A wild night in snooker! Nine Chinese players advance to the last 16, Pang Junxu defeats Murphy & Yuan Sijun shocks Trump

On February 4th Beijing time, the snooker Grand Prix continued with intense battles, resulting in an insane night where all three Chinese players competing in the evening moved forward. Pang Junxu unleashed his power to shockingly defeat world champion Murphy 5-1, Zhao Xintong overcame Higgins 5-3, and Yuan Sijun caused a major upset by beating world number one Trump 5-3. Adding to that, Si Jiahui eliminated Gary Wilson 5-2 in the afternoon. The Chinese squad achieved four wins from four matches today, bringing the total number of Chinese players advancing to the last 16 to nine out of ten participants: Zhao Xintong, Xiao Guodong, Wu Yize, Si Jiahui, Zhou Yuelong, Yuan Sijun, Pang Junxu, Chang Bingyu, with only Ding Junhui eliminated.

Si Jiahui faced Gary Wilson. Wilson started strong with a century break, giving Si Jiahui a tough challenge. Si Jiahui fought back fiercely, winning two out of three frames to take a 2-1 lead. Wilson leveled at 2-2 with a 59-point break in the fourth frame. Afterwards, Si Jiahui dominated, winning two more frames in a row and then scoring a century break in the seventh frame, completing a 3-0 surge and sealing a 5-2 victory, becoming the sixth Chinese player to advance!

Pang Junxu battled Murphy. Facing world number seven and reigning world champion Murphy, who had just finished runner-up at the German Masters and rushed to Hong Kong for this event, Murphy showed signs of fatigue from continuous tournaments. In contrast, Pang Junxu was unstoppable, delivering two century breaks and overwhelming Murphy 5-1 in a shocking upset, eliminating him and becoming the seventh Chinese player to advance!

Zhao Xintong played against Higgins. Against the evergreen Higgins, the two engaged in a fierce tug-of-war, exchanging tight frames. Zhao Xintong reached the match point first at 4-3. The eighth frame turned into an error-filled battle with many chances given away. Ultimately, Higgins managed to level the score, pushing the match to a decider. Zhao then potted the black ball to win 5-3, knocking out the experienced Higgins and becoming the eighth Chinese player to move on!

Yuan Sijun faced world number one Trump. Trump, fresh off winning the German Masters, entered this tournament without rest, which affected his stamina and form, leading to numerous uncharacteristic errors and poor accuracy. Yuan Sijun played boldly and took a 4-2 match point lead. The eighth frame was full of twists and errors from both sides. Yuan cleverly snookered Trump with a yellow ball, leaving Trump an opportunity to pot the middle pocket. Yuan then cleared the table in a thrilling 57-56 finish, pulling off a stunning upset to reach the last 16, becoming the ninth Chinese player to advance!

Written by / Sports Fiction