Most fans were making Judd Trump the favourite in their semi-final match. I was sitting on the fence, mainly because Judd’s record in “the three majors” isn’t that great, considering how well he does in the other events. And it happened again… he was beaten by Mark Williams, who is fifty and struggling with his eyesight but has lost nothing of his determination and shrewd approach of the game.
Mark Williams became the oldest Crucible finalist at the age of 50 as he beat world number one Judd Trump 17-14 in the semi-finals of the Halo World Championship, setting up a tie with Zhao Xintong.
Williams came to Sheffield with low expectations, claiming he would be an “easy draw” for any qualifier due to problems with his eyesight, and still insists the balls are “blurry”, but he has played fantastic snooker over the past fortnight and the veteran Welshman now finds himself in a fifth Crucible final. He lost the first of those, back in 1999, then went on to lift the trophy in 2000, 2003 and 2018.
Remarkably, having turned 50 in March and having turned pro 33 years ago, he now has the chance of a fourth world crown which would match the tallies of John Higgins and Mark Selby. Williams surpasses Ray Reardon, who was 49 when he lost to Alex Higgins in 1982, as the oldest finalist, and victory would see him easily beat the record as the oldest champion, ahead of Ronnie O’Sullivan who was 46 in 2022.
Over a possible 35 frames on Sunday and Monday, he will take on fellow left-hander Zhao in a clash of generations. The age gap of 22 years is the biggest ever between two Crucible finalists, and Williams will hope that his superior experience and tactical nous will be too much for his gifted Chinese opponent. First to 18 will lift the trophy and bank the top prize of £500,000.
Williams’ Crucible Finals
Welshman has won three by an 18-16 scoreline:
1999: Lost 18-11 to Stephen Hendry
2000: Beat Matthew Stevens 18-16
2003: Beat Ken Doherty 18-16
2018: Beat John Higgins 18-16
From 7-3 down in the early stages against Trump, Williams recovered to win 14 of the last 21 frames to reach the 43rd ranking event final of his career. He is chasing a 27th ranking title, first since the 2024 Tour Championship, and he could become the oldest ever ranking event winner, taking another record from Reardon who was 50 years and 14 days old when he won the 1982 Professional Players Tournament.
Success against Trump is particularly satisfying for Williams as he lost 17-16 to the same player when they met here in the semi-finals three years ago, and 10-9 on the last black in the final of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters last September.
Trump was outstanding over the first three rounds but missed a few crucial pots at key moments, notably at 7-3 and 10-9, and was gradually worn down by a determined opponent. Another year ticks by for the Bristol cueman, who must win multiple Crucible crowns to seal his place among snooker’s all-time greats. However the 35-year-old has enjoyed a tremendous season, winning three titles, setting a new record of 107 centuries in a single campaign, as well as a new prize money record of £1,680,600.
Leading 13-11, Williams started the opening frame tonight with a break of 67 before missing a red to a top corner. There was still enough on the table for Trump to snatch it but he reached just 16 before failing to pot an awkward red with the rest, allowing Williams to extend his lead. Trump had an early scoring chance in frame 26 but made only 5 before a red to a top corner hit the near jaw, letting Williams in for 65 to go 15-11 clear.
A superb 104 saw Trump close the gap, but Williams responded immediately with 100 to lead 16-12. After the interval, Trump dominated frame 29 with breaks of 42 and 34. Williams had his first match-winning chance in the 30th, but on 14 he over-cut a red to centre, and Trump replied with a run of 116, his 14th century of this year’s tournament and career 100th in the World Championship.
Early in frame 31, Trump converted a fine pot on a red to centre, then went for a risky cut-back black and missed the target. Williams finished the match in style with a 123 clearance, punching the air and saluting wife Joanne and their three sons in the crowd as he crossed the winning post.
“I was starting to sweat towards the end, when Judd came back at me,” said world number six Williams, who was within millimetres of being knocked out at the quarter-final stage when John Higgins missed match-ball blue. “I was under pressure and felt it, so to make a century to get to the final – I can’t believe it. I have played well all through the tournament. I don’t know how I am competing with the number one player in the world, over a three-day match. I have to be proud of myself because there are not many who could beat Judd over such a long match.
“In the last few tournaments I was struggling. For a couple of weeks I practised four or five hours a day with (coach) Lee Walker, with and without contact lenses. In the end I left the decision to Lee whether I should keep them in, and he felt I play better without them.
“I am looking forward to playing Zhao. I played him in an exhibition in China when he was 12. It was 1-1 and then he knocked in 130 and 138 to beat me 3-1. Here we are 16 years later and I am playing him in the world final. I am just happy to be there. If I win and get to four world titles, what an achievement.”
Trump said: “There was a frame to go 11-9 which I messed up. Mark kept potting the important balls and I missed a few or ran out of position, and I played a few loose safeties. Otherwise I didn’t play badly. It was fine margins, on another day it could have been a different result. But over three days he played some great snooker and put me under a lot of pressure.
“I had a tough draw, I would have fancied beating anyone else in the tournament. I saw the other semi-final and I think if Mark plays to the same standard there is no doubt he will win. I hope he plays like that and I think he will, I think his all round game will be too good for Zhao. I hope it goes close. It will be a good final for snooker, the old guard and new talent with very diferent styles.”
It may sound surprising that Mark is playing better without the lenses but I can somehow “relate” to that. I have gone from wearing glasses, to wearing lenses and finally getting Lazik surgery1. With every “change” my perception of distances changed too. This is nothing uncommon or bizarre, and it can be explained by the scientific laws of “optic”. If interested try to play around with a magnifier… holding it at different distances from your eyes and looking at “objects” at various distances from your “lens”… 2
Back to Williams … his brain has for many years been trained to judge distances and angles without the distortions induced by lenses. Retraining it is bound to take a lot of time, if possible at all. It is entirely possible and even probable that a “blurred” vision with a correct perception of angles/distances is less of a problem for him than a sharp vision with an altered perception of angles/distances.
But I digress…
It promises to be a fascinating final. I have seen many disparaging comments about Zhao in the last 48 hours. The report by WPBSA about the various “match fixing” cases by Chinese players, has established that Zhao DID NOT fix any match. His wrongdoings were “not reporting intended fixing he was aware of” and “betting on snooker”. Regarding the “not reporting” stuff , I will say this: as already mentioned by Lewis, the Chinese players of Zhao’s generation rarely have any siblings. Their friends and “colleagues” are the closest thing they have to a brother or sister. It is probably asking a lot – even too much – from them to “betray” their mates.
I am/was extremely myopic, to the point I was considered disabled by the Belgian health system. Everything further than 15 centimeters from my nose was a total blurr … literally. ↩︎
This is the kind of “experiences” kids around you migth enjoy as well BTW… ↩︎
The 2025 World Championship is over for Ronnie as he was beaten, and well beaten, by Zhao Xintong yesterday afternoon. Here is the report shared by WST:
Zhao On The Brink Of History After Flooring O’Sullivan
Zhao Xintong is just one match away from becoming the first Asian player to conquer the Crucible as he reached the final of the Halo World Championship with a 17-7 victory over Ronnie O’Sullivan, one of the heaviest defeats of the Rocket’s career.
