On January 5, 2022, Beijing time, the snooker Champions League ended the third group competition, Zhao Xintong advanced to the winner group, and Xiao Guodong, Selby, Bingham and Lu Ning continued to participate in the fourth group competition. According to the official world Federation, Trump, Karen Wilson and Scott Donaldson joined the game, and the above seven players will be fiercely contested in the fourth group, and veteran Barry Hawkins is retired.
The competition in the third group was very fierce, and Zhao Xintong stood out and advanced to the winner group with an excellent record of 8 wins. At present, the winner group has decided three places, which belong to Liang Wenbo, Graeme Dort and Zhao Xintong. Xiao Guodong, Selby, Bingham and Rouning were given the opportunity to continue to play in the fourth group, xiao Guodong and Lu Ning did not have a Masters task and could enjoy the Champions League.
Originally, veteran Barry Hawkins was going to join the fourth group, but according to the World Federation, Barry Hawkins withdrew and Scott Donaldson came off the bench. In addition, world champion Trump and world number five Karen Wilson also joined the fourth group, it can be said that the fourth group lineup is quite luxurious, including three world champions Selby, Trump and Bingham, and Karen Wilson is also a top master.
The most anticipated duel in the fourth group is undoubtedly Trump vs. Selby, the world's second duel against the world's number one, and the victory or defeat is unpredictable. Selby has just finished playing the third group game and can be said to be getting better, while Trump is making his New Year's debut, can he get into the game quickly? There are variables. In addition, Xiao Guodong and Lu Ning may continue to play the role of spoilers, the two play well in the third group, Xiao Guodong defeated Selby in the semi-finals of the group, the confidence increased greatly, coupled with the excellent performance of Liang Wenbo and Zhao Xintong, may inspire Chinese players to achieve better results.
According to the schedule, Trump started the opening match, against Scott Donaldson. Another game at the same time was Ronin against Karen Wilson. Trump will play four consecutive matches on this matchday against Scott Donaldson, Stewart Bingham, Karen Wilson and Xiao Guodong. Mark Selby's opponents are Xiao Guodong, Lu Ning and Bingham, and they will meet Xiao Guodong for the third time in two days to see how Selby responds.
Xiao Guodong faced the three world champions Selby, Bingham and Trump in turn, and the difficulty was too great. Ronin played against Karen Wilson, Mark Selby and Scott Donaldson in turn. The first three rounds of the competition should avoid losing streaks and keep the suspense until the next match day, so that there is a chance to compete for the winner's group place, and I wish the two Chinese players good luck!