Snooker Scottish Open: China achieves 9 wins and 2 losses with 9 players reaching the last 32; Si Jiahui narrowly wins, Murphy clinches a last-second victory

On December 16th Beijing time, the first round of the Snooker Scottish Open began, with all 32 qualifiers confirmed overnight. The Chinese contingent showed outstanding form with an 8-2 winning record. Rising star Lan Yuhao shocked the crowd by eliminating Gary Wilson 4-1. Chang Bingyu also caused an upset by overturning a 1-2 deficit to defeat Maguire 4-2. Meanwhile, Grand Slam champion Murphy edged out young Chinese player Liu Hongyu 4-3 to advance!

Before the tournament started, we already received two gifts: Zhao Xintong and He Guoqiang advanced to the last 32 without playing due to their opponents’ withdrawals, which was excellent news. Among other Chinese players, only Fan Zhengyi and Liu Hongyu were eliminated on the first day. Fan Zhengyi lost to Zhang Anda in a derby match, while Liu Hongyu was narrowly defeated by Grand Slam champion Murphy!

In the match against young Chinese player Liu Hongyu, Murphy faced a strong challenge. Liu took the lead early with a break of 88 points. Murphy responded with a century break to quickly level the score, then took the lead 2-1 with consistent scoring. Liu’s sharp accuracy produced a century break and a 74-point break, allowing him to win two frames in a row and lead 3-2. However, Murphy showcased his Grand Slam champion quality by relying on excellent defense to win the next two frames straight, completing a 4-3 comeback and denying a major upset!

Chinese youngster Lan Yuhao faced world number 16 Gary Wilson. Lan played boldly and aggressively, taking the first frame with steady scoring. In the second frame, he scored 51 points in a break to overturn Wilson’s 55-point break, securing a 2-0 lead for a dream start. Wilson fought back with a 71-point break in the third frame to make it 1-2. Lan then delivered a century break and a 50+ break to win two consecutive frames and claim a convincing 4-1 victory!

The nine Chinese players advancing are the newly crowned World Champion Zhao Xintong, veteran Zhang Anda, and promising young talents He Guoqiang, Chang Bingyu, Lan Yuhao, Si Jiahui, Yuan Sijun, Wu Yize, and defending champion Lei Peifan. In the upcoming last 32 round, there will be three derby matches, so we have already guaranteed three spots in the last 16!

By / Sports Fiction