TNT Sports
Wuhan Open 2024 snooker semi-finals recap - Judd Trump shocked by Si Jiahui after Xiao Guodong beats Long Zehuang
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Updated 11/10/2024 at 14:48 GMT+1
A recap of the LIVE coverage from the Wuhan Open semi-finals on Friday. Xiao Guodong opened proceedings (7:00 UK time) with victory in an all-Chinese meeting with Long Zehuang. World No. 1 Judd Trump was then stunned by Si Jiahui, who managed a 147 maximum on his way to defeating the defending champion (12:30).
'Absolutely spellbinding stuff! ' - Si makes maximum 147 break against Trump at Wuhan Open
Video credit: TNT Sports
Join us again on Saturday
That's it for our live updates from the semi-finals at the 2024 Wuhan Open.
We'll be back at the weekend for the all-Chinese showdown for the trophy between Si Jiahui and Xiao Guodong.
RESULT! - TRUMP 2-6 SI
Si takes the frame by the scruff of the neck when he teases a red up to middle left and then sinks the blue, which had become a hindrance close to the black.
He could easily feel pressure given he’s one frame from the final and a major upset, but he’s clearly enjoying the occasion – and his own performance so far – as he allows himself a smile when his position goes a bit wrong. He still rattles down the yellow to its home pocket and finds the pathway to a plant on a red to the left corner.
It's almost flawless snooker from the Chinese World No.13, leading Foulds to claim it is one of the best performances he’s ever seen from an emerging talent.
A black to the right corner allows him to cannon into a mini pack of three and when red and black follow, Judd is needing snookers.
The World No.1 knows he won’t be returning to the table, however, as Si’s miss on the penultimate red is academic.
The Chinese beats Trump for the first time ever and will now meet Xiao Guodong in the final.
TRUMP 2-5 SI (8-0)
The safety play pays dividends as Judd gets in again with a red and blue followed by a cut on a red to the right corner that suggests he could be in business.
It’s a false dawn, however, as it all goes wrong when he attempts to pot the blue to the middle right and burst into the top of the pack. He hits the upper jaw of the pocket and leaves a more open table for Si to try and exploit.
TRUMP 2-5 SI (1-0)
It’s now-or-never territory for Trump as he opens with the solitary red, playing up to yellow to try and lure an error via the safety.
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'What a standard to start!' - Si responds to Trump with century in second frame
Video credit: TNT Sports
TRUMP 2-5 SI
Si makes a tricky red to the middle look routine and follows with a brown to the yellow pocket that helps him engineer position to chalk up some easy points with the stray reds.
An attempt at the cannon into the pack goes awry, but he recovers with an excellent cut on a red to the right corner, which is all the more impressive given the awkward cueing leaning into the shot.
It helps him plot a route towards a frame-winning position, executing another splendid long red down to the left corner and then easing down the red at the top of the pack to the same bag to tee up a frame-ball black. The cut to the opposite corner is cued with a real power to not only leave Trump needing a snooker, but also to split the remaining reds.
Another red and a brown to the green pocket put him out of sight and it’s all about the century from there. He needs a belter of a double to the middle left to stay on track and it tees him up perfectly for a black to seal yet another ton in this match.
The final red isn’t a problem but he misses the yellow up the left rail to end on a superb 101 break that moves him to within a frame of the final.
TRUMP 2-4 SI
He’s been on the receiving end recently, but Trump shows it’s not because he’s playing particularly badly with a scorcher of a long red down the right flank that arrows into the middle of the corner pocket.
Indeed, the World No.1 pots freely, scoring heavily in double-quick time to quickly erase his opponent’s lead and take charge.
He nails a blue to the middle and gets a nice angle down to the red at the bottom of the pack.
That pot to the right corner takes him back up to the blue and an angle that’s more suitable for him to attempt a split of the pack.
It works out well and he’s soon sinking a blue to middle left to tee up the final red to the right corner.
