TAIYUAN, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- China's Wu Yize was defeated 6-2 by David Gilbert as the 2026 World Snooker Tour China Open entered the last-16 stage on Wednesday, while compatriot Zhou Yuelong advanced to the quarterfinals.
In the afternoon session, an early error cost Wu the opening frame against Gilbert. The second frame developed into a tense stalemate and lasted nearly half an hour. Wu initially fell behind but gradually settled down and narrowed the gap, before Gilbert seized his opportunity to take the frame.
Wu committed a foul early in the third frame before Gilbert produced a tournament-high break of 132 points to move 3-0 ahead. Wu responded with a frame-winning break in the fourth to pull one back. Gilbert maintained his composure to take the fifth and sixth frames, and although Wu claimed the seventh, Gilbert secured a 6-2 victory.
"I wasn't very satisfied with my performance today, although I think I improved compared with the Shanghai Masters," Wu said after the match. "I made too many mistakes today, so I couldn't perform at my best. It's difficult for me when my form fluctuates, but I've been doing my best to find my rhythm again."
"I think we both made a few errors early in the first couple of frames, so it was quite important for me to settle down more. Then I managed to find a bit of rhythm and play well when the balls presented themselves," Gilbert said.
Another afternoon match saw an all-Chinese clash between Zhou Yuelong and Liu Hongyu. The pair remained closely matched throughout, with Zhou compiling century breaks of 119 and 108 points in the opening two frames. Liu stayed in contention, and the match was level at 3-3 after six frames.
Zhou lost the seventh frame after making an early mistake and committing a foul, but quickly regained his composure. He responded with a 140-point break in the eighth and eventually defeated Liu 6-4.
"Liu Hongyu put me under a lot of pressure today, and he capitalized on all my mistakes," Zhou said after the match. "But I kept my mindset steady and managed to win by controlling my errors. I haven't set any particular expectations for the next match. I just hope to perform well."
In the later evening session, Thailand's Noppon Saengkham, who previously stunned world No. 1 Judd Trump, was set to face "The Rocket" Ronnie O'Sullivan. Meanwhile, China's Xiao Guodong was scheduled to take on England's Shaun Murphy, with the winners advancing to the quarterfinals.
The last-16 matches will continue on Thursday. Enditem
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