Nanchang, March 18: Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, and Zhao Xintong secured their spots in the last 16 of the World Snooker Open held in Yushan, Jiangxi Province, southern China, with convincing victories on Wednesday. Seven-time world champion O’Sullivan dominated his fellow English player Matthew Selt, winning 5-0 after clinching five consecutive frames. In the second frame, he achieved a remarkable break of 138 in just nine minutes.
In a post-match interview, O’Sullivan stated, “I’m going to win the whole match. I felt good in my first two matches, and I will keep this form going and keep trying to win.”
According to Xinhua News Agency, world number one Judd Trump also delivered an impressive performance, defeating Welsh player Jackson Page 5-2. Current world champion Zhao Xintong started strong with a century break of 100 and later secured a 5-1 victory over England’s Sam Craigie.
In other matches of the day featuring former world champions, Shaun Murphy triumphed over Ju Si with a score of 5-1. Stuart Bingham edged past Wu Yize in a tight contest, winning 5-4. Kyren Wilson decisively defeated Alan Taylor 5-1, while Mark Williams faced a 5-2 loss against Hossein Vafaei.
Earlier on Tuesday, defending champion John Higgins unexpectedly exited the tournament in the first round. The four-time world champion was narrowly defeated by 19-year-old British player Stan Moody, losing 5-4. Moody had previously reached the quarter-finals of the Wuhan Open this season, where he triumphed over notable players like Ding Junhui and Zhou Yuelong.
Ranked 47th in the world, Moody seized control of the match early on with his precise long potting and excellent cueing. After the first five frames, he led 4-1, just one frame away from victory. Higgins found his rhythm in the sixth frame, capitalizing on available opportunities to win the next three frames, including a stunning break of 135 in the seventh frame, forcing a deciding frame.
In the final frame, Moody capitalized on a crucial mistake by Higgins, making a match-winning break of 65 and claiming the frame 65-15 to secure his place in the last 32.
World number one Trump also defeated Austria’s Florian Neusal 5-1 in the afternoon session. China’s rising star Zhao Xintong secured his spot in the last 32 by overcoming Long Jiehuang 5-4 in the evening session.
Arpit Soni has had a passion for journalism since the beginning. Now he has turned this hobby into his profession. Arpit, who is a resident of Udaipur, enjoys editing and writing news related to journalism. He has worked as a Senior Content Producer in several important roles at Bhaskar, Patrika, Pratahkal, Punjab Kesari, and Times. Arpit completed his schooling in Udaipur and Jaipur. He has been working in the media industry for more than 10 years, and his journey is still continuing. ✍️📚
Leave a Comment