The pink is awkward, tight to the lower cushion of the middle-left pocket, but he screws back off the blue to take it on, just failing to squeeze it into the corner. It matters little as he stops the rot with an excellent break of 89.
TRUMP 1-4 SI (0-25)
‘Given the form he’s in, you’d be more surprised if he’d missed it,’ remarks Foulds on Eurosport comms as Si guns down a sizzling long red to the left corner.
The black duly follows but there’s a brief pause as a red so tight to the black could be hindered to the left pocket. The Chinese closes one eye to size up the prospects and then zaps it down with the minimum of fuss.
The Chinese looks to be in full flow but an error on position with the rest leaves him way off a chance to pot the black. Instead, he nudges in-behind the colour following a break of 25.
HAPPIER TIMES - JUDD HAD OPENED WITH A CENTURY
But it's been all about Si ever since with the World No.13 reeling off four frames in a row.
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Trump knocks in sixth century of the tournament to take opening frame against Si
Video credit: TNT Sports
TRUMP 1-4 SI
The problem for Trump is that the man bidding to eat into the hefty deficit has been in scintillating form so far today and he begins to find holes in the remainder of the pack, picking off intelligent pots to turn a tall order into a real possibility.
A splendid long red up to the green pocket is a real exemplar of his stellar work so far today and he works routinely off the black before sending the penultimate red to the middle left.
A pink down to the left corner allows him to navigate the due ball towards the middle right pocket and provide a nice angle for the final red down the rail.
The colours are on their spots and when he takes care of the trio in baulk he moves ahead on the board.
Judd has that sinking feeling again now and can only watch on as Si completes an 80 clearance to move within two frames of a shock victory.
TRUMP 1-3 SI (59-0)
It’s been rare for Trump to be sidelined this year, but he had the best seat in the house for much of that first session, as Si capped a red-hot run with that maiden 147.
He needs a strong start following the interval to turn the tide and duly gets it, cruising past the half century mark.
However, he still has work to do when a fine cut on a red to the left corner fails to deliver the outcome he wanted and his run ends on 59.
There's a half chance for Si here, but it remains a tall order to pick up the steal...
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'Absolutely spellbinding stuff! ' - Si makes maximum 147 break against Trump at Wuhan Open
Video credit: TNT Sports
MAXIMUM! - TRUMP 1-3 SI
Trump attempts a slow-paced long cut on a red to the right corner that somehow clips the near jaw and hovers over the pocket without dropping.
Si steps in and rolls it down, holding the cue ball perfectly to line up the black to the opposite corner.
It’s a joy to watch when he’s in this sort of form and even when a run appears to go awry, he’s capable of spectacular shot-making to wrestle it back on track. He does that here with a long, diagonal red up to the green pocket.
He refuses the chance to split the pack off a pot on the black to the right corner and instead lines up a red to middle right.
The reason becomes clear when he executes a beauty of a three-ball plant to loosen more reds and stay on track to win his third frame in a row.
He tees up a red just below the pink to the middle right to clinch frame ball and with 10 blacks from 10 reds despatched, he’s got a 147 on his agenda.
He’s soon down to the final three reds with one to the middle left and a black to the same corner.
He ends up high on the red furthest right and needs the rest to recover it…. Which he does perfectly!
The black is routine and when the final red follows he majestically moves from black to yellow.
It’s there for the taking as the yellow, green and brown disappear.
He remains as steady as a rock with his positional play, knocking in the blue and sinking the pink to middle right.
It’s down to the black – and he secures the maximum and has the crowd on their feet with a clinical pot to the right corner.
It’s his first ever maximum and puts him 3-1 up in this semi final at the interval.
TRUMP 1-2 SI
Si plays a nice safety in-behind the blue which has a nose-bleed on the upper-right rail. It leads to a mistake from Judd that leaves a long red to the right corner.
The Chinese rifles it down to great applause and bullets down a black to come around the pack to take on a red to the left corner.