China’s Zhao could become a megastar to the hundreds of millions of fans in his homeland if he can break new ground by lifting the famous trophy on Monday night. Ding Junhui – the Godfather of Chinese snooker – is the only other Asian player to reach the final, and he was beaten by Mark Selby in 2016. Zhao can now dream of eclipsing Ding’s achievement, though first he will have to beat Judd Trump or Mark Williams over a possible 35 frames on Sunday and Monday.
Zhao is already enjoying the deepest ever run by an amateur in snooker’s biggest event and, having won four matches just to make it to the Crucible, he could join Terry Griffiths and Shaun Murphy as the only qualifiers to land the sport’s biggest prize. Having turned 28 last month, he would be the youngest winner since Murphy back in 2005. Sheffield-based Zhao is into the third ranking event final of his career and won the previous two, at the 2021 UK Championship and 2022 German Masters.
Playing with panache and a rapid attacking style, Zhao blew O’Sullivan away in the second session on Saturday morning, winning eight consecutive frames to move 12-4 ahead. Seven-time Crucible king O’Sullivan briefly threatened to rally when he won the first two frames tonight but – clearly struggling with his technique – the 49-year-old made too many unforced errors and from 14-6 it was clear his hopes were fading. Snooker’s greatest ever player eventually fell with a session to spare, his biggest defeat since he lost 13-3 to John Parrott in the second round here in 1994.
Zhao is now guaranteed £200,000 and a place in the top 32 of the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings, and that would rise to £500,000 and a top 16 spot with the title.
In the opening frame tonight, Zhao trailed 49-18 when he under-cut a red to a centre pocket, allowing O’Sullivan to make 37 to narrow his deficit to 12-5. Frame 18 came down to the colours and O’Sullivan trapped his opponent in a tough snooker on the brown then took the chance that followed to pull another one back. But in the next, trailing 45-0, the Englishman failed on a red to top corner and that left Zhao the chance to settle any nerves with a break of 62. A tremendous 128 total clearance, the 100th century of the tournament, left Zhao 14-6 clear at the interval.
O’Sullivan’s break of 57 helped him take frame 21, only for Zhao to hit back again with a quickfire 85 for 15-7. A missed red to corner from O’Sullivan early in frame 23 let Zhao in for a run of 63 to move to the brink of victory. Again in the 24th, O’Sullivan had an early chance, but ran out of position on 32, and a loose safety proved his last shot as Zhao rattled in a run of 88, before being embraced by his beaten opponent on the arena floor.
“In the past, when I played Ronnie, I’d get nervous because I really wanted to win, but I didn’t put too much pressure on myself this time,” said Zhao, who had won just one match in two previous visits to the Crucible. “Today I felt a lot more relaxed and enjoyed it, and I ended up playing pretty well. He gave me a few chances, and I took them.
“Tonight I could feel that the whole crowd was cheering for Ronnie. But honestly, I think he deserves it. He’s won here seven times already, and he absolutely has the ability to win an eighth. That’s why I told myself not to relax, because I know he’s someone who can come back from almost any scoreline. I just tried to focus on one shot at a time and make the most of every chance he gave me.
“This tournament feels totally unique. For Chinese and Asian players, no one has won it yet. Every match win here is incredibly difficult. Even though I’ve made it to the final, there’s still a long way to go.
“These past few years, I’ve been working hard to improve my game in practice. Now my shot selections are more reasonable and solid. If I play Mark Williams in the final, I’ll give it my best. I don’t think there’s any other sport where someone can still achieve so much at the age of 50. I have huge respect for Ronnie and Mark, what they’re doing is incredible. If I play Judd Trump it will be the ultimate test. I know how strong he is now, he hardly makes mistakes. I’ll have to be at my absolute best just to keep up.”
O’Sullivan, who changed the tip and ferrule of his cue on Thursday after the first session but to no avail, said: “Zhao played great. We have a really nice relationship and I am always trying to help him if I can. It was his moment to enjoy at the end of the match. It would be amazing for snooker and for him if he becomes World Champion. He will have more of a test against Mark or Judd, that will be a proper test. I at a loss about my game, I don’t know where the white ball is going. I wasn’t that surprised because I have been playing like that in practice and I don’t know how to fix it.“
It wasn’t to be for Ronnie and it’s a very heavy defeat. Yes, it’s disappointing, but we have to remember that only two weeks ago we weren’t even sure he would play, and he went on to reach the semi-finals… that certainly exceeded the expectations I had at the start of the Championship. I’m happy he played, happy he gave it his best and happy he reached the semi-finals
Changing his tip and ferule mid-match didn’t work at all. Some will blame him. I won’t. I remember too many occasions where he took bold decisions: when it worked he was branded a genius, when it didn’t he was blamed for trying.
Before the match Ronnie had said that he was giving himself two more years. Right after this defeat, he wasn’t so sure but I’m not reading too much into that. Hurting, right after a defeat, is not the time to make decisions.
Here are the scores of that match, showing clearly that the damage was done in that disastrous second session, the first and the last were much closer and it also shows that Ronnie was unable to score heavily after he tinkered with the tip and ferule. During the two last sessions he had only one break over 50, a mere 57. Very unlike him.
‘I’m at a loss to be honest with you,’ he said. ‘I have lost what I used to have. I’m so confused. It feels really a struggle.
‘I don’t know if it was me, the cue tip or the ferrule. I didn’t know where the white ball was going.’
On the surprisingly one-sided result, he said: ‘I wasn’t surprised. I have been playing like that in practice. It’s hard to get my head around. I can’t even fix it, that’s the problem, I don’t know if I can fix it.
‘I want to give it two years but if you play like that, it’s pretty pointless. It’s not good.
‘I have been like that for four years, trying to grind it out. I haven’t had a clue where the cue ball was going. I have been willing it in the hole.
‘I don’t know how to correct the fault. That is the worrying thing. I am so far away – I don’t even know where to begin.’
Zhao was keen to whip up a round of applause for O’Sullivan after the final ball was potted, but the Rocket wanted to give the winner his moment after an epic victory.
Zhao clapped his hero off the stage (Picture: Getty Images)
‘We’ve got a really nice relationship,’ said O’Sullivan. ‘I’m always trying to help him if I can and he wanted the crowd to give me a clap at the end but it was Zhao’s moment so I tried to get off as quickly as I could because it was his moment.’
He added: ‘He played great, you’ve got to give credit where it’s due, he was the better player in the whole match.
‘He can definitely get over the line, I think he’ll have more of a test against the other two guys in the semis. I think that will be a proper test for him.’
It was a nice gesture from Zhao to applaud Ronnie as he left. In many ways, this match showed some of the very best aspects of sports. The older champion still trying but knowing his best years are past him and keen to help young talents to develop. The young up-and-coming talent showing respect and gratitude.
Straight after the match Xintong went to Ronnie’s dressing room. He thanked him for his help and support, without which he wouldn’t have got to the final so quickly.
