On February 10, 2022, Beijing time, the Snooker Players Championship entered the fourth matchday, and Chinese young player Yan Bingtao appeared again, facing Barry Hawkins in the quarterfinals. Yan Bingtao will hit two goals in this game, the first is to try to advance to the final four, and the second is to beat Barry Hawkins, he will be among the top eight in a single season. The matchday's focus battle was between title-winning favourite Neil Robertson and O'Sullivan, a match that could be called the highest level of competition.
In the first quarter-final, Richie Walton came in, eliminating Mark Williams 6-5, able to complete a big comeback after falling behind 2-5, and also showed Richie Walton's determination to return to the top. The match lifted Richie Wharton's single-season ranking to 8th, and he and Yan Bingtao's single-season bonus numbers were equal. Therefore, for Yan Bingtao, the next 1/4 final is particularly important.
Yan Bingtao will play barry Hawkins in the quarter-finals, who eliminated top seed Zhao Xintong in the first round and is in good shape. In the past, Yan Bingtao and Barry Hawkins have played each other 4 times, Yan Bingtao has won 1 and lost 3, and the most recent meeting has won precisely Yan Bingtao. It was the Champions League Group 7 semi-finals, with Yan Bingtao beating Barry Hawkins 3-1. Therefore, we hope that Yan Bingtao will take advantage of the victory to pursue.
Compared with before, Yan Bingtao showed a better offensive feel, facing David Gilbert, Yan Bingtao hit a three-shot breaker, and he was really in good shape. If this state can be continued, yan Bingtao is very likely to defeat Barry Hawkins again. The match will start at 21:00 on February 10, and if Yan Bingtao wins, the semi-final against Richie Walton, this is indeed a good opportunity for Yan Bingtao to advance to the final again.
The focus of the fourth matchday is undoubtedly O'Sullivan vs Neil Robertson, the two world champions in direct dialogue, but also the head-on battle between the two title-winning favourites. In the past, the two have played each other many times in 11 innings and above, with O'Sullivan winning more than losing. However, in these two seasons, Neil Robertson gradually gained the upper hand, with Neil Robertson beating O'Sullivan 10-4 in the 2021 Tour Final, followed by O'Sullivan beating Neil Robertson 10-8 in the World Grand Prix final. In the recent Masters quarter-finals, Neil Robertson won 6-4. Every time there was a fierce competition, O'Sullivan would praise Neil Robertson regardless of whether he won or lost.
The focus battle will kick off at 3am on Feb. 11, with the winner facing the winner between Higgins and Jimmy Robertson in the semi-finals. For O'Sullivan, if he can win the championship in this competition, he will return to the world number one, which should be his motivation to continue to move forward, let's wait and see!