Wuhan Open Snooker 2024 LIVE RESULTS: Latest as Judd Trump THROUGH to semis after thrilling decider, Murphy THRASHED
JUDD TRUMP will have breathed a huge sigh of relief after making it through to the semi-finals of the Wuhan Open.
The world No 1 needed all nine frames to beat Chris Wakelin, who had been leading 2-0 and 3-1 before Trump fought back.
In the other afternoon last eight match, Zhang Anda was beaten by compatriot Si Jiahui to reach the final four.
The early QF clashes saw Guodong Ziao thrash Shaun Murphy 5-1 and Jack Lisowski lose by the same scoreline to Long Zehuang.
- Start times: 7am/12.30pm BST
- TV channel: Eurosport
- Live stream: discovery+
- Explainer: Full schedule and prize money
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Follow ALL the action from the Wuhan Open with our live blog below...
Pocket our new link for today's semi-finals
We have a new link for following today's two last-four showdowns in the Wuhan Open.
Check back here in the next quarter of an hour for our fresh blog on semi-finals that confirm two things about snooker - the consistency of World No1 Judd Trump and the rise of host country China with the cue.
Compatriots Long Zehuang and Xiao Guodong start their best-of-11 clash at around 7am British time.
Then English ace Trump is due to face China's third representative Si Jiahui from 12.30pm.
Judd reveals Wake-up call
Judd Trump admitted he thought Chris Wakelin was going to “fluke a couple of balls” and nick victory.
The World No1 eventually took the last two frames to triumph 5-4.
Wakelin’s opening-frame break of 97 helped him go 2-0 up.
Credit: Getty But Trump levelled at 2-2 via breaks of 54 and 58 and, despite falling behind again, sneaked victory.
The Bristol ace said: “It was frustrating at times and especially in that last frame, where it looked like he was going to fluke a couple of balls and end up winning.
“In the end, I took my chance and played a really good shot on the brown to knock the pink out.
“You are just relying on your opponent to miss [in those situations]. He did that in the last frame.
“There was a bit of pressure out there and he took his eye off the brown looking for an angle to get the pink out.”
'Pay should be well above par'
Barry Hearn claims darts and snooker stars shout out-earn golfers.
The Matchroom president reckons oche aces like Luke Littler and table talents like Judd Trump have growing commercial value – aided by their sports thriving in Asia.
Hearn still plays prominent roles in the Professional Darts Corporation and World Snooker Tour.
Each sport has a £500,000 top prize at its World Championship – but that sum has now been matched at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.
The 76-year-old told The Barry Hearn Show: “The Middle East has now decided... that snooker is actually very popular in the Middle East. It’s had a rebirth.
"Of course with Saudi, the amount of money they’re putting in, the rebirth is not a minor happening, it’s a major event.
“For my mind, and I’ve got nothing against golf, but I want to see darts and snooker have bigger prize money than golf because I believe it’s worth more money than golf in today’s commercial world.”
Rocket recap
Just a reminder of why we've not seen Ronnie O’Sullivan at the Wuhan Open.
The seven-time world champion has put his snooker return on hold after what he called his “embarrassing” English Open exit.
O’Sullivan exited to He Guoqiang in Brentwood last month.
He later withdrew from the British Open just hours before his opening match due to “medical reasons”.
The Rocket has now cited the same reasons after pulling out of the Wuhan Open in China.
Why it's tough for Lee to return
Stephen Lee’s 12-year ban for match-fixing ends on his 50th birthday this Saturday.
But the ex-World No 5 faces an almighty snag if he dreams of competing again.
The Englishman owes the World Professional Billiard and Snooker Association £125,000 in legal fees.
A WPBSA spokesman told : “Stephen Lee would need to reach a satisfactory agreement with the WPBSA over settlement of his costs before he could play.”
Credit: Getty Images - Getty Murphy's flaw
Xiao says he punished Murphy errors to win
Shaun Murphy was thoroughly dismantled by Xiao Guodong on Thursday to reach the semi-finals of the Wuhan Open.
Xiao, 35, is hoping to reach his first final since the 2013 Shanghai Masters and flew out of the starting blocks against Murphy.
He took a rapid 3-0 lead with consecutive century breaks of 139, 113 and 125, while another 75 put him 4-0 up.
That left Murphy needing to win five in a row and while the Essex boy won the next frame with an impressive 112, Xiao won the sixth frame to advance.
Xiao said: “I got into my rhythm faster than Shaun and I capitalised on the opportunities he gave me. In the first four frames, I made hardly any mistakes.
“That helped me build a solid lead and lay a good foundation for the rest of the match.”
Chinese double delight
China’s growing status in snooker has never been clearer.
Home favourites Xiao Guodong and Long Zehuang pulled off shock quarter-final victories – and then some.
Xiao plundered three centuries to set up his superiority over Shaun Murphy, before returning after he interval to wrap up a 45-1 win.
Credit: Getty And Murphy’s fellow Englishman Jack Lisowski was ousted by the same margin against 27-year-old hot prospect Long.
