Snooker English Championship Report! Three of the Four Semifinalists Are Ding Junhui Loses to Trump, China’s Entire Team Eliminated

On December 6th Beijing time, after three quarterfinal matches of the Snooker English Championship, all three Chinese players were defeated. Ding Junhui was beaten 2-6 by world number one Trump, Pang Junxu lost 4-6 to Australian "Fire Cannon" Robertson, and Zhang Anda suffered a 3-5 defeat against the consistently strong Murphy. As a result, the "80s Tigers" Trump, Robertson, and Murphy advanced to the semifinals first, leaving the Chinese team completely wiped out!

Ding Junhui faced defending champion Trump. With Trump ranked number one in the world, most expected Ding to lose, and the outcome was as predicted. Although Ding started very strong, winning the first two frames 2-0 perfectly, he couldn’t maintain the momentum. Mistakes piled up, and his safety and long potting accuracy were inferior to Trump’s, quickly putting him at a disadvantage. After Trump leveled the score, he gained confidence and played increasingly well. Under mounting pressure, Ding’s mindset collapsed, and he lost six consecutive frames, suffering a 2-6 defeat and extending his losing streak against Trump to four matches. It must be said they are truly not on the same level now. Ding no longer has the absolute strength to compete with top players, showing a shocking decline. This match clearly showed the turning point was the third frame; once behind, Ding’s mentality shifted, and he could only play when leading.

Pang Junxu competed against Robertson. Pang started aggressively and took the lead early. However, Robertson immediately demonstrated his strong abilities, exploding in both attack and defense with a 5-0 run that brought him match point. In a desperate situation, Pang did not give up, fiercely fighting back with a three-frame streak to save three match points and narrow the score to 4-5. In the tenth frame, Robertson gave no chance to Pang and sealed the match with a winning break, ultimately eliminating the dark horse Pang 6-4. If Pang hadn’t fallen so far behind early, he might have had a chance!

Zhang Anda faced Murphy. Zhang started poorly, falling behind 0-2 right away, then continued to make mistakes, trailing 1-4 and facing a dire situation. Under pressure, Zhang suddenly awakened and won two consecutive frames to bring the score to 3-4. But Murphy remained steady, combining offense and defense to close out the match with two straight frames, winning 6-3 and ending the Chinese team’s hopes. It must be said Zhang should not have defeated Zhao Xintong, as besides Zhao, no one else can match the "80s Four Tigers"!

Written by / Sports Novel