‘Judd Trump has got a problem today… and it’s this man. He’s his problem,’ says Neal Foulds on Eurosport Comms.
He’s been impressed with how Si has started this match and has talked up the Chinese’s hopes of ending his winless run against the World No.1 today.
It’s a joyful, free-flowing spectacle so far in this second semi and Si’s rampant run continues when he gets a lovely kiss off the pink to land nicely on the penultimate red to the right corner.
The half century comes via a high cut on the black to the right corner and although a bad miss on the brown to the green pocket halts him on a break of 71, the bigger picture is that he now leads 2-1 in this high-quality semi final.
TRUMP 1-1 SI (8-36)
Si digs out a beauty of a red that is even more galling for Judd to witness given that he could easily have got the cue ball tight to the black with a bit more care.
Jiahui doesn’t hang about, quickly putting another excellent run together that sees him up mop up all of the stray reds.
He’s on the black to the right corner but doesn’t attempt a split and instead targets a red to the south-east of the pack. He aims up to middle right but catches the near jaw to audible gasps from the audience.
TRUMP 1-1 SI (8-0)
From the halcyon heights of the best break of the tournament to the low of a miss on a long red to the left corner that leaves the cue ball mid-table for Trump to try and take advantage of.
Si braces himself to be punished by the World No.1, but gets a reprieve when The Juddernaut runs out of position on eight and then plays a poor safety off the black that leaves it open for the Chinese to try and exploit.
TRUMP 1-1 SI
Judd takes on a long red to the right corner but can’t find the pot and it opens the door for Si.
The Chinese star stops mid-shot on a black to the same corner after being distracted by something in the audience, but quickly resets to sink it and develop a decent start into a promising break.
A red up to middle left allows him to screw back for the black and as his momentum continues throughout a superbly-constructed break, he sinks frame-ball with a red up to middle right.
It’s the perfect riposte to Judd’s opening century and sums up Si’s fluent, attack-minded game style.
A rasping black to the left corner secures the ton but he’s hampered by a red trying to nudge the other remaining red to middle right. He digs out the spider and pulls off another super pot, taking care of the pink and the final red before moving up off the black for the yellow across to the green pocket.
It's routine up until the pink where he cuts it in from a high angle to the left corner, manipulating the cue ball beautifully to come off the right rail and land on black to complete a sensational 144 clearance.
TRUMP 1-0 SI
Si blinks first in a brief safety exchange to start and Judd clips a red to middle left before easing a green to the yellow pocket.
A red with the rest is sent to the left corner and followed by a pink to the middle to suggest he c.
It opens up a foray around the black where the World No.1 makes short work of a quartet of invitingly-placed reds.
An attempted split leaves him high on a red to the side of the black but he finds a nice angle on the cut and then benefits from a kiss on the pink that tees him up topside of blue.
Another attempt to split the pack comes via a pot on the black that opens up a red up to middle left and when he comes off the blue into the final three reds in the pack, he does just enough to cut it to the right corner.
An excellent blue with side to blast off the baulk cushion and down for a red to the left corner seals the frame and it’s all about how high he scores from here.
He plays off the black to the left rail to take on one of the three remaining reds, rolling it home with care and confidence.
It’s copy and paste off the black to the right flank for a similar shot on the red to the opposite bag and then the black seals his sixth century of the tournament.
A beauty of a red up the right cushion lands perfectly in the green pocket, but his attempt at coming off three cushions for the yellow goes wrong and he ends on a very tidy 109 break to open.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Si is yet to beat the current World No.1.
This is their seventh meeting with Trump winning all of the previous six encounters pretty comfortably.
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Insane end to final frame as Trump edges Wakelin in Wuhan quarter-final thriller
Video credit: TNT Sports
COMING UP: JUDD TRUMP v SI JIAHUI
There's a quick turnaround in Wuhan after that lengthy first semi-final.
Trump and Si are due at the baulk from 12:30 BST.
