When the cold wind howls in the Welsh arena, the 2024 Snooker Welsh Open has also entered the white-hot stage. It was a moment of disappointment for loyal fans of Chinese snooker, and the performance of the Chinese army was embarrassing, and the worst result of the 13 ranking tournaments was written here: no one made it to the quarterfinals. This is not just a loss in the tournament, but a big blow to the qualification for the upcoming Players Championship. Those names that shined in the ranking competition, Ding Junhui, Zhang Anda, and Zhou Yuelong, were all sad this time and failed to continue to write brilliantly.
Ding Junhui, the former world No. 1 player, stopped in the round of 64 this time, and Zhang Anda also stopped there. No. 3 player Zhou Yuelong failed to make it to the main event, and the ending of the first round was embarrassing. Si Jiahui originally had a chance to seize the last train to enter the Players Championship, but stopped at the threshold of the top 32 and missed the promotion. Pang Junxu and Lu Haotian also lost in the first round. Only Fan Zheng fought to the top 16 and won back a little face for the Chinese team.
Although the Chinese team did not score anything on the field, the passion of the Welsh Open did not diminish because of this. The final four matchups are already indicated: snooker veteran John Higgins will face Gary Wilson in a master showdown, while Seles faces challenger Odnair. In this smoke-filled war, every shot can decide the fate of the players, and this is directly related to their foothold in the upcoming Players Championship.
And behind the game, some turbulent news also continues to attract the public's attention. It is rumored that Trump, who is absent from this site, and Ma Xiaoqing, the goddess of figure skating in Hong Kong, China, are dating, and their trip to Monaco was captured by the media. Whether this relationship can blossom and whether it will affect Trump's state of play are all hanging in people's minds. And O'Sullivan, an evergreen in snooker, always seems to be looking for something new to make excuses for his retirement, which makes fans both curious and worried.
On the field in Wales, the defeat of the Chinese players was like an unexpected cold snap, which brought food for thought to the domestic development of the sport of snooker. Snooker, a sport with hundreds of millions of fans in China, seems to have always oscillated between highs and lows. The loss of this event is undoubtedly a wake-up call to the Chinese snooker community: success requires persistence and innovation, learning lessons from failure, and seeking breakthroughs in every small hitting detail.
In China, the popularity of snooker has never waned. Every year in the international competition, countless fans stay up late to watch the game, and their expectations of heroes have never changed. But the brutality of the arena tells us that heroes don't last forever. Just like this Welsh Open, the defeat of the Chinese army reminded everyone that snooker still needs more support and investment in China. Chinese players need more experience on the international stage, and they need all-round improvement in terms of technique and psychology. Their spring, which seems far away, may come quietly after every challenge.
The cruelty of competitive sports is that it is not only a test of individual strength, but also a test of the strategy and resilience of the whole team. The collective defeat of the Chinese players exposed the tactical inadequacies, and their adaptability and on-the-spot psychological adjustment on the field appeared to be immature. This is exactly the direction that Chinese snooker needs to deeply reflect on and improve. Technological innovation is not achieved overnight, it requires a systematic training method, but also requires a deep understanding and love of snooker.
In China, snooker is not only a sport, it is also a cultural phenomenon, carrying the emotions and memories of countless people. This defeat may disappoint some enthusiastic fans, but more people choose to continue to support and look forward to it. They understand that every back shot calmly in the spotlight represents countless days and nights of hard training and sweat. The charm of snooker lies in the fact that it constantly reminds us that whether successful or not, hard work itself is a virtue worthy of respect.
The world of snooker is brutal and hopeful. The defeat of the Chinese players at the Welsh Open does not mean the end of the story, but the beginning of another. They need to get back up in the face of failure and forge their future with sweat and wisdom. The future of Chinese snooker needs the participation of more young people, the attention and support of the national level, and the encouragement and understanding of all sectors of society.