Snooker UK Championship Schedule: Quarterfinalists to be Decided, Ding Junhui vs Donaldson, Zhao Xintong vs Zhang Anda

On December 4th Beijing time, the last eight round of the Snooker UK Championship will continue. According to the latest schedule, the final four last-eight matches will take place today: Ding Junhui faces his nemesis Donaldson, Zhao Xintong and Zhang Anda clash in an intense domestic derby, the battle between the '75 trio's Higgins and the '80s fierce Murphy, and the seasoned semifinalist Hawkins takes on the dark horse Slater. The full quarterfinal lineup will be finalized then!

This tournament saw seven Chinese players advance to the last 16, but the round of 16 presents a major challenge with very strong opponents. As expected, our strength fell short; yesterday’s matches resulted in one win and three losses, a surprising outcome. The underdog Pang Junxu shocked by eliminating Mark Williams, while the favored Si Jiahui, Zhou Yuelong, and Wu Yize were decisively defeated. Today, three players remain aiming for the quarterfinals: Ding Junhui, Zhao Xintong, and Zhang Anda. Since two of them face each other, at least one is guaranteed to reach the last eight!

Two matches are scheduled at 9 PM today: Ding Junhui versus Donaldson, a player who has proven to be Ding’s biggest obstacle with three consecutive wins against him. Donaldson also defeated the strong '80s player Mark Allen in this event, showing his strength. Ding Junhui is no longer at his peak; his offense and defense have declined significantly, making him unstable against any opponent. Facing Donaldson again will be a tough battle, with Donaldson likely to attack aggressively, putting immense pressure on Ding to avoid another upset. Simultaneously, Zhao Xintong will play Zhang Anda in a heated clash. Zhao, a favorite to win the title, faces his teammate Zhang. Although Zhao is favored, the match is not guaranteed since they know each other well. Zhao must bring his best offensive game and avoid prolonged exchanges, aiming for a quick victory!

At 3 AM tomorrow, two matches will take place: Higgins versus Murphy, another encounter between the '75 trio and the '80s five tigers. Recently, Higgins defeated Murphy 6-2 at the China Championship, and he still wields his skillful blade, potentially crushing Murphy by a wide margin to reach the quarterfinals. Higgins is eager to defend the honor of the '75 trio, especially since O'Sullivan and Mark Williams have already been eliminated. At the same time, Hawkins will face Slater. Slater caused an upset by knocking out world number two Kyren Wilson in the first round, which was quite surprising. Now he faces seeded player Hawkins, a seasoned semifinalist with great strength, so Slater's surprising run is likely to end here!

Written by / Sports Fiction