The 2024 Wuhan Open is nearing the enterprise finish of the week, with 16 contenders nonetheless vying for the snooker season’s sixth rating title.
Defending champion Judd Trump has continued his current good run of type with victories over the likes of He Guoqiang and Anthony McGill.
It’s prone to get more durable for the world primary on Wednesday when he faces the rejuvenated John Higgins, a current finalist on the British Open.
Trump has reached the quarter-finals or higher of each event he’s participated in throughout 2024, so he’ll be hoping to increase that unimaginable streak right here.
Higgins, who fought again from 3-0 right down to pip Fan Zhengyi within the final 64 earlier than beating Zak Surety on Tuesday, will possible must play near his A-game to forestall that from occurring.
There are six Chinese language gamers, in the meantime, nonetheless within the 2024 Wuhan Open snooker draw – together with residence hero Ding Junhui and world quantity 11 Zhang Anda.
Ding seemed to be in bother when he trailed Robbie McGuigan 2-0 in his opening fixture a couple of days in the past, however he has misplaced solely one other two frames since then.
The previous world primary romped to victories over compatriots Xu Si and Yuan Sijun within the following rounds to arrange a last-16 tie towards Chris Wakelin.
Zhang scored a excessive break of 109 to beat Hossein Vafaei within the spherical of 32, final 12 months’s Worldwide Championship winner to face Mark Joyce subsequent.
The latter, who changed Ronnie O’Sullivan who withdrew, has actually grabbed his late alternative to compete within the event and has already assured himself £12,000 in prize cash.
The remaining top-half match sees this 12 months’s German Masters runner-up Si Jiahui in motion towards Duane Jones.
Three extra gamers from China function within the backside half of the draw, together with Wuhan’s very personal Lengthy Zehuang.
The 27 year-old solely turned knowledgeable for the primary time final 12 months, however strong performances are taking him into the working for a spot within the high 64 of the world rankings.
Lengthy will play Ben Woollaston for a quarter-final berth, with the Englishman persevering with his improved type this season with a second look at this stage of a rating occasion.
Elsewhere, one of many ties of the fourth spherical sees English Open runner-up Wu Yize encounter Jack Lisowski.
Wu wanted all 9 frames to emerge from a titanic tussle with Jamie Clarke in a decider on Tuesday, firing in a hat-trick of century breaks within the course of.
Lisowski was additionally in a scoring temper and thrashed World Championship runner-up Jak Jones 5-1 with breaks of 136, 130, 87, 81, and 50.
Xiao Guodong is the opposite Chinese language participant nonetheless within the subject, the 35 year-old holding on to file a 5-4 overcome world champion Kyren Wilson.
Barry Hawkins will likely be Xiao’s subsequent problem, whereas the opposite fixture sees a battle of the 2 most up-to-date Championship League Snooker rating winners – Shaun Murphy and Ali Carter.
A champion’s cheque price £140,000 is up for grabs this week, with the ultimate scheduled for Saturday on the China Optics Valley Conference & Exhibition Centre.
One other incentive is a attainable invitation to play within the upcoming Champion of Champions in Bolton.
Of the 16 rivals left in Wuhan, solely Trump and Carter have already safeguarded their locations in that lineup.
Stay protection of the Wuhan Open snooker event is accessible for European viewers on discovery+ and Eurosport.
Particulars on different international broadcasters can be found right here.
2024 Wuhan Open
Final 16 (bo9)
All matches to be performed on Wednesday, October ninth
Occasions in UTC+1
Judd Trump vs John Higgins (7am)
Chris Wakelin vs Ding Junhui (12:30pm)
Mark Joyce vs Zhang Anda (12:30pm)
Si Jiahui vs Duane Jones (12:30pm)
Wu Yize vs Jack Lisowski (7am)
Ben Woollaston vs Lengthy Zehuang (7am)
Shaun Murphy vs Ali Carter (7am)
Barry Hawkins vs Xiao Guodong (12:30pm)
Click on right here to view the complete draw
(snooker.org)
Featured photograph credit score: WST
