Snooker Welsh Open Report: Five Chinese Players Advance to Last 16, Zhou Yuelong Causes an Upset, Zhao Xintong Wins 4-2

On February 26th Beijing time, the second round of the Snooker Welsh Open finished with the last 16 confirmed. From the nine Chinese players competing, five secured spots in the last 16, marking an impressive result. Zhou Yuelong shocked the crowd by beating world number two Kyren Wilson 4-1. Zhao Xintong kept his momentum going with a 4-2 win over Moody. Wu Yize defeated O'Connor 4-2, Zhang Anda rallied with three straight frames to reverse Pullen 4-2, and Jiang Jun unleashed full power in a derby, sweeping Yuan Sijun 4-0. Thus, Zhao Xintong, Wu Yize, Zhang Anda, Jiang Jun, and Zhou Yuelong advanced to the last 16!

Zhou Yuelong vs. Kyren Wilson. Zhou Yuelong has finished as runner-up in ranking events four times; his skills are solid, but his mental resilience under pressure has been lacking. In the second round, he faced world number two Kyren Wilson, a young post-90s World Champion. Wilson’s form this season has been average, giving Zhou an opportunity for an upset. Indeed, Wilson continued his poor form, scoring only two points in the first three frames with no real chances, while Zhou produced two 50+ breaks to lead 3-0 and reach a match point. Wilson revived in the fourth frame with a 75 break to save one match point, but Zhou struck hard in the fifth, securing the frame with a 72 break and winning 4-1, causing a major upset to reach the last 16!

Zhao Xintong vs. Moody. Zhao Xintong is currently one of snooker’s hottest players, having won the Grand Prix and Players Championship back-to-back. Despite the tough schedule, he entered the Welsh Open aiming for a third consecutive title. After narrowly beating Fan Zhengyi 4-3 in the first round to extend his winning streak to ten, he faced rising star Moody, who had previously upset Ding Junhui. Zhao started fiercely, producing three 50+ breaks to take a 3-0 lead. Moody fought back with strong defense and attack, winning two frames to narrow it to 3-2. In the sixth frame, Zhao’s precision exploded as he delivered an unstoppable 122 break to seal a 4-2 victory and extend his winning streak to eleven!

Zhang Anda vs. Pullen. Pullen started aggressively, scoring a century break to take the first frame. Zhang Anda responded quickly with a 58 break to level at 1-1. Pullen edged the third frame 68-21 to lead 2-1 again. The rest of the match turned one-sided as Zhang's solid defense helped him win two consecutive frames. He then finished the match with a 64 break, completing a 3-0 run to overturn Pullen 4-2 and advance to the last 16!

Written by/Titan Sports Fiction