He world snooker circuit moved forward this past week with the Wuhan Openranking tournament held in the Chinese city. Those of the Asian giant were the colors that shone the most throughout the week, since in a final between players from this country it was Xiao Guodong who defeated Si Jiahui por 10-7.
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Xiao Guodong became the big surprise of the week after winning his first ranking title. He did it against Si, a world semi-finalist and who seemed to be wearing the stripes heading into a surprise final in which the favorites did not enter. However, Guodong was the one who best knew how to manage his emotions to win, at the age of thirty-five, a victory that allows him to enter the list of champions of the tournaments that count towards the world classification.
Xiao Guodong’s dominance was total during a final in which only in the last tables, with nothing to lose, did Si Jiahui manage to avoid a bigger difference. Xiao dominated the first session with authority 6-3 and was ahead on the scoreboard from the first table. A 54 and a 74 launched an initial 2-0 run that Si cut back with a 109, but Guodong continued to push the score. He did reduce the gap from 4-1 to 4-3, although a 129 and a 73 from Xiao allowed him to arrive with a clear 6-3 in the second session.
In it, Guodong left the sentence taking three of the first four tables, with a 113 and a 77 included. He did score 109 in the eleventh, but 9-4 down left him on the ropes. Although three good innings, including a 131, They allowed him to go 9-7, he couldn’t push anymore and he saw how his rival closed his great week on the seventeenth table. In it, Xiao He beat Andrew Pagett (5-1), world champion Kyren Wilson (5-4), Barry Hawkins (5-2), Shaun Murphy (5-1) and in the semifinals Long Zehuang (6-4 ) before the final.
Zehuang had eliminated an overwhelming Jack Lisowski in the quarterfinals (5-1) in the first rounds, while Si Jiahui stopped dead in the semifinals (6-2) against a Judd Trump that was trying to extend its triumphant season. The Chinese was overwhelming, with a maximum included. If he had already beaten Daniel Womersley (5-2), Martin O’Donnell (5-1), Duane Jones (5-2) and Zhang Anda (5-3) before.
It was in a tournament that left John Higgins eliminated in the round of 16 (5-2) at the hands of Trump, the same round in which Ding Junhui lost 5-3 against Chris Wakelin. Neil Robertson lost in the first round against Jackson Page by a resounding 5-1 and were out Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Allen. Next week, second tournament of the Home Nations Series with the Northern Ireland Open.
The champions of the 2024-2025 season on the world snooker circuit
1. Championship League (ranking): campeón Ali Carter
2. Shanghai Masters (non-ranking): champion Judd Trump
3. Xi’an Grand Prix (ranking): champion Kyren Wilson
4. Saudi Arabia Masters (ranking): champion Judd Trump
5. English Open (ranking): champion Neil Robertson
6. British Open (ranking) campeón Mark Selby
7. Wuhan Open (ranking): champion Xiao Guodong
