In the first semi-final of the World Snooker Players Championship, which ended in the early morning of February 12, 2022, Beijing time, "Snooker Evergreen" Barry Hawkins staged a classic duel with the strength of Richie Wharton. Hawkins' performance in this game can be described as very good, he managed to advance to the final after beating Walton 6-2 with 115 points, 55 points, 61 points, 75 points and two consecutive three-game wins, which was the second time Hawkins reached the final in less than a month. He will face the winner between Neil Robertson and Jimmy Robertson in the final, and if nothing else, he will face Neil Robertson again.
Hawkins temporarily led Walton 3-1 in three straight sets
Hawkins was in good shape in the first half of the game on both sides, but it was clear that Hawkins was the better player. In the first set, Walton opened the scoring with a 69-point performance to win the game 77-7 to take a 1-0 lead over Hawkins. In the second set, although Walton scored 60 points, Hawkins still won the game 70:60 on multiple mobile phones to draw Wharton 1-1. In the third set, Hawkins won the game 84-24 with multiple pick-up opportunities and excellent chances to win the game to take a 2-1 lead over Walton. In the fourth inning, Hawkins took a 3-1 lead over Walton with a 55-point performance.
Hawkins beat Walton 6-2 to advance to the final
After the game entered the second half, Hawkins' form clearly picked up, and Walton seemed to have a hard time finding a chance to break through, and eventually had to lose. The game moved to the fifth inning, and Walton fell behind Hawkins 2-3 with a single 54-point performance and multiple mobile phone games to win the game 81-31. In the sixth inning, Hawkins won the game 63-4 with a superb performance of 115 points in a single shot to continue to lead Walton 4-2 and widen the gap between the two sides into two sets. In the seventh inning, Hawkins managed to blast 61 points in this inning and won the game 69:20 to lead Walton 5-2 to get the match point. In the eighth inning, Hawkins scored 75 points and confirmed that Walton had won the game 79-0 with a clean sheet to beat Walton 6-2 to advance to the final.
Hawkins' return to Wharton was sluggish
In the game between Walton and Hawkins, the change in the direction of the game mainly occurred in the second set. Although Walton exploded with a single shot of 60 points in the game, Hawkins won the game with multiple scattered attacks. After this game, Walton's confidence was clearly hit, he couldn't even play the rhythm he wanted, but instead made Hawkins bigger and better, and eventually had to lose. In terms of overall strength, the abilities of both players are similar, and they are both good friends of Selby, so their abilities are very balanced. The winners and losers between them often appear in the changes in the competitive state and mentality. It was clear that Walton was the one who had suffered the blow. He had hoped to consolidate his advantage, but he was overwhelmed by the accuracy and scattered attacks of his opponents. After losing his rhythm and confidence, Walton could no longer stand up in this game. In such a situation, Hawkins will of course fight better and better, because he knows that his opponent has lost the fighting power of the past. So it's perfectly normal for Hawkins to beat Walton.