“O’Sullivan Reaches 21st Quarter-Final in World Snooker Championship, Si Jiahui Leads as Lowest Ranked Player”

Snooker World Championship | O’Sullivan enters the quarter-finals for the 21st time, Chinese teenager Si Jiahui leads

2023-04-23 14:41:17.0 Source: Xinhuanet
Author: Zhang Wei

The defending champion O’Sullivan swept the Iranian Wafi 13:2 on the 22nd and advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Snooker Championship for the 21st time. Chinese teenager Si Jiahui, who defeated former world champion Murphy in the first round, led Milkins 6:2.

The 47-year-old O’Sullivan has dominated the World Championships seven times. Facing Wafi, who defeated the famous Chinese player Ding Junhui in the first round, the “Rocket” led 6:2 after the first quarter the day before, and won 7 games in a row on the same day. After the game, he once again expressed his attitude of “playing for enjoyment” in recent years.

“I’ve been playing for many years and I love the way I live. I don’t play snooker for financial reasons, I just enjoy it. I can bring joy to my friends who come to support me, and I can watch it at home. People on TV were excited, so I continued to be on the court.”

O’Sullivan’s opponent in the quarter-finals is Bressel. The Belgian beat veteran Williams 13:11 in the second round. In addition, Mark Allen, who has won three ranking championships this season, swept Bingham 13:4 and will compete with Jones, who defeated Robertson 13:7, for a semi-final seat.

The 20-year-old Si Jiahui sent away the 2005 World Championship champion Murphy with 10:9 in the first round, breaking into the top 16 of the World Snooker Championship for the first time. Against the 47-year-old Milkins on the 22nd, although Si Jiahui lost the first game after repeated entanglements with his opponent, he then won 4 consecutive games to gain the upper hand, and finally ended the first quarter 6:2.

With Ding Junhui and other four Chinese team players stopping in the first round, Si Jiahui became the “only seedling” among the Chinese team players in the second round. A ranking of 80 in the world means he is the lowest-ranked player in the tournament.