The World Open qualifying rounds have officially begun in the UK. The main event will be held from February 24 to March 2, 2025, in Yushan County, Jiangxi Province, China. A total of 25 Chinese players are participating in this tournament, with 20 of them competing in the qualifying rounds. The remaining five players' qualifying matches will be postponed until next year's main event period. These five players are Ding Junhui, Zhang Anda, Xu Si, Jiang Jun, and Xing Zihao. On the first day of the competition, six Chinese players took part, achieving a record of three wins and three losses. Below is a detailed report of the matches.
At 18:00 yesterday, five Chinese players took the stage. Last season's World Championship semi-finalist, German Masters runner-up, and this year's Wuhan Open runner-up, Sijiahui, faced off against Zach Shuerti, ranked 89th in the world. Although Sijiahui had an advantage in terms of strength, he was in poor form during the match. He was outplayed by Shuerti, who made three breaks over 60, leading to a 4-0 match point. In the fifth frame, Sijiahui had already completed his scoring, with only pink and black balls left on the table, but he was defeated after his opponent made a snooker that earned him a penalty point, resulting in a 0-5 shutout elimination. Sijiahui has been in a slump recently, with dismal results. There is a break before the upcoming Masters, and it is hoped that he can make some adjustments during this period.
World number 28, Wu Yize, faced McQuigan, ranked 105th, and although he only made one break over 50, he still won the match 5-0 with stronger overall abilities. Another match saw world number 41, Yuan Sijun, face Hayden Pinney, ranked 104th, also winning 5-0 and advancing to the main event, including a high break of 145. Long Zehuang, who was eliminated in the last round of the German Masters qualifying, faced Mitchell Mann. Both players performed averagely, and the match was fragmented. However, Long Zehuang still managed to eliminate his opponent with a score of 5-2 and advance. Currently ranked 64th in the world, Long Zehuang does not have a significant relegation issue, but he still needs to perform well in future matches.
Two other young Chinese players, Zhang Jiawei and Gong Chenzhi, faced two top 16 players in the world. Ultimately, Zhang Jiawei lost 1-5 to Barry Hawkins, and Gong Chenzhi lost 1-5 to Gary Wilson, failing to create an upset. On the first day, there was also a match between the 2015 World Championship winner, Bingham, and Toton. Bingham, after initially taking the lead, was unexpectedly eliminated after Toton won five consecutive frames. Another UK Championship winner, Maguire, faced Alfie Burton. Despite leading 4-1, Maguire was reversed and eliminated by his opponent's four consecutive victories.
The specific match reports are as follows:
Long Zehuang 5-2 Mann, Yuan Sijun 5-0 Hayden Pinney
Tachaiya 5-3 Higgins, Wu Yize 5-0 McGuigan
Hawkins 5-1 Zhang Jiawei, Sijiahui 0-5 Shuerti
Hill 5-0 Wanharutai, Gary Wilson 5-1 Gong Chenzhi
Maguire 1-5 Alfie Burton, Joe O'Connor 5-3 Ursenbach
Vafaei 5-3 Ben Mertens, Joe Perry 5-0 Gur Basani
Jordan Brown 5-1 Graham, Ford 5-1 El Said
Matthew Stevens 5-2 Grace, Bingham 1-5 Toton
Page 5-1 Cardi, Clarke 1-5 Hiskott
Slessor 5-1 Lu, Jimmy Robertson 5-3 Hatthasil
Mark Davis 5-4 Liam Davies
The second day of the qualifying rounds will continue today, with nine Chinese players set to compete. Unfortunately, there will be three internal battles among Chinese players. The specific schedule is as follows:
Saturday (best of 9 frames)
18:00 Higgins vs. Wang Yuchen, Zhou Yuelong vs. Ma Hailong
Tian Pengfei vs. Bai Yulu, He Guoqiang vs. Huang Jiaha
Fu Jiajun vs. Ryan Day, Sangkam vs. Dean Young
Jamie Jones vs. Purnell
22:00 Wakelin vs. Kavalski, Carter vs. Pajit
Lei Peifan vs. Hamilton, Walsh vs. Blackwell
Dale vs. Chada, McGill vs. Evans
Milkins vs. Ajayebu
3:00 am Neil Robertson vs. Holt, Jack Jones vs. Taylor
Lisowski vs. Leclaire, Waldon vs. Yasin
O'Donnell vs. Revez, Wells vs. Muir
Robbie Williams vs. Burns