China’s Si Jiahui is through to the last eight of the Halo World Championship for a second time after battling past world number 45 Ben Woollaston 13-10 at the Crucible Theatre.
Since first qualifying for the final stages in 2023, Si has enjoyed a dazzling record on snooker’s biggest stage.
The 22-year-old reached the semi-finals on debut as a qualifier two years ago. He led Luca Brecel 14-5 and looked set to reach the title match before an epic comeback saw him lose 17-15. Last year, Si defeated three-time Crucible king Mark Williams in the opening round, before bowing out in the last 16.
Next up, Si could face Ronnie O’Sullivan in the quarter-finals, with the Rocket needing just one more frame to progress this evening. O’Sullivan leads Pang Junxu 12-4.
Woollaston’s campaign comes to an end, but he can reflect proudly on an excellent return to the Theatre of Dreams. The 37-year-old from Leicester was appearing in the final stages for the first time since 2013. His stunning 10-8 victory over Mark Selby in the opening round marked his first Crucible match win.
Heading into this afternoon’s concluding session, Si led 9-7 after clinching a crucial final frame last night.
That advantage was quickly wiped out, as former Welsh Open finalist Woollaston took the opening frame and then fired in a 110 break in the 19th to level at 9-9.
The next two frames were shared to leave the match finely poised at 10-10. Si then surged ahead with contributions of 63 and 126 to move to within a frame of victory at 12-10.
The 23rd frame came down to the brown. Woollaston missed a tricky chance to the green pocket, and Si responded by potting a superb brown to the same corner. Landing perfectly on the blue, he cleared the table to secure the win.
“It was tough, because neither of us played very well. It was exhausting — mainly mentally exhausting. In the end, I relied entirely on my willpower to win,” said world number 13 Si.
“I think I wanted to win too badly. I put too much pressure on myself, which made my performance worse. To be fair, my opponent was also playing in the last 16 at the Crucible for the first time, and he wasn’t playing very well either. Overall, both of us didn’t play to a high standard.
“No matter who my next opponent is, I hope I can show my best level. That would make me very happy. If it’s Ronnie, I think I will feel much more relaxed mentally. Losing to him would be very normal — it wouldn’t be upsetting. If my mindset is right, I’ll be able to play more freely and aggressively. I hope I can perform better in the next round.”
Judd Trump reached the quarter-finals of the Halo World Championship for the 11th time with an exciting 13-10 victory over Shaun Murphy, who described him as the overwhelming favourite for the title.
Murphy had the Crucible crowd on the edge of their seats with a thrilling recovery from 12-6 down to 12-10, but a missed red early in frame 23 ended his hopes of a career-best fight-back. World number one Trump goes into the last eight and will meet Luca Brecel next if the Belgian takes the one frame he needs against Ding Junhui tonight.
Champion in 2019, Trump hopes to join the small group of just six players to lift the trophy in Sheffield more than once. With 30 ranking titles to his name, two UK Championship and two Masters crowns and over 1,000 centuries, he is one of the sport’s most decorated players, but another Crucible success would put beyond doubt Trump’s position in the pantheon of all-time greats.
This fantastic contest included four centuries and 16 more breaks over 50, as well as the moment when Trump recorded his 100th ton of the season, earning a £100,000 bonus. Murphy said afterwards: “If Judd sustains that level of performance, he will win the tournament, without question.”
Trump, age 35, has lost five of his previous ten quarter-finals, including a shock reverse against Jak Jones last year, and will hope to improve that record when he battles Brecel or Ding over 25 frames on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Leading 10-6 coming into the concluding session, Trump got the better of the opening frame today by winning a safety battle on the final yellow, trapping Murphy in a snooker and taking the chance that followed to go five frames clear. A break of 86 made it 12-6, before Murphy stormed back with 88, 72, 112 and 99 to reduce the gap to 12-10.
World number 15 Murphy, champion in 2005, had first chance in frame 21 but made only 6 before missing a mid-range red to a top corner. Trump converted a long red to set up a run of 58, and Murphy’s last opportunity to counter ended with an under-cut red to centre.
“It was an extremely difficult draw, before the tournament it was the stand out tie that everyone was looking at, if we both got through the first round,” said Trump. “You don’t really want to be putting in so much effort to get to a quarter-final. But I take a lot of confidence from beating Shaun in that way.
“I expected him to throw a barrage of breaks at me at the end. When he gets going, there is probably no player like him, the confidence he exudes, it can be very intimidating. I had to compose myself, I didn’t want to go 12-11 or 12-12 against someone with that much confidence, with the crowd behind him. So in the end it was tremendous to get over the line.
“Luca is playing really well, I know what he is capable of. If I play him my safety will need to be good enough to keep him out. I’ll need all of my experience. There are some incredible match-ups in the quarter-finals. John Higgins and Mark Williams is an absolute classic. It is turning into a great tournament and hopefully it will keep getting better.“
Looking back on the moment he achieved the century of centuries on Sunday night, Trump added: “The crowd put on an amazing reception, I was a bit embarrassed to take the applause! To achieve it here at the Crucible was so special. But at that moment I knew I was in such a tough game, it was difficult to celebrate. I knew I had to win that last frame of the session to go 10-6 up. Now that’s done, I can just concentrate on the tournament because it’s going to be a real battle over the next week.”
Murphy said: “It’s frustrating because that’s the best I have ever played here and lost. I don’t think anyone has played as well as Judd and I over a long distance this year. There have been a lot of times this season when my opponent has played out of his boots. If I’d had more chances I felt I would have taken them. But I watched two and half sessions of Judd Trump magic.
“Every credit to Judd for the 100 centuries and winning the bonus. When it was first announced I called it ‘the Judd Trump and Neil Robertson award’ because they make so many centuries. I wanted to have a crack at it myself and I’ve had a good season but only made 58 which shows how good Judd has been.
“I feel to some degree I am playing the best snooker of my life. Winning the Masters this season was huge. But it will take me a few weeks to get over this defeat.”
Luca Brecel, who arrived for his second round tie in a private jet, breezed past Ding Junhui 13-4 to set up a quarter-final showdown with Judd Trump at the Halo World Championship in Sheffield.
The Belgian Bullet touched down in Sheffield barely an hour before competing in the first session of this second round encounter. He revealed afterwards that Arsenal footballer, friend and compatriot Leandro Trossard arranged the jet he used to fly into Sheffield.
Brecel famously travelled home in between rounds during his run to the 2023 world title and he played snooker reminiscent of that run in this tie.
Ding will have to wait another year in his bid to claim a maiden World Championship crown. With 15 ranking titles to his name, he is his country’s greatest player and has paved the way for a record ten Chinese players to make it to the final stages this year.
The first session was dominated by Brecel and six-time World Champion Steve Davis described it as the best exhibition of snooker he has ever seen at the Crucible. It saw Brecel open up a 7-1 advantage, before he pushed forward in the second session to move one frame away from the win at 12-4.
That meant a swift evening’s work for Brecel, who needed just 15 minutes of play to claim victory. A break of 71 helped Brecel to cross the line with a clean kill which booked a quarter-final meeting with Trump.
