The 2024 Wuhan Open draw is right down to its ultimate eight contenders with the quarter-finals set to happen on Thursday in China.
Half of the remaining gamers are Chinese language, so there’s a good likelihood that there will likely be some dwelling curiosity come the tip of the week’s play.
However the world primary lingers ominously and stays the favorite to gather the £140,000 prime prize on Saturday.
Let’s check out the 4 quarter-finals within the Wuhan Open draw.
Judd Trump vs Chris Wakelin
Judd Trump is collaborating in his 14th match of the 2024 calendar yr, and he has reached the quarter-finals or higher each single time.
That degree of consistency has hardly ever been seen within the sport, and the Englishman stays on track to land a fifth piece of silverware since January.
Two of these have already come this season – the Shanghai Masters invitational adopted by the inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters in Riyadh.
The latter success noticed Trump return to the world primary place, and he’s each bit worthy of that standing at current.
Chris Wakelin represents the subsequent problem to beat, his countryman having produced a exceptional efficiency to beat Ding Junhui within the final 16 on Wednesday.
Wakelin compiled a hat-trick of century breaks – made consecutively – en path to a 5-3 victory and a second last-eight look in a rating occasion this time period.
The stats will not be within the 32 year-old’s favour in relation to enjoying Trump, although, with Wakelin shedding all 13 earlier conferences on the primary tour.
Zhang Anda vs Si Jiahui
The match between Zhang Anda and Si Jiahui will make sure that there’ll be at the least one Chinese language cueist represented on the semi-final stage.
Zhang fought again from 3-0 and 4-2 down to finish the aspirations of Mark Joyce, the newbie top-up who was a late alternative on this match for Ronnie O’Sullivan.
It was an especially dramatic climax with final yr’s Worldwide Championship winner prevailing within the deciding body on a respotted black.
Si loved a extra comfy time of it and contributed three tons throughout his 5-2 defeat of Duane Jones.
Zhang and Si have crossed paths on three events up to now on the World Snooker Tour, and considerably surprisingly the previous has loved the higher hand every time.
Si has arguably struggled up to now at occasions in opposition to slower and extra methodical gamers, which might clarify the poor head-to-head document.
The 22 year-old must discover a solution to negotiate that form of impediment if he’s to additional his growth and problem for trophies on a extra common foundation.
Jack Lisowski vs Lengthy Zehuang
There’s no doubting the truth that Jack Lisowski has been enjoying one of the best snooker of the 2024 Wuhan Open thus far.
The 33 year-old added Wu Yize to his latest checklist of simple conquests, thrashing the English Open runner-up with a whitewash scoreline.
Lisowski has misplaced simply two frames this week – compiling 5 centuries and ten extra half-century breaks within the course of.
Whether or not he can maintain that degree and finally problem to lastly win that elusive rating title is the apparent large query.
Lisowski would be the favorite in opposition to native lad Lengthy Zehuang within the quarter-finals, however Lengthy has impressed too as he hunts down a prime 64 rating for the primary time in his profession.
Shaun Murphy vs Xiao Guodong
Shaun Murphy’s 5-4 defeat of Ali Carter within the final spherical implies that, amongst these left within the 2024 Wuhan Open draw, solely Judd Trump has safeguarded his spot within the upcoming Champion of Champions.
A former winner of that prestigious invitational, Murphy would like to get his fingers on this week’s trophy and concurrently seal a ticket to Bolton too.
The Magician, a runner-up in Shanghai through the summer time, performs Xiao Guodong for a berth within the semi-finals.
Xiao adopted up his standout success over world champion Kyren Wilson within the final 32 by taking the scalp of Barry Hawkins.
It has been a strong season thus far for the 35 year-old, who will characteristic within the quarter-finals for the second time from the 5 rating occasions he’s performed in.
Xiao misplaced to Murphy at identical stage of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters final month, however he has held his personal in opposition to the previous world champion total with their head-to-head document evenly matched.
2024 Wuhan Open schedule
Quarter-Finals (bo9)
7am UTC+1
Jack Lisowski vs Lengthy Zehuang
Shaun Murphy vs Xiao Guodong
12:30pm UTC+1
Judd Trump vs Chris Wakelin
Zhang Anda vs Si Jiahui
Click on right here to view the complete Wuhan Open draw
(snooker.org)
Featured photograph credit score: WST
