The Snooker National Championship semifinals are set: two Chinese players, Higgins beats Murphy 6-2, Zhao Xintong faces Wu Yize.

On November 6th Beijing time, the quarterfinals of the Snooker National Championship finished. In the last game, Higgins, still sharp as ever, crushed Murphy 6-2 to grab the final spot in the semifinals. Therefore, the semifinal lineup includes Zhao Xintong, Wu Yize, Maguire, and Higgins, with China having two representatives in the final four, a very commendable achievement. The semifinals will feature a derby between Zhao Xintong and Wu Yize, while Higgins will face Maguire!

Higgins won both the Yushan Open and the Tour Championship last season, demonstrating he remains at his peak. Currently ranked sixth in the world, he entered this event in great form and advanced to the quarterfinals. His opponent was Murphy, one of the "80s Five Tigers," who recently won the UK Championship and is ranked ninth globally. Murphy had just defeated Ding Junhui convincingly in the previous round to reach the last eight!

The match started with an intense exchange of high-quality breaks, both players showing strong single-break winning ability, with five consecutive frames featuring breaks over 50 points. Higgins edged ahead 3-2. However, the momentum shifted sharply afterward as Murphy’s form dipped and errors increased. Capitalizing on this, Higgins took control with consistent play, blending offense and defense, and secured three straight frames to win 6-2 comfortably. Higgins’ stability is undeniable; with Mark Williams withdrawing and Ronnie O’Sullivan knocked out early, he successfully upheld the honor of the "Big Three" of snooker!

In the other three matches, Maguire faced the dark horse Schulte, who had scored a 147 maximum break. Despite trailing 0-1, Maguire produced three breaks over 50 and then unleashed a 6-0 run to overturn the deficit and eliminate Schulte, ending his surprise run. Wu Yize stunned Hawkins again with an unstoppable performance, winning all six frames with single breaks, leaving Hawkins powerless and securing a 6-0 victory to reach the semifinals. New World Champion Zhao Xintong challenged the defensive expert Selby, one of the "80s Five Tigers." Although Zhao struggled early and fell behind 1-3, he steadied himself, played a controlled and suppressive attacking game, reduced mistakes, and eventually edged Selby 6-5 to advance!

Written by / Sports Novel