In the early morning of December 5, the semi-finals of the Snooker Championship ended, and China's 24-year-old Zhao Xintong won 6-1 against former championship runner-up Barry Hawkins to reach the final, and he will compete with Belgian Luka Brechel, who eliminated Karen Wilson.
The British Championship final between Zhao Xintong and Brechel, one of the three major competitions of the two post-95s, was hailed as the showdown between the two most exciting young snooker talents.
Zhao Xintong defeated Hawkins 6-1 in just 100 minutes, scoring a 100-70+ shot, averaging 19.8 seconds a shot. On Sunday, Zhao Xintong, 24, will play a 19-game, 10-win final with 26-year-old Brechel for a championship prize of up to £200,000. In an era dominated by veterans, the two met in the Final of the British Championship, a showcase for the sport's next generation of players. As Zhao Xintong himself said: "This may be a beautiful game." ”
This is the first time that Zhao Xintong, who is ranked 26th in the world, has reached the final of the ranking competition, and he has the opportunity to become the fifth player in China to win the ranking competition, after Ding Junhui, Fu Jiajun, Liang Wenbo and Yan Bingtao have all won the ranking competition. Zhao Xintong's previous best record was the final four of the ranking competition.
Whoever wins, Zhao Xintong and Brechel, will be the fourth non-British player in history to win the British Championship, after Ding Junhui, Robertson and Fagan won the championship.
The winner of this year's British Championship will also qualify for next January's Masters, where the draw will take place on Sunday afternoon. Zhao Xintong said after the game that today was better than yesterday, and he said that he had lived in Sheffield this season, and Jimmy White told me that the game should be focused, so I have to thank him. I only think about one shot at a time. Reaching the final was so exciting and I was happy.
Zhao Xintong admitted that the final will be a very important game, and now he is very close to the championship. Speaking of opponents, Zhao Xintong said that Luca is a great player and I think it will be a beautiful game. His style of hitting is very fast and he is a young player. When I was 13 years old, he was already a world-renowned player. I'm a little nervous and I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. I hope to get a good night's sleep tonight.
Hawkins, who lost 20 times in the semifinals of 27 ranking tournaments, said the result was obviously a bit frustrating. He praised Zhao Xintong for hitting the ball quickly, being a great player, and it was also a positive sign that he could reach the final four this week.
Brechel, who eliminated Karen Wilson 6-4 in another semi-final, now has a chance to compete for tickets to next January's Masters. At the 2017 China Championship, Brechel won his first career title. Ranked 40th in the world, if he wins the championship, he will become the lowest-ranked player to win the British Championship after Ding Junhui won the championship in 2005.
In the final, the first 8 innings will be played at 21:00 Beijing time tonight, and the next 11 innings will be played at 3:00 am tomorrow.