Shock upset! Two players ranked sixth and seventh in the world fall in the Snooker Masters quarterfinals, with Wu Yize and Xiao Guodong battling for a spot in the semifinals.

On January 12th Beijing time, the first round of the Snooker Masters main event started, with Chinese players Wu Yize and Xiao Guodong competing. Both caused surprising upsets over top opponents: Wu Yize used consistent defense to crush defending champion Murphy 6-2, while Xiao Guodong’s precise play eliminated Selby 6-2. Thus, both quarterfinal spots went to Chinese players, making for an extraordinary night as they dazzled at the Masters!

Wu Yize faced Murphy. Against the world number seven and defending champion Murphy, Wu Yize’s offensive form wasn’t great, but surprisingly Murphy’s performance was even worse, riddled with basic errors and inconsistent play, failing to score a single 50+ break. Wu Yize, meanwhile, maintained steady form, producing one century break and one 50+ break to comfortably defeat Murphy 6-2 and advance to the quarterfinals. Winning on his Masters debut was truly impressive!

Xiao Guodong took on Selby. Facing world number six Selby, who has been in fantastic form this season winning the prestigious Champion of Champions and UK Championship titles, Xiao Guodong met a real challenge. Yet Xiao burst out of the gate, quickly finding his rhythm and showing unstoppable accuracy, scoring four 60+ breaks and sweeping the first four frames 4-0 to stun Selby. Selby then recovered, fighting back with a century and a 70 break to narrow the gap by winning two frames. In the seventh, Xiao’s accuracy shone again with a single-century break to reach 5-2 and match point, putting Selby in deep trouble. The eighth frame was a tense, complex battle that looked exhausting to watch, but Xiao gradually chipped away to win 53-30 and sealed the match 6-2, pulling off a stunning upset to reach the quarterfinals!

With this, five of the eight quarterfinal spots in snooker were decided overnight, with Chinese players Wu Yize and Xiao Guodong both advancing. They will meet in the quarterfinals for an all-Chinese derby, guaranteeing at least one Chinese player in the semifinals. This is fantastic news, and we look forward to more great results from Chinese players!

Written by/Titan Sports Fiction