13-7 & 13-12! Snooker World Championship Quarterfinals Finalized, World No.1 Upset, Big Dark Horse Advances

On April 28 Beijing time, the second round of the Snooker World Championship main event has concluded. In the two matches that ended early this morning, world No.3 Australian "Aussie Cannon" Robertson easily defeated Wakelin 13-7, while world No.1 Trump faced the big dark horse Vafaei. After a fierce battle, the match reached the deciding frame, where Vafaei showed superior skill and sealed the victory 13-12. Thus, the quarterfinalists for this tournament have been determined: Zhao Xintong, Hawkins, Allen, Higgins, Wu Yize, and Vafaei!

Robertson vs Wakelin. Robertson won the £500,000 Saudi Masters championship this season, truly earning a huge sum. In this World Championship, Robertson has a favorable draw and is eager to achieve a great result. In the 1/8 final against rapidly improving Wakelin, there is a gap in overall strength, and the outside world still favored Robertson to advance. After the match started, Wakelin scored piecemeal points to take a 1-0 lead. Robertson then combined attack and defense to deliver four consecutive winning frames, reversing the score to 4-1. Wakelin, unwilling to be outdone, chased three frames to tie at 4-4. In the second stage, Robertson began to take control of the match, gradually displaying dominance, consecutively delivering two bursts of 3-1, expanding the advantage to 10-6 and looking poised to advance. In the third stage, Wakelin initially won a grinding frame to trail 7-10, but Robertson's form was truly blazing. He directly cut through the clutter swiftly, winning three more frames, quickly wrapping up the match 13-7 to defeat Wakelin, powerfully advancing to the quarterfinals. This marks Robertson's return to the World Championship quarterfinals after five years. In the 1/4 final, he will challenge Higgins!

Trump vs Vafaei. Trump is world No.1 and has reached multiple finals this season. As a favorite for the title, Trump encountered the sole big dark horse from the qualifiers, Vafaei, in the second round, with outsiders expecting Trump to advance. After the match started, Trump struck first, achieving a dream start of 3-1. Vafaei then exerted force, winning three consecutive frames to reverse the lead to 4-3. Trump leveled at 4-4 with a century break. At the start of the second stage, Vafaei scored piecemeal points to take a 5-4 lead. Subsequently, both sides engaged in an attacking battle, each winning two frames with single-frame victories to make the score 7-6. Next, they again exchanged fire, each delivering a 4-0 burst, with Vafaei leading Trump 11-10. Entering the final decisive moment, Trump won two frames with single-frame victories to take a 12-11 lead and secure the match point first. However, Vafaei was extremely tenacious, directly scoring a century break to drag the match into the deciding frame. In the deciding frame, Trump collapsed, and Vafaei seized the momentum, pressing forward with one effort and winning with a 91-point break. Winning two consecutive frames, Vafaei sealed the victory 13-12 against Trump, upsetting and advancing to the quarterfinals in a very crazy manner. Vafaei will face Wu Yize in the next round!

Thus, all quarterfinalists for this tournament have been determined. The 1/4 final matchups are: Zhao Xintong vs the Grand Slam champion Murphy; Chinese rising star Wu Yize faces Vafaei in an Asian derby; Allen vs Hawkins; Robertson challenges Higgins, the sole remaining member of the "75 Trio." Anticipating exciting matches!

Text/Sports Novel