The mercurial 30-year-old has an all-or-nothing track record in the World Championship. Having lost opening round ties in his first five trips to the Theatre of Dreams, he went all the way to the title two years ago after beating Mark Selby 18-15 in an epic final. David Gilbert inflicted the Crucible curse on Brecel in the first round last year.
Since making history as the first continental European to win a Crucible title, world number seven Brecel has struggled to maintain his form. He’s currently projected to slide to 38th in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings at the end of the season.
However, Brecel is clearly in the mood this week and if he can produce a similar standard snooker against world number one Trump, we could be set for a classic quarter-final. They get underway in their best of 25 clash tomorrow from 2:30pm. After today’s win Brecel admitted that his jet setting approach helps create conditions which allow him to thrive on the table.
Brecel revealed: “I don’t like to hang around too long. I like to get here as late as possible. Even today, I only arrived 15 minutes before the game. That has always been my way and as long as it works, that is good. I booked the plane the day before. I know Trossard the Arsenal footballer and he arranged it for me.
“I think all of the sessions were good. Even when I got the chance today, my cue ball was tight. I was happy with that because I wanted to finish it off quickly. There was a little bit of pressure to get it done and give myself time to prepare for tomorrow.
“When you come off you think you didn’t play that well, but you hear everyone saying you played an amazing session. Watching some of the frames back you can see you are playing really well. I’ve said it for a long time. I got to the quarters in Scotland and at the Masters, semis in Wales and the final in Saudi. I’ve won a lot of games. For me it isn’t a surprise. Everyone says I’ve not been playing well but I don’t get that.
“I will have to keep up my level of play. Judd is used to playing like that, but for me it is really difficult. My focus needs to be strong and my cue ball control needs to be good.”
O’Sullivan Into Quarters But Keeps Expectations Low
Ronnie O’Sullivan remains cautious about his chances of progressing further at the Halo World Championship, but an emphatic 13-4 defeat of Pang Junxu put him into a 23rd Crucible quarter-final.
With a longer term plan to rebuild his game over the next two years, O’Sullivan is keeping his expectations low in Sheffield, and insists his game is yet to click on the table. But his fans can take heart from the facts: in his first two matches he has made six centuries and 14 more breaks over 50, winning 23 frames and conceding just eight. He may face a tougher test next against Si Jiahui, who won 6-4 when they met at the same stage of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters in September.
“When I am playing well, as soon as I get a chance, before I even pot the first red I think it’s probably ‘game over’,” said O’Sullivan tonight. “And then I’m in such a rhythm, give me half a chance in the next and I can reel four or five frames off. The mindset between that and where I am now – it feels hard for me to approach the game just trying to pot one ball at a time. On the practice table you can try to fix things but out there you can’t really do that. So you have to just refocus, forget the bad shots, move forward and try to pot the next ball.”
O’Sullivan extends his own record for the most quarter-final appearances – ahead of John Higgins and Stephen Hendry who have 19 apiece – and has won 13 of the previous 22. He is now just seven days and three wins away from a possible eighth world crown which would put him one ahead of Hendry. The 49-year-old has not won a tournament for 13 months and had not even played competitively since January before arriving in Sheffield, but with two wins now under his belt his presence will be felt by the other seven remaining players.
Tonight’s result means that O’Sullivan and fellow ‘Class of 92’ members Higgins and Mark Williams are all in the quarter-finals at the Crucible for the fifth time – this previously occurred in 1998, 1999, 2011 and 2022.
World number five O’Sullivan led 12-4 after the first two sessions, having compiled breaks of 58, 91, 50, 63, 68, 52, 79, 80, 105, 135 and 62, and needed just one frame tonight to wrap up the result with a run of 95.
He added: “The more table time I get, the more of a chance I have to try to get my game to where I need it to be. Whatever happens here doesn’t make a difference to how I approach the next two years. If I play my game then it is irrelevant who is sitting in the other chair. I always back myself that if I am somewhere near my best then I’m confident of beating anyone. But when I am not playing well, then I have to rely on my opponent making mistakes. It can click into gear at any time, but I am a realist and I know my own patterns of where I am and where I need to be.”
The Essex cueman’s best-of-25 contest with China’s Si gets underway at 2.30pm on Tuesday, with further sessions on Wednesday at 10am and 7pm.
There isn’t much to add …
Ronnie may not be at his best but he’s certainly trying very hard and giving it all. We can’t ask more than that. Ten days ago we weren’t even sure he would turn up and play. He’s in the QFs.
Ronnie O’Sullivan says ‘horrible’ Crucible demolition of Pang Junxu was ‘hell’
Ronnie O’Sullivan is not comfortable with his game but keeps on winning (Picture: Getty Images)
Ronnie O’Sullivan is into the World Snooker Championship quarter-finals with two comfortable wins, but says his 13-4 win over Pang Junxu was ‘hell’ and says his game feels as bad as it ever has.
The Rocket made two centuries and 10 half-centuries as he brushed aside Pang, needing just one frame of the final third session as he made 95 to end things very early on Monday night.
This came after a 10-4 win over Ali Carter in the opening round as O’Sullivan breezes into the last eight despite not playing since January before he turned up in Sheffield.
The results may have come, but he does not feel like his form, rhythm and enjoyment have come with them, insisting that he does not feel good about his game at all.
O’Sullivan told the BBC: ‘I feel so unconfident. It’s horrible, it’s horrible even when you’re playing alright, but let alone when you’re struggling.’
Asked what he is working on to rebuild his game to where he will be happy with it, he said: ‘I don’t even know to be honest. It’s just a feeling.
‘A safety shot I played there, I hit is so thick I can’t even see where I’m hitting it. It’s just guess work. Then you try something else and the shot looks different again.
O’Sullivan remains on course for an eighth world title (Picture: Getty Images)
‘In the balls I was alright tonight because what I’ve changed felt alright, but there’s so many different parts of the game that you’ve got to get right. It’s hell, to be honest with you.’
He added: ‘It’s not even about winning, it’s about going out there and enjoying it, feeling confident enough to do yourself justice. I’m not even bothered about winning. It’s nice to win. You just want to be part of good games, I’ve always felt better if I’ve played well in the game and lost than when I’ve played terrible and won. I know I’m probably not normal, so I’ve accepted that as well.’
Both Carter and Pang struggled to find anything like their best form and O’Sullivan thinks that if they did he may well already have been beaten.
However, he does see some light at the end of the tunnel, admitting that he can be his own worst critic and some of his seven world titles have come when he felt he was playing poorly.
‘If either of my opponents that I played had played well I would have got beat, but they played poorly, they let me off the hook and I’ve managed to score a few. That’s basically how I’ve got through,’ he said.
I’ve won this tournament many times before playing what I consider bad, so it can be done. But in your early 40s it’s probably much more achievable than when you’re 50 and struggling to bend down and do your shoe laces up. It gets a bit hard.
It’s hard to judge because people say you’re not as bad as you think but feeling-wise I think it’s the worst I’ve ever felt. I don’t even know where my back arm is, where my left leg is, sometimes I can’t even see where I’m hitting. It’s difficult.’
