Snooker Scottish Open： Ding Junhui advanced to the top 64 with 12 China players.
China news agency, Beijing, December 12-On the morning of the 12th, Beijing time, the first day of the Scottish Open in 2023 ended, and four China players who participated in the postponed qualifying round were 3 wins and 1 loss. Among them, China billiards star Ding Junhui swept his opponent 4-0, and 19-year-old China teenager Liu Hongyu once again knocked out world champion shaun murphy. So far, the number of China players among the top 64 in the race has increased to 12.
A total of 21 players from China participated in this season’s Scottish Open, of which 17 played in the qualifying match a month ago and 9 took the lead in advancing to the race. Ding Junhui, ranked in TOP16 (the TOP16 in the world), and three other players from China, whose opponents are Top 16 players, participated in the postponed qualifying round during the main race.
On that day, Ding Junhui’s opponent was English player David Grace. In the English Open two months ago, Ding Junhui defeated Grace 4-1 and advanced to the top 32. Now that we meet again, Ding Junhui, who just won the runner-up in the British Championship, is even stronger, sweeping his opponent 4-0 and progressing smoothly.
What’s even more surprising is that the other three China players who met their rivals in the postponed qualifying match were strong or weak, and they were even unpopular.
As a professional newcomer this season, Liu Hongyu, ranked 81st in the world, once again encountered shaun murphy, ranked 7th in the world. Liu Hongyu beat Murphy 4-3 in this season’s English Open Deferred Qualifiers. This time, the 19-year-old China teenager reappeared as a "dark horse" and won by 4-1, winning two consecutive victories over the first world champion born after 1980s.
Another China "post-00" player, Pang Junxu, challenged barry hawkins, ranked 15th in the world. In the first six games, the two sides fought to a 3-3 draw. In the tug-of-war of the deciding game, Pang Junxu seized the last chance and defeated his opponent 4-3.
Another "professional newcomer" of China Legion, Long Zehuang’s defeat is regrettable. In the face of Ali Carter, the 11th captain in the world, Long Zehuang fell short when he took the lead in winning the match point by 3-2, and lost by 3-4. Despite this, Long Zehuang, who ranks one hundred places in the world, once gained the upper hand in this seemingly disparate competition, which can be called a glorious defeat.
On that day, except Murphy and Hawkins were eliminated by two China teenagers, mark allen, mark williams, robert milkins and other TOP16 players also stopped postponing the qualifying round. O ‘Sullivan, the "rocket" ranking first in the world, once again retired for "medical reasons".
On the next match day, the Scottish Open will be contested in 64 rounds and 32 rounds, and many players from China will play. Among them, Ding Junhui will play against English player Jenson kendrick, who eliminated world champion Bingham 4-1 in the qualifying round. China’s Zhang Anda, who has reached the TOP16, will have a strong dialogue with judd trump, ranked second in the world, while Pang Junxu and Xu Si will bring a "Chinese Derby". (End) [Editor: Zhang Yanling]