August 22nd 2024.
Ronnie O'Sullivan has been dominating the Xi'an Grand Prix so far, facing little challenge from his opponents. In the last 16, he breezed past Hossein Vafaei with a 5-0 victory, making it look like a walk in the park. His effortless performance has landed him a spot in the quarter-finals, where he has faced little resistance from Wang Yuchen, Bulcsu Revesz, Yuan Sijun, and now Vafaei, with a total frame score of 20-3.
The match against Vafaei, also known as the Prince of Persia, saw O'Sullivan scoring two centuries, showcasing his exceptional skills on the table. However, it was not much of a challenge for the Iranian, who did not seem to be playing at his best. The match began at 12:30 pm UK time and ended just after 2 pm, including a short interval after four frames. Although the two had a feud in the past, which peaked at the 2023 World Championship, they have since buried the hatchet. But Vafaei's defeat, especially by such a significant margin, is sure to sting.
In the quarter-finals, O'Sullivan will face Matt Selt, who fought hard to defeat 17-year-old Gong Chenzhi with a score of 5-4. Gong had impressed everyone with his wins over Tom Ford and Si Jiahui, but Selt managed to make a comeback, winning the penultimate frame on the black and then the deciding one.
Meanwhile, Xu Si, another Chinese player, has been having a fantastic run at the Xi'an Grand Prix. On Thursday, he defeated three-time world champion Mark Williams with a score of 5-4. Including his qualifying match, Xu has won all four of his matches in this event with a deciding frame, also beating another former world champion, Stuart Bingham, in the previous round.
The first session on Thursday also saw Barry Hawkins beat world number one Mark Allen with a score of 5-3, and Judd Trump defeating Jak Jones with a score of 5-1. It was a sweet revenge for Trump, who had lost to Jones in the World Championship earlier this year. However, his performance was not at its best, with his highest breaks being only 52 and 51.
The quarter-finalists in Xi'an have already secured a prize money of £23,350, but the top prize of £177,000 is still up for grabs, motivating the players to give their best on the table. The upcoming quarter-final matches in Xi'an are Kyren Wilson/Jimmy Robertson vs Xu Si, Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Matt Selt, Judd Trump vs Dave Gilbert/Mark Selby, and Dominic Dale/Daniel Wells vs Barry Hawkins. With so much at stake, it's anyone's game to win.
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