At present, the world championship, the most important event of the year in snooker, is in full swing, but the main event has not yet begun, and the current competition is the World Championship qualifier. Although the main seat has not yet been served, the ticket battle in front of the main seat is very fierce and full of drama. Of course, just like film and television dramas, there are good dramas and bad dramas. No, in the latest qualifying match, there was a very embarrassing scene. Two players played against each other, one set a new record for average playing time, and the other was directly crushed in the game. I have to say that such a game, even the recognized grinding king Selby, will sigh to himself.
In the third round of a world championship qualification tournament that just ended, there was a game that could not be called the focus of attention, but after the game, it became the focus of discussion. The match was played against Gould and Hugel, and before the match, the match did not attract much attention. And in the pre-match prediction, many fans believed that Gould should be able to beat his opponent to advance to the next round. However, the outcome of the match failed the fans' predictions, and in the end, Gould, with a 5:2 lead, was successfully overturned by Hurgil, reversed the victory, and advanced to the round.
The opening stages of the game were indeed played according to the fans' predictions, and Gould was clearly in better shape than his opponents. At one point, Gould also had a three-set lead in the game, which should actually ensure he won and advance. However, from the 8th inning, the situation on the field changed, because Hurgil changed the way he played, not only changing the final result of the game, but also refreshing the perception of the fans.
In the subsequent matches, in order not to be eliminated, Hugel deliberately slowed down the pace of the game almost every shot, thinking slowly, hitting the ball slowly, in short, all with the main purpose of consuming the opponent's feel and patience. It was clear that Hugel's purpose had been achieved. His average playing time in the game reached an incredible 32.91 seconds, even directly breaking the average shooting time of Selby and Martin O'Donnell. I have to say that this shot time is indeed very scary, which I believe even Selby will sigh when he sees it. In the end, under the grinding control of Hugel, Gould gradually lost patience and collapsed directly in the game, eventually losing four consecutive sets, and was eliminated by Hurgil after getting the match point. After the game, Gould was furious. Of course, what can't be watched includes the commentary of the game and the fans who watched the game.
Among today's well-known snooker masters, Selby is only considered to be the King of Grinding, and his grinding style of play has caused headaches for many opponents. However, compared to Hurgil's game, Selby can't even be called the Grind king. It can be said that Hugel successfully refreshed the new height of snooker's "grinding king". Some people say that existence is reasonable, not to mention that such a way of playing does not violate the relevant regulations, which is beyond reproach. But in fact, Hugel's utilitarian style of play is harmful to the development of the entire snooker movement.
Although, from a competitive sports point of view, this style of play is indeed very practical. But too much utilitarian pursuit has made the sport lose its original meaning. This is also the most important reason why Selby has been criticized by many players and fans for a period of time, although it has gained a lot of honors, but it has also lost the audience and lost its viewing. What do you think of Hugel's approach?