Snooker News: World Champion Shockingly Eliminated, Zhou Yuelong Defeats Selby 6-3, Advances to Final Against Allen

On September 21st Beijing time, the first semifinal match of the Snooker English Open concluded. Chinese star Zhou Yuelong faced off against world champion Selby. Zhou was in fiery form and defeated Selby 6-3 in an upset, advancing to the final. This marks Zhou’s fourth career ranking final, where he will challenge Mark Allen for the title!

This tournament has been full of surprises, and China suffered heavy losses. After the quarterfinals, Zhou Yuelong remains the sole Chinese contender. Zhou is a seasoned player who has reached ranking finals before but struggled with mental pressure, preventing breakthroughs. However, his form in this event has been outstanding, knocking out many top players including Mark Williams, Hawkins, and Brecel to reach the semifinals—an impressive achievement. His opponent is four-time World Champion Selby, a strong and versatile player, posing a tough challenge. Whether Zhou can pull off another upset remains to be seen!

The match began with Zhou quickly finding his rhythm, playing aggressive snooker and producing three consecutive 50+ breaks to take a commanding 3-0 lead. In the fourth frame, Zhou scored 59 but made a mistake, allowing Selby to respond with a 71 break and reduce the deficit. Zhou bounced back swiftly in the fifth frame; despite Selby’s 64 break, Zhou took control with multiple visits to win 75-64, extending his lead to 4-1. Selby fought back in the sixth with a solid 87-0 shutout to make it 2-4. Both players then posted 60+ breaks in the next two frames, bringing the score to 3-5. In the ninth frame, Zhou seized the opportunity, confidently scoring 51 to close out the match 6-3!

Congratulations to Zhou Yuelong for an impressive performance in this tournament. His technique was solid and his mindset noticeably calm, as shown by his comeback against Brecel. This is Zhou’s fourth ranking final, and facing the methodical Mark Allen in the final gives him a real chance to claim the title. Let’s wait and see!

Written by Sports Fiction