A MOMENT OF FORTUNE - BUT IN THE END XIAO WAS TOO STRONG
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‘Oh wow what a fluke to get!’ - Long gets remarkable fluke against Xiao
Video credit: TNT Sports
RESULT! - XIAO 6-4 LONG
Xiao spies a red in the the pack that will go to the left corner and pulls off a beauty of a pot.
He then gets a most welcome ricochet off the green to tee it up for a pot across to the yellow pocket.
It helps him navigate down towards the black and the stray reds nicely spread around it.
It’s a big chance for him to finish the match right here, right now.
A red to the left corner helps him apply left-hand side to the cue ball to explode into the pack. A nick off the pink tees him up topside of blue and it’s win-win again for the World No.29.
Long can only look on with forlorn hope as his opponent demonstrates his confidence with a fast-paced pink up to middle left. It enables him to ease a red to the right corner before a black to the opposite pocket moves him past the half century.
Another red up to middle left is followed by red-black to the left corner and it’s snookers required for Long.
You have to take your hat off to Xiao here. He was 4-1 down and way off his best snooker, but he somehow got things moving in the right direction in the nick of time to put an irrepressible run together.
He finishes it off in style too, booking his spot in the final with a break of 91.
XIAO 5-4 LONG (0-8)
This is must-win territory for Long and the World No.70 makes the first moves of Frame 10 with a short but sweet run of eight.
XIAO 5-4 LONG
There’s another miss from Long and this time it is all over - finally.
Xiao sinks the pink to middle left as a free ball and navigates up to the final red along baulk that he pops down to the green pocket.
He can’t convince the yellow to disappear, but it doesn’t matter.
Xiao is one frame from the final after hitting back from 4-1 down.
XIAO 4-4 LONG (61-28)
Xiao sizes up a plant down that left rail for quite some time and then shunts it delightfully into the corner bag.
He opts to sink the pink but gets nowhere near in terms of position to try and pot that final red. Instead, he has to play safe, drifting the red off that cushion towards the black spot and moving the cue ball to baulk.
It’s tricky for Long as the blue and green are hampering his pathway to the red.
He can't plot an effective escape and ends up missing the red and dropping the white into the middle left pocket.
XIAO 4-4 LONG (50-28)
The expected War of Attrition does not develop as expected as one red is moved into the open relatively quickly.
Xiao takes on a shot for nothing and beautifully cuts it to the right corner. It allows him to lay a trap behind the brown, which is tight to the upper right cushion.
Long comes off baulk trying to navigate down with a feather touch on the two remaining reds tight to the lower left rail.
He fails on his first attempt, but licks the nearest on the second.
XIAO 4-4 LONG (45-28)
Long conjures up a moment of magic to sizzle down a long-range red and chips away at the deficit with a routine blue to middle.
However, with the three remaining reds tight to the lower left cushion there’s nothing he can do but end the short spell at the table and play safe.
XIAO 4-4 LONG (45-22)
Ouch. Long takes on a red to the right corner but can’t find the pot.
Xiao thunders down a red to the left bag and then produces a fine cut on a pink up to the middle right pocket.
It’s not a friendly table at this juncture with three reds tight to the lower left rail and the black tight to the other.
XIAO 4-4 LONG (38-22)
What a fluke!
Long sinks a tidy red but then appears to miss a pink to the middle left. He looks on in disappointment but watches the pink flash off the upper right cushion and arrow into the yellow pocket.
He cuts a lovely blue to the green bag but his fortune turns against him when he cannons down a long red to the right corner and sees the cue ball divert off to the opposite bag.
XIAO 4-4 LONG (34-9)
Long comes up short in a brief safety exchange, leaving a long, diagonal red hovering over the left corner bag.
Xiao hammers it down but the cue ball stops dead, leaving him with no option on a colour.
Still anyone's frame.
XIAO 4-4 LONG (33-9)
This time it’s Xiao’s turn to fluff his lines trying to navigate his way from a central area tight to baulk without leaving anything on.
