Coalisland’s Fergal Quinn edged out Antrim’s Robbie McGuigan 4-3 in the first qualifying round of the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open, needing one more win to earn a place in the final stages in Belfast.
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Quinn, playing his debut season on the pro tour, will meet Zak Surety on Sunday with the winner to go through to the Waterfront Hall next month. McGuigan came from 2-0 down to lead 3-2, but Quinn took frame six with runs of 47 and 53 then got the better of a low-scoring decider.
Jimmy White reached the last 32 of this event last year but he misses out this time, losing 4-2 to China’s Huang Jiahao whose top break was 97.
Fight-back of the day came from Poland’s Mateusz Baranowski who recovered a 3-0 deficit to beat Wang Yuchen 4-3, making a 62 in the decider. Liam Pullen, who beat John Higgins in the Xi’an Grand Prix qualifiers earlier in the week, built on his momentum with a 4-0 defeat of Ben Mertens, firing breaks of 89, 96 and 100.
As usual as well – alas – the report is far from exhaustive and focuses mainly on the UK and Irish players results. Also, not a single match of the evening session is reported on. And, alas again, I can’t add too much to it.
I watched two matches, the Baranowski v Wang one and the Pullen v Mertens one. Both ended with defeat for player I supported1. Liam Pullen played extremely well, no complaints. The Baranowski v Wang match was a typical “qualifiers match”. It was hard fought, not very fluent at all, with only one breaks over 50, one each, a 63 by Wang.
Although I have absolutely nothing against their opponents ↩︎
The report shared by WST on what happened on day one at the 2025 Xi’an Grand Prix qualifiers is rather short and far from exhaustive. Indeed, 21 matches were played on the day, but only five get as much as a mention …
Selby Secures Xi’an Spot
Mark Selby booked a place in the final stages of the Xi’an Grand Prix with an emphatic 5-0 win over Gong Chenzhi in the qualifying round on Monday.
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The qualifiers for this £850,000 ranking event run until Wednesday in Leicester, with winners going through to the televised phase in China next month.
Four-time Crucible king Selby rattled in breaks of 103, 63, 111 and 52 in a comfortable victory.
Louis Heathcote scored an impressive 5-3 win over BetVictor Scottish Open champion Lei Peifan, closing out the match with a 135. Wu Yize also made a 135 but was pushed all the way by Florian Nuessle, eventually winning 5-4.
Tour rookie Yao Pengcheng top scored with 137 in a 5-1 defeat of Zak Surety, while Jak Jones enjoyed a 5-0 win over Haydon Pinhey with runs of 91, 74, 98, 68 and 53.
Why those matches in particular? Don’t ask me. It seems that no match finishing past 6pm local time was reported on… maybe the man in charge of reporting had called it a day.
The top 16 players involved all won their match although not always with ease. Mark Allen was pushed all the way by Mitchell Mann, who, to be fair, is never an easy opponent.
Young Michal Szubarczyk, still only 14, won the last match of the day, past midnight, beating Martin O’Donnell in a deciding frame. Michal lead 4-1, only to be pegged back to 4-4. He didn’t crumbled. He won the decider with a break of 52. This kid is special.
Stan Moody recovered 4-2 deficit to beat Amir Sarkhosh 5-4 in the qualifying round for the Xi’an Grand Prix in Leicester.
Moody enjoyed his best ranking event run at last week’s Wuhan Open, reaching the quarter-finals, then almost lost momentum today but narrowly avoided a surprise defeat against world number 76 Sarkhosh. Teenager Moody took the last three frames with a top break of 70 and he will be on the plane to Xi’an for the final stages of this £850,000 ranking event next month.
Luca Brecel’s return to competitive action didn’t go to plan as he conceded his match against Sunny Akani midway through the third frame. Brecel had not previously played since the Halo World Championship in April, and released a statement last month to explain that he had been suffering from health problems .
The 2023 World Champion was playing with a new cue tonight and appeared to struggle to get used to it, and having lost the first two frames he offered the handshake to Akani when 40-1 down in the third.
Farakh Ajaib continued his fine start to the season as he beat Zhang Anda 5-4, coming from 54-0 down in the decider to take it on the final black. China’s tour rookie Xu Yichen came from 4-1 down to beat Jack Lisowski 5-4, winning the last four frames with runs of 78, 66, 53 and 66.
Shaun Murphy strolled to a 5-0 success against Liam Highfield with a top break of 117 while Zhou Yuelong made the third 147 of his career during a 5-2 defeat of Julien Leclercq.