Next up for him is Si Jiahui in the quarter-finals, someone he does expect to perform against him after losing to the 22-year-old at the Saudi Arabia Masters earlier this season.
‘This is a big acid test because he does score,’ said the Rocket. ‘The players I played in the first two rounds had enough chances to put me away but they haven’t, but I think this guy will.
‘He buried me in Saudi Arabia this year. I was scrapping but his scoring power was too much for me.’
Pang Junxu did not play well against O’Sullivan (Picture: Getty Images)
In other topics… Murphy has been at it again… telling the media that Judd wasn’t appreciated enough in particular by the older commentators. That’s not the feeling I have, but then, I’m not watching on the BBC, which almost certainly what Murphy refers to . He also suggested that Ronnie’s “past antics” were about seeking attention and courting the media. That’s definitely not something I agree with. What I have seen when I was in the media room is that some media – not all, far from it – were actually looking for anything “sensational” about Ronnie simply because his name “sells” and if that meant taking quotes out of context, or citing only part of what he had said and “distorting” what he had actually meant saying as a result, they did.
Another day at the Crucible, another day of intense snooker and drama … but more than anything else a day that offered the fans one of the most extraordinary sessions in the history of the World Championship courtesy of Luca Brecel 😳 … but let’s start with the reports shared by WST:
Mark Williams became the oldest Crucible quarter-finalist for 15 years with a 13-10 victory over Hossein Vafaei at the Halo World Championship, setting up a potential clash with John Higgins.
Williams came to Sheffield with low expectations as he has had problems with his eyesight this season, and after losing 10-3 to Ding Junhui in his opening match at the recent Tour Championship he predicted he would be an “easy draw for anyone” at the Crucible. But after beating Wu Yize 10-8 in the first round, he impressed again against Vafaei, fending off a late fight-back to take the last two frames and rounding off the tie with a marvellous century.
Having turned 50 last month, the Welshman is the oldest quarter-finalist since a 52-year-old Steve Davis in 2010. It’s a 12th appearance in the last eight for the Welshman and he continues to chase a fourth world title having lifted the trophy in 2000, 2003 and 2018.
If Higgins can convert a 12-11 lead over Xiao Guodong into victory tonight, then two of the all-time greats would clash on Tuesday and Wednesday. It would be a repeat of the 2018 final, which Williams won 18-16.
“I am praying that John will win tonight,” said Williams. “It would be an incredible occasion, given the stage we are at in our careers. The reception would probably be like the Masters when we played in 2022 and we had a standing ovation. I would just love to play in that atmosphere again. Come on the old boys! The last few times I have come here, I am just trying to enjoy the moments because I don’t know how many times I will be back. I don’t know how I am still playing to a fairly decent level.”
Trailing 9-7 going into the concluding session, Vafaei had a golden opportunity to narrow the gap in frame 17 but missed the final brown to a centre pocket leading 49-47, handing Williams the chance to pot brown, blue and pink for 10-7. Vafaei made a 70 clearance, from 52-1 down, to snatch the 18th and he led 57-26 in the next only for Williams to clear from the penultimate red for 11-8.
A run of 74 boosted Vafaei’s hopes of a recovery. Williams led 35-0 in the next when he missed a red to a top corner, and Vafaei made 72 to close within one. Williams dominated the next for 12-10, and when Vafaei missed a red to a baulk corner early in the next, he wrapped it up superbly with 115.
“A lot of frames could have gone either way,” added world number six Williams, who won the Champion of Champions earlier this season. “I made a lot of really good breaks. I missed easy ones too but that’s what I do. When you miss an easy one you just have to get on with it. I made a fabulous break in the last frame. When I came to the table I thought if I could make 30 I would be in a good position, so to make a century was unbelievable.“
Vafaei said: “It was very tight and tense. Neither of us played at our best. We were both tired. I am disappointed with my performance because I gifted him him many frames with my mistakes. I have to work more if I want this beautiful trophy. Mark will always be a tough opponent.”
On the other table, seven-time Crucible king Ronnie O’Sullivan made a strong start to his second round tie with Pang Junxu, taking a 6-2 lead. O’Sullivan hadn’t played competitively for over three months coming into this event, but after a 10-4 success against Ali Carter in round one he is now on track for a 23rd quarter-final which would extend his own record.
If O’Sullivan and Higgins join Williams in the last eight, it will be the fifth time that all three members of the ‘Class of 92’ have reached the quarter-finals in Sheffield – this previously happened in 1998, 1999, 2011 and 2022.
Breaks of 58, 91, 50 and 63 helped O’Sullivan build a 4-0 lead. China’s Pang pulled one back with a 119 and had first chance in frame six but made only 33 and his opponent took it with a 68. Pang came from 52-0 down to snatch the seventh with runs of 34 and 32, but O’Sullivan took the last of the session to secure a four-frame overnight cushion.
Ronnie is 6-2 up but that match is far from over. Once Pang got going, he matched Ronnie in every department. Both scored well but both made mistakes as well.
Belgium’s Luca Brecel produced a breathtaking session of snooker to end 7-1 up on Chinese number one Ding Junhui at the Halo World Championship in Sheffield.
In the commentary box, six-time World Champion Steve Davis described Brecel’s performance as the best session of exhibition snooker he’s ever seen at the Crucible. When the players left the arena at the conclusion of play, they received a standing ovation from the capacity crowd on table two.
Brecel took just 17.5 seconds per shot in the quickfire session, as he produced snooker reminiscent of when he lifted the World Championship trophy two years ago. In the times since then, he has drifted down the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings, having struggled with his form. If he were to lose this match he would tumble from seventh in the world to 41st.
It was Ding who started with a sublime 141 to get play underway. However, from that point on it was a snooker masterclass from 30-year-old Brecel. Breaks of 121, 78, 55, 100 and 88 saw him surge to seven frames on the bounce. They return tomorrow afternoon from 2:30pm for the second of three sessions.
On the other table, Si Jiahui moved 5-3 up on Ben Woollaston after the first session of their second round encounter. Si top scored with 65 and took the final frame of the evening on the pink to emerge with his lead
It was a truly extraordinary show by Luca. Ding didn’t do anything wrong and for most of the evening was kept in his seat wondering if he would get another shot during the frame in progress. He didn’t…
WST reports that Steve Davis was impressed … Alan Mc Manus on TNT was lost for superlatives. He was as excited as a kid on Christmas and in awe at what he was witnessing. It has to be said, it was dazzling snooker. I can’t remember anyone playing that well, and that fast, relentlessly, for seven frames in a row. The standing ovation was fully deserved and this is a session those who were lucky enough to witnessed it live in the arena will never forget.
Scotland’s four-time Crucible king John Higgins beat China’s Xiao Guodong 13-12 in a ten-hour marathon to set up a quarter-final showdown with Mark Williams at the Halo World Championship.
Higgins and Xiao were pulled off this morning, with the Glaswegian leading 12-11. Higgins was left to mull over a crucial missed black off the spot, which allowed Xiao to take the 23rd frame and force further play this evening.
When they returned, it was 49-year-old Higgins who again appeared to be heading for the finish line. However, he spurned a match ball pink.