He can see the full ball so gets the warning about a third miss and manages to clip one to the far left and pull the cue ball back to the north-east of the green on its spot.
XIAO 4-4 LONG (33-1)
Long commits two fouls playing from behind the green in baulk as he attempts to come off the right deck and nudge a red without leaving anything on.
In the end, it goes spectacularly wrong as the two fouls lead to an opening for Xiao that he takes with a red to middle left and a pink to the opposite pocket.
An attempted cannon into the pack via the blue to middle left doesn’t earn him the reward he was after and it’s a struggle to control the cue ball from there as his run grinds to a halt on 25.
XIAO 4-4 LONG
Long nails the first red of what could be a highly significant frame late in this semi final, but he can’t develop anything beyond that.
It’s cagey, but you wouldn’t expect anything less given the stakes.
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'Things have rapidly improved' - Xiao notches first century to close gap on Long
Video credit: TNT Sports
XIAO 4-4 LONG
Xiao cuts a red to the left corner and then splits the pack via a blue to middle right.
He’s not too happy with the lay of the cue ball despite a decent spread of reds as there’s nothing easy on. He produces a fine cut to the left corner once again and needs another beauty of a blue up to the yellow pocket to finally find some decent position on the reds.
The hard work proves worth it as he begins to score heavily off the open reds and the black on its spot to move beyond frame ball.
The blue helps him power his way to the final three reds and it becomes just a matter of whether he can make the ton.
The final red is despatched to the left corner and the black tees him up for the yellow to its home pocket.
The green and brown are just north of their spots, but not unorthodox enough to hamper some routine potting and the latter secures his second century of the contest.
He mops up the rest with aplomb to clinch a 119 clearance and pull level on the board!
XIAO 3-4 LONG (1-1)
Long breaks the safety impasse with a bullet red but then loses composure on a pink to the right corner with the rest.
XIAO 3-4 LONG (1-0)
Long can’t help but smile and examine the tip of his cue after a shocker of a miscue saw the cue ball spoon high into the air but still make contact with the stray red he was targeting from baulk.
There’s no damage done in the immediate aftermath, but it’s Xiao who strikes first blood with a solitary red that he follows with a clever safety that nestles into the north-west side of the pack.
XIAO 3-4 LONG
It’s Xiao laying the traps though and he lures a foul before gobbling up the remaining red to the left corner when Long makes a meal of his positional play.
It’s curtains from there and very much match ON now!
XIAO 2-4 LONG (63-27)
Long arrows a red to the bottom corner and makes some decent inroads into Xiao’s lead, but then makes a hash of a routine pot that leads to the cry of ‘I can’t believe he’s missed that,’ on Eurosport Comms from McManus.
Xiao jumps in and notches up a mini run of seven to leave his opponent needing a snooker with one red remaining.
XIAO 2-4 LONG (56-0)
Xiao seizes upon the second chance with a long red to the left corner. He then feeds upon a series of red-pink combos with the colour taking the black’s spot given the lay of the remainder of the pack and the fact the black is out of commission tight to a red near the bottom deck.
‘He hasn’t done his yoga this morning,’ jokes McManus on Eurosport comms as he gets himself in knots trying to lean one leg high on the table to take on a red with the cue ball hampered by the remainder of the pack.
The spider makes it a touch easier and he continues to prey upon the pink to take care of stray reds, before he twitches on a green up to its home pocket to come up shy on 49.
XIAO 2-4 LONG (7-0)
Xiao suggests he’s on the comeback trail with a scorcher of a long red to the right corner before teasing a pink to middle left.
It’s slick snooker, but it all ends rather abruptly when a red to the left corner bludgeons against the far jaw and diverts away from the sanctuary of the bag.
XIAO 2-4 LONG
Xiao pounces upon Long’s slightly heavy safety, allowing him to seize upon the space to tease a red along the bottom rail to the left corner.