Matthew Selt came from 4-2 down to beat Antoni Kowalski 5-4 while Saudi Masters semi-finalist Elliot Slessor enjoyed a 5-1 success against Liam Graham.
I watched the Brecel match … supporting Sunny Akani. What happened in that match didn’t surprise me and is an example of why, despite being Belgian, I’m not a fan of Luca. Yes, Luca is autistic … to an extend. He has autistic traits, certainly but he is still functional enough to live in society, to be in a relationship, to travel on his own, etc…
I honestly believe that the problem is elsewhere, that the problem is that he was raised as an only child, that he was overprotected and outrageously spoiled. That’s what I have seen anyway when I was at events, and Luca, still a young teenager, was there too with his family. I’m sure that his parents meant well, that they wanted, surely still want, the best for him. They want him to be happy. But even if your child has autistic traits, as Luca has, if they are functional enough to live in society, you have to educate them to behave correctly towards others and respect social rules, because, ultimately, that child will become an adult, will grow older and outlive you and they will have to live in that society when yourself will no more be around to guide and protect them. It’s not easy but it’s necessary.
Jack Lisowski managed to lose by 5-4 to Xu Yichen a 38 years old rookie whose only victory before this one came against Oliver Brown1 last June. I didn’t see the match but that result is baffling although … we all know how inconsistent Jack can be, and reckless at times as well.
Oliver has only won two matches so far this season, both times against an amateur. ↩︎
China’s Xiao Guodong held his nerve in a deciding frame beating Englishman Gary Wilson 10-9 and defending his Wuhan Open crown to the delight of his home fans.
Xiao ended a 17 year wait for his first ranking crown 12 months ago here in Wuhan, when he lifted silverware for the first time. He becomes the fourth player to successfully defend his maiden ranking title, following John Parrott, Mark Allen and Wilson.
Today’s triumph for now two-time ranking event winner Xiao draws parallels with Wilson himself. The Tyneside cueman ended his 18-year quest for a title at the 2023 Scottish Open and defended the title a year later. He then went on to win the 2024 Welsh Open soon after.
Xiao pockets £140,000 for his victory, while Wilson is left to settle for the £63,000 runner-up prize. That means World number 14 Xiao will catapult himself to eighth in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings, while Wilson moves up to 16th from 18th. That ousts Shaun Murphy from the elite top 16 echelon.
Xiao’s week started off with a magic moment, as he crafted a 147 in his opening round win over Mink Nutcharut. He then went on to beat Ishpreet Singh Chadha, David Grace, Matthew Selt, Stan Moody and Mark Williams to make the title match.
The victory thrilled fans in a packed arena this evening. Xiao received strong support throughout the week, due to coming from the city of Chongqing, which neighbours Wuhan’s Hubei Province.
They came into the evening session with Xiao holding a slender 5-4 cushion. When play recommenced, parity was immediately restored, with three-time ranking event-winner Wilson making a sublime contribution of 118 to take the opener.
Xiao regained the lead, before further breaks of 73 and 102 from Wilson saw him go 7-6 up at the last mid-session interval.
Wilson forged further ahead at 8-6 upon the resumption, but the momentum continued to go back and forth. Xiao claimed three on the bounce, including runs of 103 and 90, to move a frame from the win at 9-8.
A steely contribution of 52 from Wilson in the 18th saw him take the tie all the way to a final frame.
Xiao had the first opportunity to get over the line, but could only amass 48 points. Wilson then had his chance, but an unexpected missed red to the top right proved to be fatal. Xiao got himself over the line and secured the glory.
“Winning a first ranking title is hard, winning a second is even harder. To be able to come back to this city and successfully defend the title really means a lot. I’ve been a professional for 17, now 18 years, so I’m not a young player anymore. As an experienced player, winning two ranking titles at this stage feels a bit late, but in another way the timing is just right. Over the years I’ve built up experience, and I think this breakthrough is the result of all the work and the lessons I’ve learned,” said 36-year-old Xiao
“I can remember all those years ago when I first moved to the UK to play, there was a lot of pressure for me. I moved away from my family and had no friends. I couldn’t speak English. Now I can just enjoy snooker. I can travel, eat different food and see different cities. I have to be happy to play snooker and I am glad to be doing my best.
“My biggest gain over the past year has been growth in my mentality. I’m calmer and more composed now. I feel much more settled and determined about the path I’m on. I just want to focus on every shot and enjoy what I do out there.