That came back to haunt him, when he later inadvertently fouled the pink by potting it in the middle and left the balls at Xiao’s mercy. This season’s Wuhan Open champion obliged, clearing with 39 to steal on the black.
Higgins was again in with the first chance in the final frame. He broke down on 44, but got back to the table and made 75 to get himself over the line.
He’s now won nine out of ten deciders at the Crucible and is through to the quarter-finals for the 19th time in his 31 appearances at the Theatre of Dreams.
Higgins and Williams have met 42 times in their illustrious careers. It’s 33-time ranking event winner Higgins who leads the head-to-head 22-20. However, Williams has won four of their five meetings at the Crucible, including an epic 18-16 triumph in the 2018 final.
“I had two good chances at 12-11, but that maybe settled me down. I was thinking to myself that I’d had chances. The Snooker Gods were maybe beginning to go against me when I potted the pink,” said a relieved Higgins.
“He’s such a tough player, Xiao. We were matching each other punch for punch. There was good stuff and long frames with good safety. I thoroughly enjoyed the game. It was great to be a part of it and I’m delighted to come out on the winning side.
“25 years ago myself and Mark would have been big rivals. Now we just walk into the practice room sometimes and give each other a nod, as if to say we are still doing alright. We are against all these great young talents coming through. We are still in there fighting with them. I think that is a great testament to us.
“Mark is an unbelievable champion. I just can’t wait. I’ll go out there and enjoy it. If I win then great, if I don’t I’ll shake his hand and wish him well.”
Six seeded players had left the tournament in round one, and yesterday, Mark Allen became the 7th one as the first week1 of the championship came to its end, and the first round, the round of 32, concluded.
Chris Wakelin, playing with “ultimate self belief”, had never won a match at the Crucible before this week but claimed another huge scalp at the Halo World Championship with an outstanding 13-6 victory over Mark Allen to reach the quarter-finals.
World number 20 Wakelin beat Xing Zihao and Martin O’Donnell in the qualifying rounds to earn a fourth appearance at the Theatre of Dreams. He then knocked out Neil Robertson and followed up with a tremendous performance against 11-time ranking event winner Allen. Nuneaton’s 33-year-old Wakelin will meet now Zhao Xintong or Lei Peifan – both of whom also came through the qualifying rounds – with the winner to reach the semi-finals.
This has been a breakthrough season for Wakelin, earning his biggest ever pay day of £75,000 when he reached the final of the International Championship in November, and holding a top 16 status for long enough to make a Johnstone’s Paint Masters debut in January. Few would have expected him to go this deep at the Crucible, but he has found the knack of playing every shot on its merits and staying composed in pressure situations. This was his first ever best-of-25 contest but the former Shoot Out champion played with fluency and confidence as he ran away from his more experienced opponent.
Allen’s biggest career ambition to win the world title remains unfulfilled and he is still the most decorated player not to reach the final, but he goes back to Northern Ireland with the consolation of becoming the 11th player to make a 147 at the Crucible, having compiled a marvellous maximum in the 13th frame.
Otherwise Wakelin dictated the first two sessions, building a 12-4 lead with top breaks of 56, 69, 84, 53, 119, 71 and 75. Allen took the first frame tonight with a break of 74, then potted ten reds with blacks in the next before missing a tricky 11th black on 81. He might have closed to 12-7 but over-cut the final brown to a baulk corner in frame 19, and Wakelin slotted in brown, blue and pink for one of his career-best wins.
“I felt as if I really dominated the match,” said Wakelin who is now guaranteed £50,000. “I’m playing some really good stuff. Mark came back a bit tonight and I was relieved to see him miss that brown so I could get over the line. Mark was really nice with his words afterwards, he gave me a lot of encouragement.
“From where I was a couple of years ago, I have got the ultimate belief in myself now. I feel I have really matured as a player and the sky’s the limit. I won’t get ahead of myself. There are some very good players left in this tournament and one of them is me. It doesn’t matter who I play next, whoever it is will have to play very well to beat me.
“The first time I came here was about 15 years ago, I sat in the crowd and watched Mark win. So to be here and beat him, one of the best in the world, feels great. It has been a crazy few days.”
Allen said: “I lost every close frame, I think there were seven in all. That’s not like me at all, I usually get more than my fair share. That was the difference. Chris played very well in patches but I still had plenty of chances to make it closer. All I can do it keep working hard and try to get better. It has been a disappointing season, nothing like the previous two seasons consistency wise.“
Looking back on the 147, he added: “Things were going badly, I was 10-2 down. I decided very early in the break I was going to go for it because I needed something to gee myself up and get the crowd on my side. To earn someone in the crowd £25,000 was a great buzz. Then I had another chance tonight for a 147, which would have been £147,000 and that was another amazing buzz. The crowd were cheering me on and trying to get me back into the match. If I could have got to 12-8 then Chris might have got clincher’s disease. But I didn’t make it close enough.“
I have written this before, but I feel the need to write it again: Chris Wakelin transformation after winning the Shoot-out is truly remarkable. I never thought that winning that event, an event that I still believe should not be ranking, could trigger such deep metamorphosis. I still wonder what it is actually that made such transformation possible. Was it the feeling of “being a winner” and the belief that came with it? Was it the “freedom” induced by getting that big price money, and not having to worry about supporting his family, at least for a while? Or was it something else? Only Chris will know … maybe. I write “maybe” because, often, even we do not fully understand what’s going on in our own mind.
Here is Mark Allen’s 147
Ronnie will start his second round match today, against Pang Junxu. I have no expectations. His participation was in doubt until the last minute, himself said that winning his opening match would be a good result for him, the way he felt he is playing with his new cue. He’s playing and he won that first match. Anything more would be a bonus. If Ronnie were to win, and continue to win, he would now play every day until the end of the Championship, without any “rest” day.
week as a span of 7 days rather than “calendar week, from Monday to Sunday”. ↩︎
Shaun Murphy believes his game is in better shape than ever and he is a “dangerous” contender for the Halo World Championship crown having beaten Daniel Wells 10-4 in a tremendous first round fixture.
The match of the tournament so far featured six centuries (equalling the record for a first round Crucible tie) and eight more breaks over 50, and debutant Wells played his part with three of those tons. But he was no match for Murphy who strolled into the second round for the 15th time in his career. If Judd Trump can convert a 6-3 lead over Zhou Yuelong into a last 16 spot then the world number one would meet Murphy in a potentially epic tie on Sunday and Monday.
It’s 20 year since Murphy, age 22 at the time, lifted the sport’s most famous trophy. He has since been in three more finals, in 2009, 2015 and 2021, but is yet to join the elite group who have conquered the Crucible on multiple occasions: Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, Mark Williams, Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins and Mark Selby. After winning the Masters in 2015 he went ten years without a Triple Crown success, but ended that drought in January with victory at Alexandra Palace, restoring his self belief.
“The hunger and desire never goes away, but sometimes in life you can lose your way,” said the world number 15. “Champions don’t think like everyone else, but for a little while I started thinking like everyone else. I had forgotten what it was like to win the majors, I felt like a bit of a draw filler. Winning the Masters has totally changed that. I believe again and I think that makes me dangerous.
