Four players from the Snooker UK Championship have reached the quarterfinals: a world champion was surprisingly eliminated, Pang Junxu advances, and China has at least two players in the last eight.

On December 4th Beijing time, the round of 16 of the Snooker UK Championship concluded with four matches finishing early, and four players securing spots in the quarterfinals. Among them, the three-time world champion Mark Williams suffered a shocking upset, while the three prominent post-80s stars Trump, Robertson, and Selby all advanced. Another spot belongs to Chinese player Pang Junxu, who has become the biggest dark horse of this tournament!

Mark Williams is a three-time world champion with immense strength, having also won the Xi’an Masters this season, proving his high level. Even at 50 years old, this veteran remains at the top of his game, which is truly admirable. In the second round, he faced Chinese player Pang Junxu for a quarterfinal spot. It was expected that Williams would have an easy match, but it turned out to be a surprise. Williams started off not in great form and was under pressure. Although he made two century breaks, he fell behind significantly in the first half and ultimately lost 3-6 to Pang Junxu in a major upset. This makes Williams the sixth top-16 player to be unexpectedly knocked out so far!

Pang Junxu has been the biggest surprise of this tournament. In the first round, he defeated Xiao Guodong in a derby match, then followed up by eliminating Mark Williams, achieving back-to-back upsets to reach the quarterfinals. Although Pang plays somewhat slowly, this shows his thoughtful approach and steady style focused on winning. His performance against Williams perfectly demonstrated his skills—accurate shots and strong defense allowed him to snatch victory from a very tough opponent!

However, the favored Chinese players Wu Yize, Si Jiahui, and Zhou Yuelong all faltered. While occasional breakthroughs can yield good results, it is difficult for them to compete against the three veterans of ’75 and the five top players born in the ’80s. Currently, only Zhao Xintong seems to have this capability; even Ding Junhui is struggling!

With Mark Williams' shocking exit, six of the last 16 players have already been eliminated in this tournament. The other five remaining players are Kyren Wilson, Xiao Guodong, Gary Wilson, Ronnie O’Sullivan, and Mark Allen. After Pang Junxu advanced to the quarterfinals, China is guaranteed at least two spots in the last eight because Zhao Xintong and Zhang Anda will face each other, securing one quarterfinal place in advance. Now it depends on how well the other players perform!

Written by / Sports Fiction