“I think it’s very important for Chinese players to achieve good results in home tournaments, because that helps the development of snooker in China and inspires more young people to take up the sport. Whenever I play in China, I’m extra motivated to do well because of the home crowd, the fans, and my family being there to support me. That really drives me forward. I also hope that more young Chinese players can go on to win ranking titles and show what they can do in front of the fans.”
Wilson said: “It’s not a great feeling. It is obviously a positive to get to a final again. It was a good week. But obviously when you get to a final you want to win and I’m very disappointed not to do it. I’ve got more ranking points and gone towards the top 16 again. It is about winning tournaments as well.
“Him having the majority of the support doesn’t bring pressure. If anything it should, if you have a competitive nature like I have, spur you on to try and upset that. It didn’t happen today. Now that it is finished and there is nothing more I can do about it, I just want to say well done to Xiao. I know how it feels to defend a title and he has done that in his home tournament.”
Both players deserve huge praise. They served us a thrilling final, they gave it everything. Thank you Xiao and Gary, you were fantastic.
I’m absolutely delighted for Xiao, who I first met 17 years ago. He didn’t speak a word of English, everything around him was new and alien, except the snooker table. As I wrote previously, he was the first in his group of young Chinese players arriving at the South West Snooker Academy to try to engage with people outside the Chinese “circle”, he was the first to try and learn the “local” language. He deserves everything that comes his way now.
Today’s final in Wuhan will be competed between Xia Guodong, the defending champion and Gary Wilson. Whatever happens today, both players will be in the top 16 at the end of the event, with Shaun Murphy dropping out to rank 17th. Here are the reports shared by WST about what happened on semi-finals day.
Not many will have predicted this Final line-up at the start of the event.
It’s quite a remarkable achievement from Xiao Guodong to reach this final. It’s never easy to defend a ranking title, never mind a first ranking title but he has the opportunity to do just that today, and to do it in front of his “home” fans. The pressure on him will be immense but he’s a quite down-to-earth character and I certainly don’t put him past him.
Home hero and defending champion Xiao Guodong defeated three-time World Champion Mark Williams 6-3 to make his second consecutive Wuhan Open final.
Xiao has enjoyed a strong home support this week, as well as in his title triumph last year, coming from the city of Chongqing, which neighbours Wuhan’s Hubei Province.
Rewind 12 months and Xiao was battling in the 2024 title match with Chinese compatriot Si Jiahui. He scored a 10-7 victory to capture his maiden ranking title in front of his friends and family, 17 years on from turning professional.
Since then, he’s broken into the world’s top 16 and made further ranking semi-finals at the 2024 International Championship, 2024 Scottish Open and the 2025 German Masters. Xiao was also runner-up to Williams at last season’s Champion of Champions.
Welsh 50-year-old Williams bows out having reached an incredible 68th ranking semi-final this week. The 26-time ranking event winner will have to wait in his quest to become the first player to win tour events in his teens, 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s.
The first four frames were shared this afternoon, before a break of 75 in the fifth moved Xiao 3-2 ahead.
Williams claimed a 27-minute sixth to restore parity, but 36-year-old Xiao responded immediately with 80 in the seventh to make it 4-3. He then moved 5-3 ahead, before coming from 58-0 down with a brilliant break of 68 to push himself over the line.
He now faces either Mark Allen or Gary Wilson in tomorrow’s final, over the best of 19 frames with a top prize of £140,000 on the line.
“Maybe there’s some kind of magic power in Wuhan that keeps pushing me forward. I also think it’s thanks to the good luck and support I get from everyone here,” said world number 13 Xiao.
“For me, it is an honour to play legends like Mark Williams, John Higgins and Ronnie O’Sullivan. Of course, after losing to Mark in the Champion of Champions final last year, beating him this time is a big boost to my confidence. I want to learn from these great players every time I face them.
“My focus really improved after 3-3. I told myself that even though my scoring wasn’t great today, I needed to concentrate fully on the cue ball control on every single shot. Even in the final clearance I wasn’t nervous, I just tried to treat it as a normal situation and stay relaxed.”
Gary Wilson claimed five frames on the spin to beat former Masters and UK Champion Mark Allen 6-2 and reach the final of the Wuhan Open, ensuring a return to the world’s top 16 in the process.
World number 18 Wilson will now move up to at least 16th with the guaranteed £63,000 for making the final, pushing Masters champion Shaun Murphy into 17th spot.
Wilson’s run to the title match has seen him dispatch an all-star cast of opponents. The Tyneside Terror had already defeated Murphy, world number one Judd Trump and four-time World Champion John Higgins to make the semis.
