Ding Junhui is expected to break the 10-year curse and the world's second PK super dark horse
On March 23, Beijing time, the Snooker World Open will enter the semi-finals. China's No. 1 Ding Junhui will face old rival Neil Robertson, which will be a big test for Ding Junhui as he hasn't beaten Robertson in 10 years. And in the other semi-final, Trump will face the dark horse Page. According to the rankings, both Robertson and Page still have a chance to compete for a ticket to the Tour Championship, but only if they win the tournament.
Ding Junhui was in excellent form in the previous games. Facing the former world champion Shaun Murphy, who had not been defeated for 10 years, Ding Junhui won 5-3. In the semifinals against the Iranian player Wafi, who eliminated him in the World Championships last year, Ding Junhui hit 2 shots to break 100 and 2 strokes of 70+, and at the same time played two rounds of reversal, swept the opponent 5-0 to reach the top 4, which can be said to be full of morale. His opponent, Robertson, eliminated Hawkins 5-2 and reached the semi-finals of the ranking tournament for the first time this season.
Ding Junhui and Robertson are both post-80s representative players, and their current situation is not at their peak. Robertson's current world ranking has fallen to 15th. However, in the battle with Ding Junhui, Robertson had an 11-9 advantage. And since 2014, Ding Junhui has suffered a 0-4 defeat against Robertson in 10 years, and Ding Junhui also lost 5-6 in last year's Shanghai Masters. And, for Robertson, he has plenty of fighting spirit, as he needs to win the title to secure a ticket to the tournament and qualify for the World Championships. Of course, fighting on his own soil, Ding Junhui's motivation is undoubted.
In the other semi-final, world No. 2 Trump will face world No. 52 Jackson Page. In the previous 3 meetings, Trump won all of them. With O'Sullivan out, Trump has obviously become the number one favorite, and he should not allow himself to capsize in the gutter. According to the tournament schedule, the prize money for the winner is £170,000, while the prize money for the final is £73,000.