The place in the round of 16 of the World Snooker Championship was settled, and the post-00s young player Si Jia Hui became the only single seedling of the Chinese Legion.
Some netizens said: "Not long after watching the game, is this what you often call Brother Hui?" "Of course, it's a joke. However, in the first World Championship main event, he defeated No. 4 seed Murphy to advance to the round of 16, which has already surpassed the answer sheet of senior Ding Junhui in his debut at Cruzburg. Further on, with each step, Scarlet will set its own record.
Of course, for Chinese snooker, which is in its darkest hour, such a victory is even harder. His World Championship performance, like a ray of light, dispelled a little haze of Chinese snooker.
80th in the world, won world 4th
As the world's lowest-ranked player (No. 80) at this World Championship, Scarlett, born in 2002, did not frighten against Murphy, shooting a 1-shot 100 and a 6-under 50+, and finally advanced 10-9.
There's no doubt that it's a huge upset: Murphy has been in excellent form this season, winning the recently concluded Tour Championship and ranking fourth in the world. He was also fifth in the pre-tournament odds list, behind O'Sullivan, Trump, Selby and Robertson.
And Scarlett? He only officially joined the profession in 2019 and was demoted in 2021. This season, Scarfer regained his professional qualification with the WSF Championship title. At the European Masters, Jia Hui reached the quarterfinals, setting a new record for the best individual ranking tournament.
Before the game, almost no one was optimistic about him. He himself said, "I never thought I would win." "But the truth is, he won. At the post-match press conference, opponent Murphy praised him - "Tonight is Scarfar's, he played well from start to finish. I think he will be China's first world champion, maybe not this time, but I believe he will be the first. ”
For Murphy, this is the second time Scarlet has beaten him in three major tournaments, and one was at the British Championship two years ago. At that time, Si Jia Hui was an amateur, and after winning Murphy in the first round, he was also criticized by the latter.
"He plays like a carefree man because he is carefree in the world. It's not fair, it's not right. Amateurs shouldn't be allowed to compete professionally, it's our means of making a living, it's how I earn money. I've earned the qualification as a snooker player since I turned pro at the age of 15, but he hasn't. ”
But this time, Si Jiahui, who participated in the main event of the World Championship as a professional player, finally won the respect of his opponent.
He made his World Championship debut and advanced to the round of 16, surpassing Ding Junhui
With other Chinese players, including Ding Junhui, falling, Si Jiahui's promotion made him "the hope of the whole village."
If you compare horizontally, the debut advanced to the round of 16, which has surpassed the predecessor Ding Junhui. Coincidentally, they both competed in the World Championships for the first time in the fourth year of their careers.
Ding Junhui first qualified for the main event of the World Championships in 2007. But he met O'Sullivan in the first round and lost 2-10. At that time, when talking about this loss, Ding Junhui was not frustrated, "I think it's okay. I've only been playing professional snooker for 4 years and can't be too demanding. I didn't feel nervous or stressed. ”
After 08, 09, and 10, Ding Junhui stopped the second round for three consecutive years, and 10 of them lost to Murphy. It wasn't until 2011 that Ding Junhui made his breakthrough at Cruzburg and reached the semifinals.
If you look at the results of the debut of the World Championship main competition, in fact, Si Jia Hui has achieved the surpassing of Ding Junhui.
Of course, in terms of overall results, Si Jia Hui is still far from Ding Junhui. At that time, Ding Junhui had already won three ranking championships, and scored his first single 147 perfect score + in the Wembley Masters that year to reach the final, and broke into the world's top 16 for the first time in the world ranking after the World Championships...
But being able to reach the last 16 of the World Championship on his debut is also gratifying enough for Si Jiahui.
The hardest times for Chinese snooker need this light
It has to be said that this is the most difficult time for Chinese snooker in recent years.
As a flag bearer, Ding Junhui has not been in good condition in the past two years, both physically and psychologically far from his peak state, and this World Championship has suffered another round of miserable swimming. Yan Bingtao, Zhao Xintong was originally in good shape, and he was the best successor behind Ding Junhui, but he was temporarily suspended... Today, the scale and results of the Chinese Legion have been greatly affected, the old and the old, the small and the small, and the group that once seemed extremely large, now looks a little green.
Take this World Championships as an example, in addition to Ding Junhui is a veteran, including Si Jiahui, Pang Junxu, Wu Yize and Fan Zhengyi are all post-00s, this is their first main event.
Originally, with Ding Junhui's early exit, there would be no Chinese players in the round of 16 of the World Championships. But Si Jia Hui defeated Murphy in a cold mood, continuing the hopes of the Chinese Legion. In the darkest hour of Chinese snooker, his World Championship performance was like a ray of light, dispelling a little haze of Chinese snooker.
On April 24, a hearing on the temporary suspension of 10 Chinese players, including Liang Wenbo, Yan Bingtao and Zhao Xintong, will be held. Although it is not known what kind of punishment they will face, it is certainly a big blow to Chinese snooker, which has been vigorously moving forward in recent years.
However, Si Jiahui's victory is rare good news. His vigor and fearlessness are more like a declaration made by the young Chinese snooker - if they give them time, they will bring us more surprises and miracles.