For Lisowski, it was a huge anti-climax in a previously impressive week – as he failed to muster even a half-ton today.
In fact, had Long not missed a final black in the third frame, he could have landed a whitewash win.
The two winners will now meet tomorrow for a place in the final against Chinese counterpart Si Jiahui or Judd Trump.
Credit: Getty Judd admits 'frustration' as he pips Wakelin
Judd Trump admitted he thought Chris Wakelin was going to "fluke a couple of balls" and nick victory.
The World No1 eventually took the last two frames to triumph 5-4.
Wakelin's opening-frame break of 97 helped him go 2-0 up.
But Trump levelled at 2-2 via breaks of 54 and 58 and, despite falling behind again, sneaked victory.
The Bristol ace said: "It was frustrating at times and especially in that last frame, where it looked like he was going to fluke a couple of balls and end up winning.
"In the end, I took my chance and played a really good shot on the brown to knock the pink out.
"You are just relying on your opponent to miss [in those situations]. He did that in the last frame.
"There was a bit of pressure out there and he took his eye off the brown looking for an angle to get the pink out."
Trump thanks Higgins in the case of the wrong cue
Judd Trump revealed his embarrassment after a cue mix-up in his 5-2 win over John Higgins.
And he thanked the Scottish legend for making the blunder much less of an issue - by giving him time to sort it out.
Trump said: "Luckily for me, John was very nice about it and let me wait as long as possible.
"I think it’s happened before and somebody lost the frame.
"But John was nice enough to give me enough time to get my cue back.”
Trump added: “I’ve never done that before!"
It happened after he picked up Ben Woollaston's cue by mistake during an interval.
Xiao vs Long - Head to head
Tomorrow's semi-final will be the first time Xiao and Long face each other on the baize.
Xiao is the much more experienced player, having made his pro tour debut in 2007, while Long only joined the tour in 2023.
Long has been plagued by inconsistency in recent months with this by far his best performance bar his third round showing in the Championship League.
Having failed to qualify for the World Championships, he beat Hossein Vafaie and Jamie Jones to reach the winners' group in the Championship League, before three draws kept him out of the final.
Since then, however, he has lost his opening matches in Saudi Arabia and at the English Open and British Open.
Xiao reached the quarter-finals in Saudi Arabia but also had a poor showing in the UK, also losing in the first round in Brentwood and Cheltenham.
Zehuang hails home comforts
Long Zehuang is born and raised in Wuhan and has had his family in the stands during all of his matches so far, he credits them with getting him to the final four.
He said: "Playing at home helps a bit because I’m familiar with the environment. I felt quite relaxed during the match.
"I heard just now that Xiao Guodong won his match, so I’ll prepare to learn from him.
"I don’t have any particular expectations - just a mindset of learning and focusing on playing every shot well."
Long reckons he was 'lucky' as he reaches first semi
Long Zehuang was similarly impressive in his win over Jack Lisowski, who he beat 5-1.
It is his first time in a ranking semi-final with the world No 70 thrilled with his performance.
Credit: Getty "I didn’t expect this scoreline, or to make it to the semi-finals. I feel like I had a bit of luck.
"My performance was normal, but in snooker, sometimes you need that bit of luck. T
"This is my first time reaching the semi-finals and I hadn’t expected it."
More from Xiao
Xiao, who faces Long Zehuang in the semi-final at 7pm UK time, has been impressed with his run to the final four.
He has been excellent in wins against Kyren Wilson, Barry Hawkins and now Shaun Murphy.
He added: “To be honest, I wasn’t favoured in this draw, going up against Kyren Wilson, Barry Hawkins, and Shaun Murphy.
Credit: Getty “They are all tough opponents, so I’m just glad I was able to showcase my game.
“It’s great that two Chinese players have reached the semi-finals in a Chinese event, guaranteeing a spot in the final for one of us.
“Congratulations to Long Zehuang. We’re very close and we play together every day at Ding’s Academy and often eat together.
“I’m really happy to be facing him on such a big stage.”
Xiao says he punished Murphy errors to win
Shaun Murphy was thoroughly dismantled by Xiao Guodong on Thursday to reach the semi-finals of the Wuhan Open.
Xiao, 35, is hoping to reach his first final since the 2013 Shanghai Masters and flew out of the starting blocks against Murphy.
He took a rapid 3-0 lead with consecutive century breaks of 139, 113 and 125, while another 75 put him 4-0 up.
That left Murphy needing to win five in a row and while the Essex boy won the next frame with an impressive 112, Xiao won the sixth frame to advance.
Xiao said: "I got into my rhythm faster than Shaun and I capitalised on the opportunities he gave me. In the first four frames, I made hardly any mistakes.
"That helped me build a solid lead and lay a good foundation for the rest of the match."
Lee's 12-year ban ending
Stephen Lee's 12-year ban for match-fixing ends on his 50th birthday this Saturday.
But the ex-World No 5 faces an almighty snag if he dreams of competing again.
The Englishman owes the World Professional Billiard and Snooker Association £125,000 in legal fees.
