Snooker Scottish Open: China records 2 wins and 1 loss, Chang Bingyu stuns Selby, Zhou Yuelong eliminated

On December 20th Beijing time, the quarterfinals of the Snooker Scottish Open concluded, with three Chinese players competing for the semifinals and achieving a 1-2 record. The dark horse Chang Bingyu caused an upset by defeating the veteran Selby 5-3, continuing his impressive run. Zhou Yuelong fell behind early and lost 3-5 to Wakelin, while Jiang Jun suffered a heavy 2-5 defeat to Matthew Selt. As a result, only Chang Bingyu remains as the sole Chinese contender in the semifinals!

Chang Bingyu versus Selby. In this match, Chang came out aggressively, opening with a century break and a 70+ break, winning two consecutive frames for a perfect 2-0 start. Selby responded swiftly, producing two 70+ breaks to even the score at 2-2. In the fifth frame, Chang maintained his hot form with a 90+ break to lead 3-2 again. Selby fought back with a 67-point break to level at 3-3, turning the match into a tug of war. However, Chang’s precision remained sharp as he delivered two more 70+ breaks to clinch the match 5-3, pulling off a stunning upset to reach the semifinals. He won every frame with a single break, dazzling Selby with his accuracy and giving Chinese fans a huge surprise. This marks his first career semifinal in a ranking event, a significant breakthrough!

Zhou Yuelong faced Wakelin, the reigning single-frame time-limited champion and a top-16 caliber player. Zhou took the first frame with some steady scoring. But Wakelin then unleashed a burst of brilliance, recording a century break and two 70+ breaks to win four frames in a row, reaching a 4-1 match point. Zhou was pushed to the brink but showed strong resilience, hitting two consecutive 80+ breaks to narrow the gap to 3-4. However, in the crucial eighth frame, Wakelin denied Zhou any chance, scoring over 50 points in one visit to seal a 5-3 victory, ending Zhou’s run!

Jiang Jun went up against the less experienced Selt. Selt started strong, immediately delivering a century break to take the lead. Jiang fought back fiercely in a tight battle to even the score. Selt kept his accuracy high, continuously scoring 50+ breaks to extend his advantage to 3-1. In the fifth frame, Jiang responded with a century break to pull the score to 2-3. Yet Selt maintained his composure and solid play to win two more frames, securing a commanding 5-2 victory and advancing to the semifinals!

Written by / Sports Novel