Gary Wilson expects ‘fantastic final’ as Xiao Guodong harnesses ‘magic power’ in bid to defend Wuhan Open title
Published 29/08/2025 at 21:52 GMT+1
Gary Wilson is expecting a "fantastic final" when he takes on defending champion Xiao Guodong for the Wuhan Open title on Saturday. The encounter will be contested over the best of 19 frames, with a top prize of £140,000 on the line. Wilson said he is expecting a "fantastic final" while Xiao joked that "some kind of magic power" is helping him through his home tournament.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
Gary Wilson is expecting a "fantastic final" when he takes on China’s defending champion Xiao Guodong for the Wuhan Open title.
The 40-year-old has beaten Masters champion Shaun Murphy, world No. 1 Judd Trump and four-time world champion John Higgins on his way to Saturday’s final, which will be contested over the best of 19 frames with a top prize of £140,000 on the line.
After beating Mark Allen 6-2 to reach the showpiece match - which will be live on TNT Sports and discovery+ - Wilson told WST: "All the events I’ve won have been similar and in the UK. I want to win different sorts of tournaments and it is a good chance to try and do that now.
"Our stories are very similar. I remember what it is to try and defend and go on and do it and I will be trying to stop him doing the same as me.
"It is going to be a fantastic final against a Chinese player and one from the region. I know it will be a good atmosphere. I’m looking forward to it.
"I’ve beat some fantastic players this week, but you aren’t looking at who it is really. You are just trying to play your own game. If you can do that as a professional, then you have a chance of beating anyone. It is then about holding yourself together.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
"We all have at some point played the opponent rather than the table. You know you won’t get away with things against top players.
"In my early days I knew it would be a big scalp if I won against certain players. You kind of just have to get bored of that and just play the game."
Xiao, who hails from Chongqing, which neighbours Wuhan’s Hubei Province, joked that he has been helped by "some kind of magic power" throughout this week’s ranking event.
"Maybe there’s some kind of magic power in Wuhan that keeps pushing me forward. I also think it’s thanks to the good luck and support I get from everyone here," the world No. 13 said after seeing off Mark Williams 6-3 in the last four.
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"For me, it is an honour to play legends like Mark Williams, John Higgins and Ronnie O’Sullivan.
"Of course, after losing to Mark in the Champion of Champions final last year, beating him this time is a big boost to my confidence. I want to learn from these great players every time I face them.
"My focus really improved after 3-3. I told myself that even though my scoring wasn’t great today, I needed to concentrate fully on the cue ball control on every single shot.
"Even in the final clearance I wasn’t nervous, I just tried to treat it as a normal situation and stay relaxed."
Watch and stream top snooker action, including the Wuhan Open, live and on demand on TNT Sports and discovery+
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