He needs to kick-start himself right now if he’s to have any hope of launching the comeback to make the final, but he’s left sighing and taking a deep breath when a cannon off the blue leaves him needing a big pot on a red to the right corner to stay at the table.
He duly sinks it via the rest and a jiggle with the jaws and it seems to lift some of the tension in his arms.
He takes great care with the pink and black so close to each other near the latter’s spot, picking off the reds furthest south and moving to the half century.
It was now-or-never territory for Xiao, but he finally turns up in this semi final, cutting the penultimate red to the middle left and sinking the blue to snare his first century of the match.
There’s a tough red down the right rail he jabs home via the rest and it paves the way for routine colours that secure a 130 break up to the black (just shy of the clearance with a double that doesn’t come off).
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'Thoroughly deserved!' - Long gets highest break of the tournament with 141 to move into lead
Video credit: TNT Sports
XIAO 1-4 LONG
There’s real danger for Xiao now.
Not only is his own game misfiring, but Long has found rhythm and is taking advantage with some strong scoring.
A long red sees him earn another chance and he methodically develops a healthy lead, preying upon plenty of routine red and black combos around the pack.
There’s a minor concern when he lands high off a pot on the black and a glance off the left cushion, but he recovers it nicely with excellent angle on the red to the right corner.
Awkward cueing over a row of reds doesn’t see him falter as he nicks one into the left corner and when he cuts a black to the same pocket, Xiao is left needing snookers.
Long is in no mood to offer any slither of hope, however, as he eases down the final red and a black to the left corner to make it back-to-back centuries.
There’s no hefty clearance this time as he fails to tease the yellow across the baulk rail to its home pocket, but a break of 104 is more than enough to move him within two frames of victory.
XIAO 1-3 LONG (0-12)
Xiao returns hoping for major improvement but he fouls off the pink.
Long showcases his confidence following that century clearance prior to the interval with a sizzling red up to the yellow pocket, but it’s end of break when a pot off the blue doesn’t lead to the cannon into the pack he was aiming for.
XIAO 1-3 LONG
Xiao misses a long red he’d expect to make, particularly given how well he has played in reaching the last four.
He takes a seat, holds his chin in his hand and pensively undertakes an internal analysis of his travails.
Meanwhile, Long produces a fine cut on that particular red up to middle left and follows with the blue.
Another red tees up a straight black to the left corner with a red up to middle left and a pink down to the corner bag helping him develop a tidy lead.
There’s a decent flow to this run as he tickles a red up to middle right and then crunches down a black to cannon into the pack and lead McManus on Eurosport Comms to declare it the best spell of the match.
He’s not wrong either as the World No.70 motors past the half century and then frame ball, leading the Comms team to speculate over a high-scoring clearance.
A red down to the left corner is followed by a black to the opposite pocket to secure the ton with two reds still remaining.
The penultimate red is despatched up to middle left but the positional play trying to come up behind the final one near to the lower left cushion is a touch high.
It doesn’t faze him as a sublime cut with the rest to the right corner has McManus declaring it as ‘awesome.’
Indeed, it’s completely out context with what we have seen so far and Xiao will be feeling even worse now as Long powers through a sensational 141 clearance.
It’s his highest break on tour and the largest of the 2024 Wuhan Open, which secures the lower-ranked player a two-frame cushion heading into the interval.
XIAO 1-2 LONG
Xiao knocks in a red and black but can’t force the error on the final red, eventually leading to Long making sure with the pot.
Even with the pressure off the run lacks real quality and he misses on the pink. The World No.70 has the lead on the board but neither player will be too content with how they are performing so far.
XIAO 1-1 LONG (17-66)
Xiao cuts a delightful red to the left corner and then produces some nice positional play off the green to land on one of two reds glued together near the black spot.
He shakes his head despite McManus insisting it’s there for him and contrives to leave it hanging over the left corner pocket.
Long must surely finish it from here… but despite knocking in said red and the black, he can’t make sure with another red and Xiao will return as a major underdog, but still in the hunt.