“I have come here in the best shape I have ever been in. My game is the best it has ever been and I’m sharp, I’m ready. If I am allowed to play and get chances, I will be a handful for anyone.
“We had the inaugural champions dinner this year and there were a lot of one-time champions sat around the table. It’s not easy winning this title once, let alone more than that. It’s a very small group of people who have done that and there are quite a few of us searching for it – I have been chasing it for 20 years. Judd has got more time on his side. If we meet in the next round I hope he doesn’t play too well against me.
“There’s nothing better than playing well here. I have to give massive praise to Daniel because he is a really nice guy. He didn’t play like a debutant, he played like someone who has been here for years. With more experience he might have won that match or beaten someone else.”
Murphy led 7-2 overnight having made breaks of 64, 63, 100, 57, 138, 76 and 89 in the first session. A run of 53 in the opener today helped him go 8-2 up, before Wells hit back with 115 and 68 for 8-4. But Murphy soon ended any hopes of a fight-back by taking the last two frames with 133 and 71.
Wells said: “It was enjoyable, but just very difficult playing Shaun at the top of his game. I tried to embrace it but he was absolutely fantastic. Making three centuries is something to be proud of.“
Daniel Wells is a very likeable character and a very, very good snooker player but he’s very probably not World Champion material. I’m not trying to belittle Daniel, I’m stating what I perceive as a fact. The vast majority of professional snooker players will never win the World Championship, or even any of the majors. The vast majority of tennis players never win a “grand slam” tournament. the vast majority of cyclists never win a “Grand Tour” or even a “Classic”. The vast majority of football teams never win the World Cup … or even their own national league title. It’s the same in every sport, and probably in most other human endeavours, be it art, science, sport or any other human activity. The “elite” is a very small minority, they are important because they become public figures and they “inspire”, but no sport, no artistic activity, no scientific research would exist without those – the vast majority – who embrace them, live for them, teach them and share their passion without ever “attaining the summit” in their field. They deserve respect and praise. We should remember that… more often than we do, and I have been guilty myself on countless occasions.
China’s Pang Junxu scored his first ever win in the final stages of the Halo World Championship, beating compatriot Zhang Anda 10-7 at the Crucible.
Pang is making his third appearance at Sheffield’s Theatre of Dreams. His previous two trips to snooker’s showpiece event ended in defeat. The 2021 Rookie of the Year lost 10-7 to Ronnie O’Sullivan in 2023 and was beaten 10-9 by Robert Milkins last year.
Next up for Pang is another potential meeting with O’Sullivan, who must first negotiate his opening round clash with Ali Carter.
There are a record ten Chinese players competing at the Crucible this year. They’ve fared well with six first round wins so far.
World number 12 Zhang’s Crucible history extends back to 2010, when he fell just short in a 10-9 loss against the legendary Stephen Hendry. He’s now appeared five times in the final stages and is yet to win a match.
The players emerged from a fragmented opening session with Zhang leading 5-3, after they were pulled off a frame early.
When the action got back underway this morning, 25-year-old Pang immediately made his mark with 111 to reduce his arrears.
Zhang moved back two ahead at 6-4 with a break of 65, before Pang claimed the 11th on the final ball after depositing a tricky black to make it 6-5.
The 12th went the way of Zhang to leave him 7-5 ahead, that was the moment Pang made his move. Breaks of 102, 55 and 65 helped him to five on the bounce and a momentous first win at the Crucible.
Pang said: “The pressure on me was really high today. Zhang Anda is a very strong opponent and he put me under a lot of pressure throughout the match. His safety play was excellent and really restricted my performance.
“I had to wait for his mistakes and slowly find my rhythm. I just tried to cut down on my unforced errors. Yesterday I was making too many mistakes, either missing pots or not getting the cue ball into ideal position. If I can improve in those apartments everything will become easier.
“Having so many eyes on you creates a lot of pressure. When you make a mistake and your opponent takes advantage immediately, it only gets worse. A little bit of pressure comes from myself. During the match, you really have to try not to think about that too much.
“If I reduce my errors I have a chance to win in the next round, as long as I can control my mistakes. You learn a lot from facing top players. Their shot selection and how they handle the pressure.”
Pang’s reward for his efforts is a second round clash with Ronnie starting on Saturday… and in a strange way it might help him because most people will expect Ronnie to win and that may take the pressure off Pang’s shoulders.
Judd Trump became the fourth player in Crucible history to make five centuries in a first round tie as he raced to a 10-4 defeat of Zhou Yuelong at the Halo World Championship.
Trump fired runs of 117, 113, 114, 114 and 100 as he joined Ronnie O’Sullivan, Kyren Wilson and Mark Allen as the only players to score five tons in the opening round. Three of those came in consecutive frames, a feat only previously achieved by O’Sullivan, John Higgins, Mark Selby, Neil Robertson and Stuart Carrington. There have been several excellent first round performances in recent days but this was a reminder from the world number one that he could be the man to beat.
The left-hander is closing in on a £100,000 bonus awarded to the first player to make 100 centuries this season. His tally for 2024/25 is now 98, needing just two more to secure that bumper payout, and Robertson’s record of 103 centuries in a season, set in 2013/14, is well within his grasp.
Bristol’s 35-year-old Trump is into the last 16 in Sheffield for the 13th time and will meet Shaun Murphy in the pick of the second round ties. Champion in 2019, he is looking for a second world title which would cement his status as one of snooker’s all-time greats. Trump has had an outstanding season, highlighted by victories at the Shanghai Masters, Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters and Victorian Plumbing UK Championship and has already broken to record for the most prize money earned in a single campaign, a sum which would top £2 million if he banks the centuries bonus and the first prize.
Trump led 6-3 after the first session having made breaks of 91, 63, 52, 117, 62 and 54. Within 32 minutes tonight it was 9-3 as he fired runs of 113, 114, 114. China’s Zhou pulled one back but after the interval Trump wrapped it up with a break of 100.
“I felt a bit edgy at the start but then settled down and felt confident,” said Trump. “My long potting was good and my safety was even better. I don’t think I have played that well in the first round before. The money (for the 100 centuries) doesn’t really come into it, we are competitive animals and I just want to make century after century, even if there was no prize. There would be no better place to do it than here. Hopefully I can get it out of the way early in my next match. The standard seems to be going up, the pockets aren’t playing big, they are a good size, but it shows how high the skill level is.
“Shaun Murphy looked superb in his first game. Winning the Masters was one of the best performances of his career. He plays with a lot of confidence, if he gets ahead then he walks around like he owns the place, he has that mentality. He goes for his shots and if they go in there is not much you can do. I will have to play like I did today to have a chance.”
I didn’t see anything of this match. Some comments I read on social media suggested that Zhou wasn’t playing as well as he can but, if true, that may well be because of the way Judd was playing, or because the pressure the “Crucible” particular intimate setup creates … or, of course and likely, both.