Tomorrow will see Wilson take on China’s defending champion Xiao Guodong for the title and the £140,000 top prize.
The two finalists share parallels to their career stories. Wilson ended an 18 year professional quest for his first ranking title at the 2023 Scottish Open and went on to defend his title the following year. Xiao waited 17 years after first coming on tour before winning maiden silverware at last year’s Wuhan Open, he can emulate Wilson’s feat by winning tomorrow’s final.
The opening frame this evening went the way of three-time ranking event winner Wilson, who made a break of 77 to move 1-0 ahead. However, Allen emphatically restored parity with 135 in the second, before making 66 in the third to move 2-1 up. Wilson then took the fourth to head into the mid-session level at 2-2.
When play resumed it was Wilson who made his move. Runs of 113, 78 and 70 moved him one from victory at 5-2.
With Allen leading the eighth Wilson made an intricate break of 25, which involved a sensational shot to develop the green, to leave his opponent needing snookers on the pink. Allen couldn’t amass the required penalty points and Wilson claimed victory.
40-year-old Wilson said: “All the events I’ve won have been similar and in the UK. I want to win different sorts of tournaments and it is a good chance to try and do that now.
“Our stories are very similar. I remember what it is to try and defend and go on and do it and I will be trying to stop him doing the same as me. It is going to be a fantastic final against a Chinese player and one from the region. I know it will be a good atmosphere. I’m looking forward to it.
“I’ve beat some fantastic players this week, but you aren’t looking at who it is really. You are just trying to play your own game. If you can do that as a professional, then you have a chance of beating anyone. It is then about holding yourself together.
“We all have at some point played the opponent rather than the table. You know you won’t get away with things against top players. In my early days I knew it would be a big scalp if I won against certain players. You kind of just have to get bored of that and just play the game.”
Gary Wilson remains in the hunt for a return to the world’s top 16, after overhauling world number one Judd Trump to win 5-4 and make the last eight of the Wuhan Open.
World number 18 Wilson is in line to make the top 16 in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings if he reaches the final this week. His next assignment is a quarter-final clash with four-time Crucible king John Higgins, who beat Tom Ford 5-1.
Victory for Wilson represents his first win over Trump for seven years, dating back to the 2018 World Open. Defeat for Trump comes off the back of a 5-3 opening match exit at the hands of Oliver Lines in the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.
There was never more than a solitary frame between the pair in this evening’s encounter. Wilson top scored with 103, but it was Trump who fired in contributions of 68, 63, 57 and 58 to move one from victory at 4-3.
Wilson held his nerve to force a decider, where both players spurned opportunities before the Tyneside cueman got himself over the line for an important victory.
“I’m really happy with the win. It is great to beat Judd. Being hyper critical there were a few bad mistakes, where a player of Judd’s class he doesn’t normally let you off the hook,” said 40-year-old Wilson.
“You have to be your own harshest critic. That is what top level sport is about. You need to be harsh, but in the right way. When I’m analysing the game, I have no problems being harsh, but I’m also honest. It was a great result against a great player.
“Naturally the rewards are big being in the top 16. It gets you in different competitions like the Shanghai Masters and the Masters. Of course, all season long, it will be a goal in the back of my head. But in the forefront of my mind it will be about enjoying playing.”
Former UK and Masters champion Mark Allen scored a fine 5-1 defeat of quickfire Thai Thepchaiya Un-Nooh to make his first quarter-final of the campaign.
The Northern Irishman missed the Shanghai Masters and lost his opening match to Chang Bingyu in Saudi Arabia, so he is hoping to kick his campaign off in earnest this week.
Allen now faces Si Jiahui, who beat Stephen Maguire 5-2. He top scored with 94 and was relieved to comfortably see off the dangerous Un-Nooh.
Allen said: “He has given me a few hammerings lately. I just had to tighten up a bit and my safety was good there. That created a few chances and I scored well when I needed to.
“In the blink of an eye it could be 3-1 to 3-3, or even worse. So I was pleased to get over the line there and make it to the quarter-finals.”
I must confess that I didn’t watch much of it today.
That said …
The 5-0 win by Stan Moody over Barry Hawkins really surprised me. Not so much the win, as Stan is a very capable player, but I certainly didn’t expect the score, a whitewash, and even less the frames scores, with the hugely experienced Barry only scoring 39 points all match, and all 39 points coming in frame 1… It’s the first time that Stan reaches the QFs in a ranking event. He will face Xiao Guodong who beat Matthew Selt.
