Younger Chinese language duo Wu Yize and Lei Peifan will contest the 2024 Scottish Open last on the Meadowbank Sports activities Centre in Edinburgh on Sunday.
The pair of 21 year-olds will vie for a maiden rating crown, the Stephen Hendry Trophy from the Dwelling Nations sequence, and a £100,000 champion’s cheque.
With a mixed age of 42, the Scottish Open last represents the youngest mixed age of the 2 contenders for glory since 19 year-old Paul Hunter beat 22 year-old John Higgins to win the 1998 Welsh Open.
It’s yet one more sign up a 12 months filled with them that momentum for a Chinese language takeover of the game, which has been predicted for twenty years with out having ever correctly materialised, is rising.
Gamers from China have usually been that includes on the enterprise finish of tournaments on a extra frequent foundation.
This, actually, marks the second all-Chinese language last of the 2024/25 snooker season following Xiao Guodong’s conquer Si Jiahui on the Wuhan Open in October.
Wu, who missed out on his first success as an expert when he was denied by Neil Robertson within the title-deciding affair of the English Open, performed Xiao within the opening semi-final affair on Saturday.
It regarded set to be successive defeats within the final 4 having bowed out on the similar stage of final week’s Snooker Shoot Out.
However trailing 2-4 and 0-56 down within the seventh body, Wu produced an excellent 67 clearance and utterly dominated his opponent thereafter.
Further contributions of 57, 115, and 54 noticed the proficient up-and-coming star progress to Sunday’s showdown on the expense of his countryman.
Wu would take the entrance within the race to land this season’s Dwelling Nations sequence bonus if he have been to pocket the principle prize within the Scottish capital metropolis.
The participant who earns essentially the most cash throughout the 4 Dwelling Nations tournaments will obtain a jackpot sum of £150,000, with solely the Welsh Open to come back after this occasion.
World quantity 84 Lei is the participant hoping to throw a spanner into the works, and judging by his shows this week, the qualifier would possibly simply be as much as the duty.
Since beating Hossein Vafaei within the opening spherical of the venue levels, Lei has extremely received 4 deciding-frame thrillers in a row.
A 4-3 conquer Shaun Murphy was adopted by an identical success in opposition to Stuart Bingham, earlier than a 5-4 beating of Tom Ford helped him via to the final 4.
Lei then fought his approach again from 5-2 behind to disclaim world quantity 5 Mark Allen in Saturday’s second semi-final conflict, successful 6-5.
He’s undoubtedly making a significantly better fist of life on the World Snooker Tour the second time round having regained his skilled standing earlier this 12 months.
No matter occurs within the Scottish Open last, Lei is assured a career-high rating and a career-best payday.
He will certainly start the battle because the underdog, however that hasn’t mattered a lot in his earlier 5 outings within the competitors in opposition to higher-ranked opponents.
Wu, nevertheless, can name upon the expertise of his look on the English Open last, when he was edged out in a 9-7 reverse in Brentwood.
Many consider that this participant has what it takes to achieve the very pinnacle of the game.
If he wins on Sunday, Wu would match his tender age of 21 on the planet rankings having been an expert participant for simply three-and-a-half seasons.
It guarantees to be a compelling climax to what’s the last rating occasion of the 2024 calendar 12 months, with two of snooker’s youngest rising stars going head-to-head for the silverware.
The 2024 Scottish Open last takes place at 1pm and 7pm UTC over the most effective of 17 frames.
Featured picture credit score: WST