A WPBSA spokesman told : “Stephen Lee would need to reach a satisfactory agreement with the WPBSA over settlement of his costs before he could play.”
Credit: Getty Images - Getty
Tomorrow's semi-final line-up
Home interest for tomorrow's Wuhan Open quarter-finals couldn't be much greater.
Long Zehuang takes on Guodong Xiao.
And China's third star to reach this stage, Sia Jiahui, has the mighty challenge of meeting world No1 Judd Trump.
No ex-cues needed for Judd
Judd Trump revealed an incredible cue mix-up after beating John Higgins 5-2 to reach the quarter-finals.
The Wuhan Open's reigning champion ended up with Ben Woollaston's cue after the mid-session interval.
And despite telling the match referee, Trump was initially told he could not swap back to his own equipment until another time-out.
The world No1, 35, could then be heard telling Higgins: "My cue was in the case, but Ben put his cue next to my case."
However, Trump showed his supreme professionalism by promptly reeling off a 56 break to go 4-1 up.
Higgins recovered to notch a 126 clearance, giving him 1,005 centuries on his CV.
But Trump made it 14 quarter-finals in a row by cruising home 67-0 in the seventh frame.
Credit: Alamy 'Cue and oche aces deserve more than golfers'
Barry Hearn claims darts and snooker stars shout out-earn golfers.
The Matchroom president reckons oche aces like Luke Littler and table talents like Judd Trump have growing commercial value – aided by their sports thriving in Asia.
Hearn still plays prominent roles in the Professional Darts Corporation and World Snooker Tour.
Each sport has a £500,000 top prize at its World Championship – but that sum has now been matched at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.
The 76-year-old told The Barry Hearn Show: “The Middle East has now decided... that snooker is actually very popular in the Middle East. It’s had a rebirth.
"Of course with Saudi, the amount of money they’re putting in, the rebirth is not a minor happening, it’s a major event.
“For my mind, and I’ve got nothing against golf, but I want to see darts and snooker have bigger prize money than golf because I believe it’s worth more money than golf in today’s commercial world.”
Long makes short work of double delight for China
China's growing status in snooker has never been clearer.
Home favourites Xiao Guodong and Long Zehuang pulled off shock quarter-final victories - and then some.
Xiao plundered three centuries to set up his superiority over Shaun Murphy, before returning after he interval to wrap up a 45-1 win.
Xiao Guodong stunned Shaun Murphy in the last eightCredit: Getty And Murphy's fellow Englishman Jack Lisowski was ousted by the same margin against 27-year-old hot prospect Long.
For Lisowski, it was a huge anti-climax in a previously impressive week - as he failed to muster even a half-ton today.
In fact, had Long not missed a final black in the third frame, he could have landed a whitewash win.
The two winners will now meet tomorrow for a place in the final against Chinese counterpart Si Jiahui or Judd Trump.
Long Zehuang was always in control against Jack LisowskiCredit: Getty Semi-finals set
The brilliant semi-finals line-up has been set in Wuhan.
Action will get underway at 7am BST tomorrow, with an all-Chinese clash between Long Zehuang and Xiao Guodong.
Then at 12:30pm, Judd Trump, following his dramatic comeback against Chris Wakelin, will take on China's Si Jiahui.
Trump completes amazing comeback
Judd Trump has completed an amazing comeback to beat Chris Wakelin 5-4 in Wuhan.
Trump, 35, had trailed 3-1 and 4-3 to Wakelin, before eventually prevailing.
He joins Si Jiahui in the next round - and that's all from today's Wuhan Opener Snooker action.
Credit: Getty
Si through in Wuhan
Si Jiahui has won his all-Chinese battle against Zhang Anda in Wuhan.
The 22-year-old triumphed 5-3 to march into the next round.
Meanwhile, Judd Trump and Chris Wakelin are into a decider, after the former levelled the contest at 4-4.
- Judd Trump 4-4 Chris Wakelin
- Zhang Anda 3-5 Si Jiahui
Wakelin back in front
Chris Wakelin is just one frame away from defeating Judd Trump in Wuhan.
Having been pegged back to 3-3 from 3-1 up, Wakelin now possesses a 4-3 advantage.
Meanwhile, Si Jiahui leads Zhang Anda 4-3 in the all-Chinese clash.
- Judd Trump 3-4 Chris Wakelin
- Zhang Anda 3-4 Si Jiahui
Trump levels from behind
Judd Trump has levelled his clash with Chris Wakelin at 3-3, having trailed 3-1.
Meanwhile, Si Jiahui leads Zhang Anda 3-2 in Wuhan.
Remember, they are first-to-five matches.
- Judd Trump 3-3 Chris Wakelin
- Zhang Anda 2-3 Si Jiahui
Wakelin re-establishes two-frame lead
Chris Wakelin has taken the fourth frame against champion Judd Trump to move into a 3-1 lead.
Zhang Anda and Si Jihaui are locked together at two frames each after Si took the fourth.
Remember, they are first-to-five matches.
- Judd Trump 1-3 Chris Wakelin
- Zhang Anda 2-2 Si Jiahui