The other results didn’t particularly surprise me. Judd Trump has not been at his best for some times now. Thepchaiya isn’t the most consistent player and Mark Allen looks very solid and scored heavily. Mark Williams also is in good form and is always very astute tactically. Mark Selby made the two highest breaks in that match but lost the close frames. Not many players can do that to Mark Selby but Willo is one of them…
English 18-year-old Stan Moody followed yesterday’s huge win over Ding Junhui with a fine 5-1 defeat of Zhou Yuelong, ending the much talked about “Ding Curse” at the Wuhan Open.
A freak sequence of results has seen the player who has beaten Ding in a tournament then lose in their following match for the last year and half, in a run extending back to the 2024 Welsh Open when Robbie Williams beat him. Moody’s game today was the 23rd attempt at breaking the curse and he obliged, ending the run at 22.
The former WSF Junior Champion crafted contributions of 66, 95, 54 and 81 during today’s victory. His prize for stopping the curse is a last 16 clash with Barry Hawkins or Jack Jones. If he wins, it will earn him a maiden ranking quarter-final appearance.
“When I was 3-1 up I was sat in the player’s lounge and thought I could be the one to break it. I got over the line so I’m happy with that,” said Moody. “I thought it would be good to do it and get a little record. It was definitely playing on my mind, so I had to just focus and get on with it.”
Mark Selby and Mark Williams scored comfortable respective wins to book a mouth watering last 16 showdown against each other.
Selby had runs of 56, 66 and 56 in a 5-2 defeat of David Gilbert this afternoon. After the match he admitted he is relishing the prospect of facing Williams, who beat Joe O’Connor 5-1.
Selby said: “When you are playing somebody of that level, one shot here or there can be the difference between winning and losing. Because he is such a clever player he sees the shots so fast. He will play a shot quickly and you will come to the table thinking you have an ordinary snooker shot and the next minute you don’t have a shot on. I’ll enjoy the game, I’m sure Mark will and we will see what happens.”
Recent Championship League winner Stephen Maguire held his nerve to win a thrilling deciding frame and beat World Champion Zhao Xintong 5-4 and make the last 16.
The Scot’s victory in Leicester last month saw him win ranking silverware for the first time in five years. He appears to have carried that form over to Wuhan, where a fine display this evening saw him string together breaks of 58, 71, 92 and 119 en route to forcing a final frame.
The decider looked to be going Zhao’s way in front of an expectant crowd, who were getting behind Asia’s first ever Crucible king. However, after potting frame ball he inadvertently cannoned the brown in, keeping the match alive.
With three reds left on the table, Maguire deposited a fine shot to the middle to get his chance. A couple of nerveless long range pots kept the break going, with Maguire making 45 to get over the line on the black. His reward is a meeting with Si Jiahui, who beat Jackson Page 5-3.
Maguire said: “I just had a funny feeling because he had that massive bit of bad luck I’d get a chance. I was getting myself up for it if I got a chance, thinking please clear up. Thankfully I managed to do it.
“The crowd was obviously for him. I expect that and I love him to bits. He is a great player and I think he will be an unbelievable World Champion. I love the way he plays. He has a lot to carry though. Ding has been doing it for years. Pressure-wise he is carrying a whole country. I hope he deals with it and he looks as if he is.”
World number one Judd Trump scored a 5-3 win over close friend Jack Lisowski to enhance his winning run against his fellow Englishman, which now stands at nine wins in a row.
Trump said: “It was a little bit scrappy. We both knew we would play each other if I won two games. There was a little bit of anticipation and it is never an enjoyable win against him.
“We’ve had quite a few finals against each other. We had one season where we were both at the top of our game and kept competing. Unfortunately for him, he was just coming out on the wrong side. I really feel if he was able to win one of them it would have been a different path. It has been a bit of a struggle the last couple of seasons, with some terrible luck off the table. I just hope he can turn it around.”
Next up for 2023 Wuhan Open winner Trump is a last 16 tie against Gary Wilson, who defeated Masters champion Shaun Murphy 5-3.
I always liked Maguire as a person. He says it as he sees it. He’s a bit rough, he’s a big bear, but his heart is in the right place and he’s extremely honest. He’s also very “down to earth”. What you see, or hear, is what you get with him. He could probably have won more titles in his 27 years as a pro and many thought he would when he turned pro 27 years ago but I would be surprised if he is losing any sleep over it. All the same, I’m sorry for Zhao who I also like. He could have won this match, he had some bad luck. But Stephen, when coming to the table at 61-12 behind , wasn’t left with anything easy or straightforward. He “earned” that win.