Two matches were played to finish yesterday: Ding Junhui beat Zak Surety by 10-7 and Si Jiahui beat David Gilbert by 10-6. Here are the reports shared by WST:
Ding Junhui reached the last 16 of the Halo World Championship for the first time in five years with a 10-7 victory over Zak Surety, who set a new record for the most centuries by a Crucible debutant.
Ding had lost his opening match at the Crucible in each of the last four years, but has finally broken that streak and is into the second round for the 12th time. The world number ten, who won his first ranking title in five years at the International Championship earlier this season, will meet Luca Brecel or Ryan Day next. He will be one of at least five Chinese players in the last 16 – a record – and the 38-year-old remains the only man from his country to have reached a world final, having finished runner-up to Mark Selby in 2016.
Surety may be heading back to Essex but he takes away his own piece of Crucible history as the only player to make four centuries on his debut. Nervy in the early stages, he fell 4-0 behind and that was too big a gap to recover, but he showed his break-building quality and the World Open semi-finalist underlined why he is considered one of the most improved players on the tour this season. Only Ryan Day in 2004 and Jackson Page in 2022 had previously compiled three centuries on their debuts.
Trailing 6-3 after Monday’s first session, Surety hit back this afternoon, winning three of the first four frames with breaks of 109, 136 and 110 to close to 7-6. Ding made an 86 in frame 14 before Surety took the 15th with a run of 50 to stay in touch at 8-7. But 15-time ranking event winner Ding finished strongly, making a century of his own with a 116 then a 75 in frame 17 to wrap up the tie.
“There was big pressure when Zak made the centuries, he was winning the frame every time he got a chance,” said Ding. “I didn’t pot a ball for a long time but I tried to focus on my game and then scored when I got chances. I will try my best in the second round, I can be more relaxed now because in the last few years I have lost in the first round.
“I would love to see a Chinese player win the title, it would be great for Chinese snooker and for the young players and fans, it will help more people to start playing.”
Surety said: “It’s a shame I gave Ding such a big head start because I felt brilliant out there today. It’s nice to go away with the centuries record but it would have been nicer to win the match. I was nervous early on and couldn’t settle. I am the biggest snooker nerd so I have heard all the stories of how players feel when they first come here. I was waiting for the nerves myself, once I started playing it felt as if the arena was getting smaller and everything was on top of me.
“I made a century to go 6-3 and I felt relaxed last night, then today I settled in straight away. At 8-7 I potted a long red but didn’t get position then played a bad safety and left Ding a chance. That was my biggest mistake because it wasn’t a hard shot. I can walk away now with my head held high and desperate to get back here. At 4-0 down I was wondering if I really belong because I couldn’t pot two balls in a row.“
I didn’t watch that match … but I certainly will do at some point. Zak Surety is brilliant to watch, as is Ding but for very different reasons. Zak is flamboyant and Ding is mathematically precise. As I was watching Ronnie’s first session, I couldn’t help noticing the fans roars constantly coming from the other table. They were having a great time out there! Zak puts his heart and soul in his game and his passion “transfers” to those watching1.
Si Jiahui maintained his unbeaten record in the first round at the Crucible as he beat David Gilbert 10-6, his first win in a ranking event since January.
Si showed only glimpses of his best, and in fact was described as an “edgy mess” by his opponent, but did enough to set up a last 16 meeting with Mark Selby or Ben Woollaston on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The 22-year-old clearly enjoys this famous stage – two years ago on his debut at the Theatre of Dreams, Si enjoyed a tremendous run to the semi-finals, and he impressed again last year with an opening victory over Mark Williams.
“The crowd here is always amazing,” said Si. “They’re so enthusiastic and generous with their applause. It really lifts your spirits. Most players enjoy competing here – it gives you that special feeling.“
After a strong start to the season highlighted by runs to the semi-finals of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters and the final of the Wuhan Open, Si has struggled for results in the second half of the campaign, notably losing his opening match in the last five consecutive ranking events. The Sheffield-based cueman has now broken that streak and there is still time to finish the season on a high with a deep run at the sport’s flagship event. He will be one of at least six Chinese players in the last 16, joining Ding Junhui, Zhao Xintong, Lei Peifan, Xiao Guodong and the winner of the tie between Zhang Anda and Pang Junxu.
Si led 6-3 after the first session and took the opening frame tonight with a break of 98. Gilbert, a semi-finalist here last year, potted nine reds with blacks at the start of frame 11 but his hopes of a 147 ended with a missed red to a centre pocket on 72. That proved enough to pull a frame back, but Si dominated the next with a top run of 55 to lead 8-4. Frame 13 came down to the last red and Si, leading 57-30, converted an excellent long pot to a baulk corner to move to the brink of victory.
After the interval, Gilbert found some fluency with breaks of 104 and 102 to close to 9-6. A scrappy 16th frame was resolved when Si laid a tough snooker with three reds remaining, and from the chance that followed he crept past the winning post.
Si added: “At 3-3 I potted a really tough red which completely changed the momentum. That gave me confidence and helped me find some rhythm and go 6–3 ahead. Today’s performance was solid. He made two centuries towards the end and that made me nervous, but I managed to hold my nerve and close it out.
“I think I’ve become a better rounded player. Playing against top players constantly exposes your weaknesses, and I’ve been actively working on those. My form recently hasn’t been perfect, but I’m trying to find ways to adjust. Hopefully I can keep building and get better as the tournament goes on.
“I’m sure more and more Chinese players will make their mark here in the future. So many of us are in the main draw. Everyone’s working hard, and we’re all improving together. I think it’s all about mindset. Everyone here is tough, the margins are really fine. If you over-think the venue or the occasion, it can backfire. I’ve learned to treat it just like any other tournament. That relaxed approach has really helped me perform better.“
Gilbert said: “I thought we were both very poor. I couldn’t pot a long ball and my mid-range game was non existent so I was making it easy for him. Plus the snooker Gods were against me – to be 6-3 down after the first session was laughable. I really looked forward to coming here and I was really pleased to qualify. I love the Crucible but it’s not very nice when your game isn’t there.
“If it had gone 9-7 I honestly think he would have collapsed, he looked a complete edgy mess the whole way through. He will have to play a lot better than that. I am not Mark Selby, Ronnie O’Sullivan or John Higgins where my bad game is good enough to come out of a bad session 5-4 ahead. If I had practised more with Mark in the build up I think I would have come out of yesterday’s session 8-1 ahead. I nearly didn’t even play in this tournament so I’m pleased to have played here, I am not down about it. I’m disappointed the season is over now because I am back into a better routine.“
I didn’t watch that match either. I watched a bit of Trump v Zhou and, honestly, I’m unable to say much about it. Trump scored well, obviously. Zhou can play better. That’s about what I can remember … 2
I hope this makes sense … that how I felt even in amateur events when I was watching Zak. ↩︎
No I was drunk 😉. I’m prone to migraine attacks and had one last night. Usually, in the hours before the actual pain starts, I suffer what’s called “aura”. I’m not in actual pain, but I’m unable to concentrate, my eye-hand coordination is messed up, I struggle to park my car something I’m usually very good at … and when I come out of it, I have little recollection of the recent past hours… ↩︎
Ronnie
Ronnie O'Sullivan 