Snooker Players Championship Report: Zhao Xintong trails Allen 1-3, Higgins edges Trump 6-5 into the final

On February 22nd Beijing time, the semifinals of the Snooker Players Championship began. The intense showdown between Higgins and Trump recently ended with both players exchanging fierce blows. After an 11-frame struggle, Higgins clinched a 6-5 victory over Trump, advancing first to the final. The other semifinal featuring China’s sole remaining player Zhao Xintong against Mark Allen is still in progress!

Higgins versus Trump. As two of snooker’s top players, both have amassed numerous honors and are currently in excellent form. This round showcased a peak confrontation between the world number one and number five, promising a fierce and suspenseful contest full of twists and a huge uncertainty over who would win!

After the match started, Higgins showed sharp accuracy, scoring three consecutive 50+ breaks to take a perfect 3-0 lead. In the following frames, both players’ precision dropped, preventing any single break from deciding the frame, and the match turned into a defensive battle with a slow pace. Trump managed to stop the bleeding with a fragmented frame win, narrowing the gap to 1-3. However, Higgins quickly claimed another frame amid the tussle to extend his advantage to 4-1. Trump fought back fiercely, winning two frames in a tight race to reduce the deficit to 3-4. Despite several struggles, Higgins managed to win another frame to reach 5-3 and gain a match point. Trump refused to give up, showing great resilience by winning two more frames to level at 5-5 and push the match into a decider. The final frame was full of ups and downs with chances for both, but unfortunately, Trump made a crucial red ball error. Higgins then scored a single 65-point break to withstand Trump’s comeback and clinch a 6-5 victory, becoming the first to advance to the final. As a substitute reaching the final, the 50-plus-year-old Higgins proved incredibly strong, still able to dominate the powerful Trump!

Zhao Xintong is facing Mark Allen. As China’s last contender, Zhao is under intense spotlight, but Allen is a tough opponent. Zhao prepared for a difficult match, and indeed today Zhao’s form was off, with poor touch and accuracy, plus many basic mistakes. Combined with weaker defensive play compared to his opponent, Zhao currently trails Allen 1-3 after four frames at the mid-session interval. Hopefully, Zhao can adjust quickly; otherwise, the situation looks precarious. We look forward to Zhao’s comeback in the second half—let’s wait and see!

Written by / Sports Novel