XIAO 1-1 LONG (5-58)
Xiao seems a bit puzzled and startled by the way he’s playing as he misses a red to the left corner by some margin.
Long steps in with a red and black combo and then takes the latter colour off the blue spot to middle. He gets a two-ball cannon that doesn’t quite pay off as he had hoped but he forces a red near to the cushion into the right pocket to keep the break going.
A brown up to the yellow bag allows him to venture back down towards the pack to play off the red and black.
A cut on the black to the right corner allows him to play a cannon into the pack, leaving McManus to purr ’this is more like it.’
Unfortunately, it doesn’t last. Long misses a black to the left corner and actually shakes his cue in irritation. He ends on 46 with the finish line so near, and yet so far…
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‘As good a shot as you’ll see on the tour, from anyone!’ – Long sinks outrageous long red
Video credit: TNT Sports
XIAO 1-1 LONG (5-12)
Xiao’s Jekyll and Hyde start continues as he completely misses a red near the bottom cushion by some distance. It’s a poor foul and opens the door for Xiao, who rockets a long red down before screwing back off the green to its home pocket to come back down to the pack.
Another naughty ricochet means he needs a fine cut on a red to the right corner and more interference involving the cue ball and the blue tees him up for the green again.
However, awkward cueing over some of the pack with the rest sees him miss a red to the right corner and what felt like a lot of hard work rewards him with a small return of eight.
XIAO 1-1 LONG (5-0)
Xiao clatters a long red to the left corner and then tucks the cue ball in-behind the brown in baulk. It’s a lovely strategy, backing up some shot-potting genius with intelligent safety.
Long ‘s attempted rescue off the lower right rail goes awry on the first attempt but he gets the balance of pace and position right on the second to avoid leaving anything on for his compatriot.
XIAO 1-1 LONG
Xiao steps in to cut the final red to the left corner and a run of 24 up to the black squares the match and gets him on the board.
Will that help ease his early nerves?
XIAO 0-1 LONG (42-27)
It just won’t quite happen for Xiao.
He’s got the frame on his cue with a red along the bottom rail to the left corner, but it jumps back out and leaves a pot on for Long.
Indeed, Long cuts a red to the right corner and comes off a pot on the brown to the green pocket to land nicely on the penultimate red from left to right.
However, his attempt to come up behind the red near to the lower right cushion doesn’t quite come off.
Alan McManus remains unimpressed by some of the positional play he’s seen so far today and puts some of the blame on the brand, new cloth.
Long duly fails to get the right angle on it to the left corner and it’s another twist in what has been a very scrappy showdown thus far.
XIAO 0-1 LONG (42-14)
Xiao tries to get his Mojo flowing with red and brown but the edgy start to this semi is slightly inhibiting him from hitting the sort of groove that helped him overcome Kyren Wilson and Shaun Murphy.
Solid potting takes him up to baulk and back down again but a blue to middle sees the cue ball clip the black and he stops dead in his tracks. The red to the right corner is no longer on and he needs a special red up to middle right to keep the run going.
That’s all she wrote though as he again follows into a colour, leaving him to have to play a safety off the yellow.
XIAO 0-1 LONG (19-14)
Xiao plays a neat cannon into a red near the left corner and then cuts the black to the opposite flank.
Again, he comes up short on the positional play as the next red leaves him way too high on the pink.
He decides to take it on but never looks like making the pot to the left corner.
Long beautifully cues a straight red intro the centre of the pocket in response but then makes a meal of a black to the left corner.
It’s such a mixed bag so far, with moments of sheer quality juxtaposed by some woeful misses.
XIAO 0-1 LONG (10-13)
The patchy start to this match continues as Long’s mini run ends abruptly with a bad miss on a red near to the bottom deck that refuses the invitation of the left pocket.
