On December 17, 2023, Beijing time, the semifinals of the World Snooker Scottish Open were all over. Defending champion Gary Wilson fell behind 3-5 and was overtaken by three shots of snooker in the deciding game with his excellent performance to defeat Chinese star Zhou Yuelong 6-5 and successfully entered the final.
Thailand's Sangkam defeated four-time world champion Higgins 6-3 with a two-shot break and five consecutive wins, setting a new career best.
Next, Sancam will battle Gary Wilson for the ultimate championship trophy. For Gary Wilson, this will be a good opportunity for him to defend his title. And for Sancam, it will also be a good opportunity to make snooker history for himself.
Wilson won three games in a row and defeated Zhou Yuelong 6-5
In the match between Wilson and Zhou Yuelong, the state of both players was relatively average, because they made more mistakes in the game, but Zhou Yuelong finally lost to his own psychological quality.
In the first four games, Zhou Yuelong's performance of 106 points in a single stroke and two consecutive wins drew with Wilson 2-2. In the first four games of the second half, Zhou Yuelong seized Wilson's mistakes and scored 56 and 77 points to win three of the four games, thus leading Wilson 5-3 and getting match points.
Immediately afterwards, Wilson scored 122 points and 54 points in a single stroke, chasing two games in a row to draw 5-5 with Zhou Yuelong, thus bringing the game to a decisive game. In the deciding game, Zhou Yuelong lost to Wilson 72:79 and lost to the defending champion 5-6 in the case of 69 points and snooker with a single shot and three shots, and missed the final.
Sancam won five games in a row and reversed Higgins 6-3 to advance
In the match between Higgins and Sancam, Sancam completed a super reversal. In the first four games between the two sides, Higgins led Sancam 3-1 with his excellent ability to grasp opportunities and a performance of 130 points and 92 points in a single shot to successfully gain a two-game advantage.
But in the second half, the situation on the court changed dramatically, and Higgins never won a game again. In the fifth game, Higgins was reversed after scoring 53 points in a single stroke. And this game also became the turning point of the whole game.
After this game, Sancam gradually regained his confidence, and he won four games in a row with a superb performance of 133, 120 and 83 points in a single stroke, and finally defeated Higgins 6-3 to successfully advance to the final. After this match, Sancam also officially broke the best of his career.
The schedule and highlights of the Scottish Open final
In the next match, Gary Wilson will face Sancam in a battle for the ultimate title. At 21:00 Beijing time on December 17, 2023, Sancam will compete with Gary Wilson in the first stage of the final. At 3:00 on December 18, the two players will start the final showdown of the second stage of the final.
For Gary Wilson, if he can defend his title here, he will make history at the Scottish Open. After all, no one has been able to defend their title in this event since 2016.
For Sancam, who reached the final of the ranking tournament for the first time, it will be interesting to see if he can bring Thai glory and make snooker history again in the final.
For Sancam, who excelled in tactics and all-round strength, winning the title would be a turning point that would propel him to a higher position. If he can finish winning the title, he will create more possibilities. If not, then his highlight may come later.