On November 6th, Beijing time, the fourth day of the Snooker International Championship saw the conclusion of the 1/16 matches, with all 16 top players having been determined, including 6 Chinese players among them. On this match day, the battle for the top 8 will take place, deciding the final qualifying spots, with matches played in a best-of-11 format.
The International Championship is a major ranking event, the highest-level snooker tournament held in China, and part of the WST World Snooker Tour. The champion receives £175,000, the runner-up £75,000, making it second only in prestige to the three major snooker events. This year's event runs from November 3rd to November 10th in Nanjing, China, over an eight-day period, attracting 128 top players from around the world. Notable participants include O'Sullivan, Trump, Mark Selby, and China's number one player Ding Junhui, with the defending champion being Chinese player Zhang Anda.
The competition rules of the International Championship are divided into two stages: qualification and main event. All participating players must compete in the qualification stage to secure their spot in the main event. For this competition, the Chinese team, led by Ding Junhui and defending champion Zhang Anda, consists of 29 players. The top 16 players took the competition seriously, with no absences. After the qualification stage, the Chinese team had mixed results, with 14 players advancing, including Ding Junhui, Zhang Anda, and Xiao Guodong. Among the top 16 players, only Jack Jones, Brechel, and Tom Ford were eliminated in the first round, while the rest advanced.
After several days of competition, there were both joys and sorrows. As of the previous match day, six members of the Chinese team advanced to the top 16. Ding Junhui, no longer slow to heat up, swept Hussein Wahid 6-0 with three breaks over 50 and one century break. Xiao Guodong, who won his first title this season, exploded in form against veteran Mark Allen, dominating both offensively and defensively, ultimately advancing with a 6-2 victory. It is worth mentioning that young players collectively broke out, with Pang Junxu upsetting O'Sullivan 6-4 in a surprising turn of events, and Xu Si securing a 6-2 victory with three breaks over 50 and three century breaks against four-time ranking event champion Ryan Day. Xu Si also scored a 147 maximum break in the sixth frame, igniting the audience. In the other two Chinese derbies, Lyu Haotian and Jiang Jun demonstrated superior skills to advance, while defending champion Zhang Anda and Yuan Sijun were eliminated from the top 16.
Among the top 16 players, world number one Trump remained strong, defeating Joe O'Connor 6-4. Post-90s World Champion Kyren Wilson was in scintillating form, blasting three century breaks and four impressive 50+ breaks to eliminate Chinese youngster Wu Yize 6-4. Mark Selby played steadily to advance 6-3, while Mark Williams, the "Golden Left Hand," quickly won 6-1. Wizard Higgins, who had fallen out of the top 16 at the time, did not participate as a seeded player but still advanced to the top 16. Other advancing players include Jackson Paige, Chris Wakelin, and Jack Lisowski. On this match day, the battle for the top 8 will unfold, with specific match details as follows:
Trump 4-6 Xu Si
Xu Si is a Chinese post-90s player who has gradually come to prominence in recent years, currently ranked 49th in the world. Since turning professional, his best result is reaching the quarter-finals of a ranking event, with two records of a 147 maximum break, the most recent of which was achieved in the previous round against Ryan Day in this International Championship. His performance this season has been commendable, reaching the quarter-finals of the Xi'an Grand Prix, making him a force to be reckoned with.
First Frame: After some defensive play, Trump left a long-range attacking opportunity, which Xu Si capitalized on with precision, scoring 76 points in a single stroke to win the frame.
Second Frame: Trump missed a long-range shot on the coffee ball, handing over possession, and Xu Si seized the chance to score another 76 points to win the frame.
Third Frame: The two players traded shots in a messy and close contest, with Trump eventually taking advantage of Xu Si's mistake to win the frame 58-26, narrowing the gap to 1-2.
Fourth Frame: Trump continued his momentum, winning the frame 70-45 after multiple attempts, leveling the score at 2-2.
Fifth Frame: After the break, Trump's hand felt better, scoring 63 points in a single stroke to win the frame 119-0, overtaking 3-2.
Sixth Frame: Xu Si responded strongly with two attempts, scoring 65 points to level the score at 3-3.
Seventh Frame: Trump combined shots to score 65 points before interrupting, followed by Xu Si failing to pot a long-range red ball. Ultimately, Trump consolidated his lead to win the frame 79-0.
Eighth Frame: Xu Si refused to fall behind, breaking the century mark with 104 points to win the frame in a single stroke, leveling the score at 4-4.
Ninth Frame: Xu Si made a long-range shot, scoring 69 points before switching to defense. He then went back on the attack to score 106-0, reaching the match point first.
Tenth Frame: Xu Si's hot hand continued with another long-range shot, scoring 58 points before making a mistake. Subsequently, Trump made a fatal defensive error, leaving a red ball at the pocket's mouth. Xu Si took over, scoring 68 points to win the match. Thus, Trump was surprisingly eliminated 4-6 by Xu Si, congratulations to Xu Si for advancing to the top 8.
Pang Junxu 4-6 Jackson Paige
Pang Junxu is ranked 26th in the world, while Paige is ranked 42nd. There is a slight difference in rankings, but both have reached the runner-up position in ranking events as their best career achievements. Pang Junxu is one of China's most promising young talents, having won the Best Newcomer Award. This season, he performed well, reaching the semi-finals of the Northern Ireland Open before being eliminated, leaving a deep impression by upsetting O'Sullivan 6-4 in the previous round of this competition. Paige is the apprentice of "Golden Left Hand" Mark Williams, a Welsh post-00s potential star who upset Ali Carter in the previous round of this competition, showing excellent form.
In the first frame, Paige scored a century break of 117 points to win, giving a warning shot. In the second frame, Pang Junxu responded with a 74-point break. Then, in the third frame, Pang Junxu continued his fiery form from the previous frame with a 59-point break, winning another frame 77-9. In the fourth frame, the two players engaged in a messy and close contest, with Paige eventually winning the tussle 69-38. After the break, in the fifth frame, Pang Junxu won the frame 80-1. In the sixth frame, the two players alternated scoring, with Paige eventually winning 71-53, leveling the score at 3-3. In the seventh frame, Pang Junxu played steadily with an 88-point break. In the following two frames, Paige scored 68 points and 72 points respectively to win. The full match ended with Pang Junxu losing 4-6 to Paige, missing out on the top 8.