On April 22, the 2022 World Snooker Championship will enter the second round of competition, and a number of players will appear in three slots on the day, including two famous Chinese players Zhao Xintong and Yan Bingtao, who will play hand in hand, in which Zhao Xintong and Maguire will compete in the second stage, after the first stage of the eight-game competition, he temporarily fell behind 3-5, while Yan Bingtao will challenge the defending champion Selby.
Popularity king "Rocket" O'Sullivan will also appear on the day, and he will compete with Northern Ireland's "little steel cannon" Mark Allen in the first two stages. In addition, the first top 8 seats will be born on the same day, and Wales' Williams has taken a 7-1 lead, and the promotion is basically worry-free. The second round of the tournament was played in a 25-inning, 13-win format, which was played in three stages of 889.
At 5:00 p.m. Beijing time on April 22:
Page 1-7 Williams (Second Stage)
Alan vs O'Sullivan (Phase I)
As a newcomer who debuted in Crucible, Welsh 00 youngster Jackson Page, facing big brother Williams, failed to reproduce the magical moment of the first round of upset No. 9 seed Hawkins. In the first eight innings, he was 0-7 behind at the beginning and almost shaved his head, but in the last set he completed the extreme reversal and won the first set, and finally ended with 1-7 behind.
For Williams, the balance of victory has basically turned to him, and the only suspense and watch is whether he can solve the battle in two stages, only 6 innings away from victory, while the second stage requires another 8 innings. In any case, their matches will be decided on the day, and if the morning game does not end early, then in the evening they will continue to play the third stage of the game until the birth of the first top 8 seats.
O'Sullivan, who didn't face much of a challenge in the first round, will meet his old rival Allen in the second round, and the two have met once at the World Championships in 2009, when it was also the second round, and it was Allen who won the final victory, who won 13-11. So when it comes to the showdown with O'Sullivan before the game, he's confident. However, in the overall record of the confrontation, O'Sullivan is still dominant. This time the two fight again, I believe it will be a wonderful confrontation.
At 9:30 p.m. Beijing time on April 22:
Selby vs Yan Bingtao (Phase 1)
Zhao Xintong 3-5 Maguire (Phase II)
Defending champion Selby, who advanced to the round of 16 early on the first day of the opener, finally ushered in the second round of competition after a long wait, against China's yan Bingtao. Two players with similar style of play are also praised by fans as the "Grinding King War" of the new generation. For Yan Bingtao, Selby is not invincible, in the last two seasons, he has defeated him many times, and even in the last three encounters, Yan Bingtao has maintained three consecutive wins, so he is not psychologically inferior. The only thing to note is that in a long-term game like the World Championships, Selby's rich experience is exactly what Yan Bingtao lacks, and stability will become a crucial factor.
Zhao Xintong was unstable in the first stage, although he once took a 3-2 lead, but in the next three sets, Maguire seized the opportunity in a row, winning with one shot, and fell behind 3-5. In order to win the game, the 8 innings of the second stage is quite important, in addition to maintaining efficient offensive firepower, in terms of defense, Zhao Xintong also needs to work hard, must not make major mistakes, give the opponent a hand, otherwise it will lead to the opponent to further open up the gap.
At 2:00 a.m. Beijing time on April 23:
Page 1-7 Williams (Phase III)
Alan v O'Sullivan (Phase II)
At night local time, two of the "Seven Five Three Masters" appeared at the same time, and the fans on the scene were undoubtedly the happiest. If Williams ends the fight early in the morning, the night pitch is likely to be a single show for O'Sullivan's match against Allen. Regardless of the number of games, for O'Sullivan, his goal in two stages of the game is to ensure the lead, and to complete the revenge of "Allen" at the World Championships, which has a special significance.