Snooker World Championship Update! Four Quarter-Finalists Emerge, Zhao Xintong 13-9 Ding Junhui, Set to Face Murphy for Semi-Final Spot

On April 26 Beijing time, the second round of the Snooker World Championship main event began. A pivotal match has just finished, concluding the intense Chinese derby battle. Zhao Xintong powered through the latter part of the match to defeat Ding Junhui 13-9, securing his place in the quarter-finals. Next, Zhao Xintong will face Murphy for a spot in the semi-finals, aiming for a strong victory over Murphy!

Zhao Xintong is the defending champion and, as the top favorite for the title, naturally draws significant attention. As the number one seed, he is charging towards the championship. Although his form was not optimal in the first round, he still advanced to the 16 by defeating Haifield 10-7. Ding Junhui is a pioneer of Chinese snooker, holding 15 ranking tournament titles. Only the World Championship crown is missing to complete his Grand Slam. His best World Championship result is runner-up, halted by peak Selby. This year, he secured his direct qualification at the last moment and eliminated the strong player Gilbert 10-6 in the first round, ending years of first-round exits at the World Championship!

Thus, Zhao Xintong and Ding Junhui met in the 1/8 final, staging the strongest Chinese derby for the quarter-final spot. This clash can be called a流量大战 (流量大战) in snooker, and the level of attention it generated is可想而知 (可想而知). Zhao Xintong is currently at his peak, while Ding Junhui is past his prime. Given this shift, most看好 (看好) Zhao Xintong to advance, especially since his current accuracy is truly unmatched—he can pot balls as soon as they appear!

After the match started, the first stage saw them evenly matched, each winning 4 frames for a 4-4 draw, starting from the same line. In the second stage, Zhao Xintong began to pull ahead, while Ding Junhui kept close to avoid falling too far behind, with Zhao leading 9-7. The third stage decided the outcome, with both playing full out. Although Ding Junhui caught up to 8-9, Zhao Xintong quickly won two consecutive frames to lead 11-8. Ding Junhui scored a 76-point break to narrow it to 9-11. Zhao Xintong then made a century break to reach 12-9 and secure the match point, and steadily won 13-9 to successfully enter the quarter-finals, becoming the fourth player to advance to the quarters this tournament. The other three are Murphy, Mark Allen, and Hawkins!

From this match, Ding Junhui played quite well, but facing Zhao Xintong, whose accuracy is解 (解) and who was getting into his stride, Ding Junhui lacked the stamina in the later stages and ultimately lost. The实力差距 (实力差距) was simply too great. After Ding Junhui's exit, his career still faces difficulty in achieving a World Championship title!

Thus, Zhao Xintong also became the first player from the Chinese contingent to reach the quarter-finals. His next opponent is Grand Slam champion Murphy, with both competing for a semi-final spot. Murphy previously edged out Fan Zhenyi 10-9, then crushed肖国栋 (肖国栋) 13-3, eliminating two Chinese players consecutively. This means Murphy will face Chinese players in three consecutive rounds. We hope Zhao Xintong withstands the challenge and defeats his opponent, preventing a scenario of three consecutive defeats. Let's wait and see!

Text/Sports Fiction