XIAO 0-1 LONG (10-6)
Xiao steps in and tucks away a red up to middle right. He’s happy to play off colours in baulk but a green to its home pocket doesn’t go to plan in terms of position as he hits the bottom rail and ends on nothing.
XIAO 0-1 LONG (0-6)
‘Wow,’ exclaims Alan McManus on Eurosport Comms. ‘As good a shot as you’ll see on the Tour from anyone.’
He’s paying tribute to Long’s risky pot tight from the cushion of baulk that sizzles a red like an arrow down the right rail to the corner pocket. It follows a tense safety exchange that had seen Xiao play a beauty of a defensive stroke, only to see his opponent produce that moment of magic.
It can’t pave a path to a heavy score, however, as he follows a blue to middle with a miss on a tough red via the rest down the left rail.
XIAO 0-1 LONG
Long produces a splendid long pot on the final red to the right corner bag and the blue to middle right tees him up for the yellow up to the green pocket.
The colours are routine from there and he only needs to clear up to the black to seal the opening frame of this semi.
XIAO 0-0 LONG (38-31)
Xiao steers a red to the left corner and ticks along nicely before a pot Alan McManus describes as the ‘shot of the match’ on Eurosport comms leaves him neatly on the blue with a simple but highly effective pot leading him to loosen the remainder of the pack via a secondary impact on the pink.
He plays off the blue with the black out of commission on the lower left rail, but it goes pear-shaped when his pot on the penultimate red sees him inadvertently crash into the blue and lose position.
He’s fortunate the yellow is still hovering near the green pocket, but the need for added pace to get the cue ball back down the table leads to a miss and leaves the final red on for Long!
XIAO 0-0 LONG (8-31)
Long gets back on the board with a red to the right corner but his heart’s in his mouth when the cue ball makes a beeline for the green pocket. The jaws come to his rescue and he pulls off a very tidy brown along the rail to the yellow pocket to gain excellent position to attack the red furthest north of the pack.
He takes care of that with the rest and maintains the run with a blue to middle right, another red and a pink down to the left corner.
His proficiency with the rest continues with a miss-able red to the same corner before he digs out another excellent cut on a red to the opposite pocket.
Sadly for him, he’s chasing the cue ball a bit now and his sequence of fine pots comes to an end on 25 when he fails to tease the yellow to the green pocket.
XIAO 0-0 LONG (8-6)
Xiao ends a safety impasse with a long red to the left corner and then gets a lovey secondary ricochet to tee up the blue and free up a few more reds.
He takes great care shunting a red to the right corner via the rest, but them misses a blue up to the middle right in an attempt to use the baulk cushion to come back down towards the pack.
XIAO 0-0 LONG (1-6)
Long responds with excellent length on his rescue-act back to baulk and is handed an early present when Xiao’s attempt to nick the pack with a feather touch goes awry via first contact on the pink.
XIAO 0-0 LONG (1-0)
Xiao cuts a red down from baulk to left middle and immediately spies an opportunity to test Long’s safety by nudging in-behind the yellow.
CHINA GUARANTEED A FINALIST
Our first semi final of the day is an all-Chinese affair with both players reaching the last four courtesy of some eye-catching results.
Xiao Guodong took down reigning World Champion Kyren Wilson earlier in the tournament before thumping Shaun Murphy 5-1 in the quarters.
Meanwhile, Long Zehuang made short work of Jack Lisowski with an impressive 5-1 win in the last eight.
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'What a match!' - Xiao beats Wilson at Wuhan Open
Video credit: TNT Sports
GOOD MORNING
Hello and welcome to our LIVE updates from the 2024 Wuhan Open semi-finals.
First up, Long Zehuang and Xiao Guodong open do battle before world No. 1 Judd Trump takes on Si Jiahui (12:30).
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‘He's been reduced to a spectator’ – Murphy applauds as Xiao knocks in third century in a row
Video credit: TNT Sports
Friday's semi-final schedule
07:00
Long Zehuang vs Xiao Guodong
12.30
Judd Trump vs Si Jiahui
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