I watched the Trump v Lisowski game. It was a mistake. I should have known … and actually I did know but I still watched. I like Jack, as a player and as a person. Maybe he should only play exhibitions1 . When “relaxed” he’s absolutely magic. When playing under pressure the mistakes creep in and he can’t help himself, he will always take those risky shots and miss quite a few. He used to have the upper hand over Judd many years ago … 😞
Wuhan Open Day One: Williams Hails Next Welsh Generation
Welsh snooker legend Mark Williams admitted his young compatriots Liam Davies and Jackson Page are ready to take on China’s best talents, after holding off a spirited fightback from teenager Davies to prevail 5-3 at the Wuhan Open.
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The three-time World Champion was in sensational form in the opening three frames this evening, crafting consecutive century breaks of 125, 100 and 137 to storm into a 3-0 lead. Williams then added a fourth to move 4-0 ahead at the mid-session interval.
When play resumed, 19-year-old Davies showed his class to burst back into contention. The former European Under-21 champion took three on the bounce, including runs of 61 and 94, to move just a frame back at 4-3. However, 50-year-old Williams stamped out hopes of a comeback with 70 in the eighth to get over the line. Next up he faces Joe O’Connor in round three.
“He never looked for once as if he’d gave up. He never threw the towel in and he made some great breaks to get to 4-3,” said world number five Williams, who was runner-up to Zhao Xintong in the Crucible final back in May.
“Both Liam and Jackson are as good as most of the Chinese players. It is easy for me to say that after having just beat one of them. He is only 19 and he has many years yet. It is nice to have a couple of youngsters that can take it to the young Chinese players. It has been a long time with them dominating.
“My game is there but not as consistent as it used to be. First session I can have it and the next I can be dreadful. That is what it is. I’m enjoying it and giving it a good go. I do fade a little bit now though.”
Barry Hawkins found himself facing yet another decider, this time prevailing 5-4 against Welshman Jamie Jones to make round three.
Since finishing last season with a 10-9 defeat to Hossein Vafaei at the World Championship, five of Hawkins’ last eight matches have come down to final frames. The Londoner arrived in Wuhan off the back of a 6-5 defeat to Chris Wakelin at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters and a 6-5 loss to Ronnie O’Sullivan at the Shanghai Masters.
A cagey decider this afternoon saw both players spurn chances to get over the line on the colours, but eventually Hawkins cracked in a superb long range green to a black end corner, screwing back to find position on the brown and a 5-4 victory. He’ll now play Jak Jones.
Hawkins said: “You don’t want to keep being in deciding frames, but as long as you are on the right side of them it is alright. Today I’m really just so lucky still to be here after that. It is hard, especially when you know your game isn’t there. I felt all over the place and had no confidence at all. Every ball felt like a pint of blood. What I do is just battle and battle. I’ve absolutely used my get out of jail free card there.”
World Champion Zhao Xintong looked to be set for his own perfect break before spurning a straightforward pink on 134. However, he still beat a spirited Iulian Boiko 5-3 and will now play Matthew Stevens.
World number one Judd Trump was a 5-1 victor against Pakistan’s Farakh Ajaib and plays Liu Hongyu up next. Meanwhile, Mark Selby booked a clash with David Gilbert after beating Michael Holt 5-2.
I must admit that it annoys me massively that the main point of reporting by WST on a day of competition in China is Willo’s opinion about the Welsh “youngsters” , if you can consider that Jackson Page, who is 24 and has been a pro since 2019 is still a “youngster”. Of course he’s still young, but he’s no kid anymore and has plenty of experience already. Twenty two matches were played yesterday and only six are reported on in the above report, of which only two are covered in some details.
Marco Fu isn’t even mentioned… he only beat Chris Wakelin by 5-3, with two centuries (120, 136). Eight Chinese players won their match yesterday. Only two feature in this report1, they couldn’t really ignore the defending champion and the World Champion… Incredibly, Ding Junhui, who remains important being the one really “started” the snooker boom in China is among those being “overlooked”.
The thing is, it gives me a feeling that WST is only interested in the British audience and I know that I’m not the only one feeling that way.
Anyway… life goes on and there is plenty more to it than snooker.
three if you count Liu Hongyu who is only mentioned as a “next opponent” ↩︎
Ronnie O'Sullivan 