott. 

David Grace enjoyed a 4-0 success against Marco Fu to set up a meeting with Kyren Wilson,  while Jimmy Robertson top scored with 86 in a 4-1 defeat of Alexander Ursenbacher. Xi Si edged out Ka Wai Cheung 4-3 in a match which featured a century and five more breaks over 70. 

Ronnie will have to be on his game on Tuesday because He Guoqiang was really excellent. Wang Yuchen himself was not bad at all and it made for a good match to watch ¹ as was the match between Xu Si and Ka Wai Cheung. In both cases the player I would have liked to win, lost, but it was good snooker between young talented players, and surely young hard working players as well.

I saw nothing of the evening action as I did a photoshoot at a musical event … life and music coming in the way of snooker. Right, my hobby, photography, does as well, big time, on a regular basis. For what it’s worth here is link to my “image report” on that event: https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?template=22&event=1833 . You shouldn’t need to be on facebook to browse through it.

All the detailed results are on snooker.org

1. which I did 😉 ↩︎

The final today will be between Judd Trump and Mark Williams … there is no escaping the class of 92!

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

Afternoon session

TRUMP TRIUMPHS IN CLASSIC SEMI-FINAL

The win sees Trump move to the edge of history, with one more victory standing between him and becoming the first ever winner of a ranking event in Saudi Arabia.

Tomorrow’s final will see the Ace in the Pack take on either Mark Williams or Si Jiahui. With a top prize of £500,000 on the line, it will be snooker’s most lucrative match ever outside of the World Championship.

World number one Trump moved to the summit of the rankings last month with his run to the final of the Xi’an Grand Prix, where he came up short against World Champion Kyren Wilson.

The 2019 World Champion has been in supreme form so far this season. He and Murphy met in the final of the Shanghai Masters, where Trump secured a more comfortable 11-5 victory. Trump has now won 14 of the 15 matches he’s played this term.

Defeat for Murphy sees him depart with £100,000 for making the semi-finals. The narrow loss this afternoon will come as a bitter pill to swallow, but having already made the Shanghai final he can reflect on a strong start to the season.

Trump stated prior to today’s encounter that he needed to get on top of Murphy in the early stages. He did just that, crafting breaks of 67 and 72 on his way to a 3-0 lead. Murphy responded by taking the last before the mid-session to trail 3-1 at the break.

Murphy continued to push hard after play resumed and he took a dramatic fifth on the black to move within a single frame.

Trump regained his two frame cushion to lead 4-2 and made a break of 67 to move clear in the seventh. However, Murphy made 67 of his own and forced a re-spot. He deposited the extra ball and fist pumped after closing within a frame at 4-3. Trump then pulled clear again at 5-3, but Murphy fired in runs of 78 and 60 to force a decider.

A hugely tense final frame eventually came down to the green. Murphy spurned his chance when chasing a difficult positional shot. Trump deposited it and the brown to leave his opponent leaving two snookers. He got one of them but it was to no avail as Trump got over the line to reach his 46^thranking event final.

“It was a tricky game. I threw away a couple of frames. Even though it was looking like it might turn around, I got over the line in the end with a bit of drama,” said 28-time ranking event winner Trump.

“It was difficult. He fought back well. At one point he was looking like he would win. I let it slip away at times and when you miss those chances sometimes you get punished. I managed to keep my head and get over the line.

“In the World Championship you have days off between games. After you win you have a day or two to calm yourself down and go again. Here it is important to get through as easy as possible. That was a very tough semi-final, but hopefully it wont impact me in the final.

“Whoever I play it will be a good game. I’ve had some good games over the past couple of years with both of them. Si is on the way up and Mark, in terms of age, is on the way down. He’s still very consistent and is able to adjust his game and battle with anyone. Mark is one of the top three or four players of all time and Si will be up there with the greats one day.”

Murphy said: “It is a sickener. Once you get to this stage of an event, with such prize money and prestige, you think about winning. It never really felt like the balls were going my way all match. It felt like I was trying to push water uphill. Lady luck wasn’t on my side for the majority, but Judd’s ability to keep potting balls is incredible. I think he is the best out and out potter we have ever seen.

“I am many things but I’m not a quitter. I kept trying and I couldn’t have given any more. Of course determination is only one of the ingredients you need to be a winner. Today I was lacking in a few areas and it wasn’t to be. We go again and look forward to the English Open in Brentwood.”

Shaun fought really hard, came back after Judd dominated the early stages and had a really good opportunity to win that match. He was on the colours in the decider and missed the green for victory. He will be sick! Judd Trump was certainly beatable yesterday.

There was also a bit of re-spotted black drama

Evening session

Mark Williams is through to the 42^nd ranking event final of his career after scoring a 6-3 win over Si Jiahui at the inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters in Riyadh.

The Welshman now faces a showdown with Judd Trump over the best of 19 frames in tomorrow’s title match.

The winner will take home £500,000, which will make it the most lucrative match ever outside of the World Championship. Victory for three-time World Champion Williams would give him the biggest payday of his career.

Williams and Trump have done battle in some of the sport’s biggest matches in recent years. In the 2022 World Championship semi-finals Williams came from 9-3 down to force a decider but lost 17-16. They then met in the 2023 Masters final, where Trump prevailed 10-8 from 8-7 down.

Defeat for Si, who beat seven-time Crucible king Ronnie O’Sullivan in the quarters, means he will continue his wait for a maiden ranking title. However, his performance does allow him to break into the top 16 in the world for the first time, moving to 13^th in the provisional world rankings with the £100,000 prize money.  

It was Chinese 22-year-old who started fastest, firing in a fine break of 116 to win the opener. From there it was 26-time ranking event winner Williams who took charge. Runs 60, 97 and 77 helped him to four on the bounce and a 4-1 lead.

The next two frames were shared to leave Williams one away at 5-2, before a break of 136 kept Si in contention. There was to be no fightback though, with 49-year-old Williams making a match winning 80 in the ninth to prevail 6-3.

“It’s a big win for me. I’m an old man now! I think it is bound to get me in everything up until after the Tour Championship now,” said Williams.

“My eyes are deteriorating pretty quickly. On long balls I am seeing three of them but they say to hit the one in the middle and that’s what I’m doing. I have looked at getting my eyes done, but I’m guessing alright at the moment so I’m not going to bother.

“I think I’m a better all-round player than I was 20 years ago. I wish I could have my long game from then, but I think all round I’m better now than I’ve ever been. That is what is winning me the matches.”

SEMI-FINALS HIGHLIGHTS

Here is the end of the Williams v Si match

I think that Si hit the wall last night. Maybe the sudden realisation of what could be, maybe nervous and mental fatigue or both. But all the same Willo played really really well. He’s a very shrewd player and if he can reproduce that today, Judd Trump will need to be on his best game to beat him.

Ahead of the match, Judd had criticised the current money based ranking system. It suddenly hit him that he might win five events and still not be number one because the disproportionate money on offer in this event. He’s right and I have been saying this for years. Just think about this: what if next season the Saudis decide to host the Shoot-out and offer ￡2500000 for the winner in a “winner takes all” format? The winner of that might be number one for the next two seasons, even it’s the only thing they ever win. It’s absurd. You will tell me, WST won’t accept such an offer. I wouldn’t be so sure … it may well depend on what’s in it for them, that we maybe don’t see. Don’t forget that Matchroom is a majority stakeholder in WST, and they are involved in other sports as well.