On March 25, 2022, Beijing time, the first day of the Snooker Gibraltar Open ended, and China's Ding Junhui and Lu Haotian took the lead in advancing to the round of 16. However, there was a particularly chaotic situation on the first matchday, with 10 people temporarily withdrawing from the competition, and China's Li Xing and Xu Si failed to arrive on the field on time and were directly sentenced to lose 0-4. Officials then spoke out, explaining why the game was so chaotic.
In the past, the Gibraltar Open was not very attractive because of the small prize money and the high cost of travel for players. Simply put, the gibraltar Open in the past was unable to attract too many top players, and the low-ranking players had to consider the cost of participation. But this season's Gibraltar Open has been very different, and while the prize money hasn't changed much, it's significant.
First of all, many players compete for the extra prize money of the European Series, and the Gibraltar Open is the final stop in the European Series.
Secondly, the competition for the top eight in a single season is also fierce, and whether Higgins can qualify for the Tour Championship will not be determined until after the Gibraltar Open.
Third, individual players also have to attack the world championship seedings, such as Rich Wharton, who will strive for good results at the Gibraltar Open.
It can be said that the Gibraltar Open has never received so much attention, and only Selby voluntarily gave up at the initial registration stage. It was only after Mark Williams, Sean Murphy, Stephen Maguire and Anthony McGill withdrew. However, due to the weather and flights, there was a farce at the Gibraltar Open, and on the first match day, 10 people temporarily withdrew, including Chang Bingyu, Kane, Hussein, Wu Yize, David Gilbert, Pang Junxu, Wafi, Anthony Hamilton, Scarlett and Patrick.
In addition, although China's Li Xing and Xu Si did not take the initiative to withdraw from the game, the two of them failed to arrive at the match site on time and were sentenced to lose 0-4. There was such a large-scale withdrawal on the day of the game, and the official was also helpless. World Snooker officially explained the reason, mainly because the weather caused some players to change their flights, and then brought visa problems, so they could not participate. The World Federation of Taiwanese Players will get in touch with these players to help.
It was in such a chaotic situation that the first matchday was completed, and 8 seats were decided in the round of 16, including Neil Robertson, Karen Wilson, Ding Junhui, Lu Haotian and others who won the round of 16. Barry Hawkins, Zhao Xintong, Luca Brechel and other 3 seeded players were out of the game. World champion Ken Dahdi passed the first round, but fought 7 innings in the second round, losing 3-4 to Heathcote and sadly out.
In addition, O'Sullivan, Trump and other star players have arrived at the competition site, and normally they should not be withdrawn, but I hope that the Gibraltar Open can be carried out smoothly!