TAIYUAN, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese player Zhou Yuelong and Thailand's Noppon Saengkham defeated their opponents respectively to advance to the 2026 World Snooker Tour China Open semifinals here on Friday.
In the afternoon session, England's David Gilbert raced to a 3-0 lead, before Zhou seized an opportunity in the fourth frame to pull one back.
The two players shifted to a safety battle midway through the fifth frame. Zhou made several consecutive mistakes, while Gilbert later missed a crucial shot when attempting to secure the frame. Zhou failed to capitalize on the opportunity to mount a comeback, and Gilbert took the frame.
Gilbert's form then began to dip, allowing Zhou to seize the initiative. Zhou compiled a century break of 100 points in the eighth frame to win three frames in a row and level the match at 4-4.
Both players made mistakes in the ninth frame, but Gilbert quickly regained his composure to move 5-4 ahead. The 10th frame again developed into a tense battle, but Zhou was the first to seize his chance and level the score.
With the match going down to a deciding 11th frame, both players began to show signs of fatigue. Zhou capitalized on several errors from Gilbert to take the final frame and secure a 6-5 victory, booking his place in the semifinals.
"Today's match was extremely tight. I was well behind in the first half, but that didn't disrupt my rhythm. I kept waiting for my opportunities and eventually fought my way back to win the match," Zhou said after the match.
The other afternoon quarterfinal saw Saengkham take on English star Shaun Murphy. The two players were locked at 3-3 after the opening six frames.
Saengkham then won two consecutive frames to extend his lead. Murphy fought back with a frame win to cut the deficit to 4-5.
Saengkham maintained his strong form in the 10th frame, producing two decisive breaks to seal a 6-4 victory over Murphy.
Currently ranked No. 45 in the world, Saengkham has emerged as the tournament's dark horse after defeating world No. 1 Judd Trump and snooker star Ronnie O'Sullivan in the first and second rounds.
"I'm very happy to have beaten three great players in this tournament. It's the reward for all the hard work I've put into training," Saengkham said after the match.
The evening session features a quarterfinal clash between England's Stuart Bingham and China's Zhang Anda, with the winner advancing to Saturday's semifinals. Enditem
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