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South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
China's snooker players will be a major threat to UK dominance, says world No 12 Zhang Anda
Zhang Anda expects China to threaten British dominance of snooker in the coming years, after compatriot Zhao Xintong became the first Asian to win the World Snooker Championship last month. Advertisement Speaking ahead of an exhibition event starting in Hong Kong on Tuesday, the talented veteran said the game was only trending upwards in mainland China. When the 2025-26 season begins at the end of this month, there will be six Chinese players ranked inside the top 20, and 14 in the top 50 – second only to the 22 from the United Kingdom. 'I think we will be a threat,' the Guangdong native said. 'If you look at the trend, we are gradually doing that – there will be more Chinese players. 'I am sure there will be more world-class tournaments in Hong Kong, Macau and even mainland China in the future.' Advertisement Zhang, 33, won the only ranking title of his career at the International Championship in Tianjin in November 2023, and the world No 12 said he hoped to add one more ranking title to his name in the new season.
The Sun
22-04-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
World Snooker Championship 2025 LIVE RESULTS: Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Ali Carter on NOW, John Higgins THROUGH
WORLD Snooker Championship action is rolling on at pace from the iconic Crucible as Ronnie O'Sullivan makes his return to the baize! Today sees The Rocket in action for the 33rd consecutive time at the Worlds, when he takes on big rival Ali Carter. The Crucible curse struck again as defending champ Kyren Wilson was stunned by Lei Peifan, who knocked out the Kettering ace 10-9 in a shock first-round exit. And 2010 world snooker champ Neil Robertson has also exited at the first stage, losing 10-8 to qualifier Chris Wakelin, while Hossein Vafaei stunned Barry Hawkins in a final-frame thriller. 37 minutes ago By Joshua Hall O'Sullivan vs Carter It's the big one up next as "snotgate" rivals Ronnie O'Sullivan and Ali Carter face off in a blockbuster first-round clash at 2:30pm. The pair have some serious bad blood between them and last year's Masters final showed that with their bizarre argument. Carter alleged O'Sullivan violently cleared his nose – like a long-distance runner might do – on to the carpet while sitting in his chair in the final frames of the Masters final in 2024. The Captain claimed the sport's greatest player was 'snotting all over the floor' and labelled it as 'outrageous behaviour from a top professional'. In response, O'Sullivan launched a furious X-rated rant, stuck up his middle finger in protest and stormed out of his press conference with family and friends trailing behind. The seven-time world champion said: 'He can sit on it as far as I'm concerned. I don't give a f***." 38 minutes ago By Joshua Hall Latest scores - Anda leads Junxu at break Zhang Anda boucned back from two consecutive frame losses to win two on the bounce himself and put some breathing room between him and Junxu at the end of their morning session. Breaks of 90 and 100 showed that Anda can dominate when he's fully focused. Zhang Anda 5-3 Pang Junxu Today, 13:21 By Joshua Hall Latest scores - Murphy leads at session end Shaun Murphy has a healthy lead as the morning session comes to an end. He wins the final frame 89-33 after Wells' costly miss on the black, as the pair leave the table to return later. Anda and Junxu are still locked in a tight battle on Table 2. Shaun Murphy 7-2 Daniel Wells - end of session Zhang Anda 4-3 Pang Junxu (69-14) Today, 13:13 By Joshua Hall Latest scores As expected Murphy manages to see off that frame as he and Wells head into the final frame of their session. An early mistake has given Wells a chance, but he makes a costly miss on a black himself to allow Murphy back to the table. Shaun Murphy 6-2 Daniel Wells (1-33) Zhang Anda 3-3 Pang Junxu (16-14) Today, 13:01 By Joshua Hall Latest scores - Junxu levels as Murphy extends lead Pang Junxu has momentum on his side now as he pulls back another frame to draw level with Zhang Anda with a 67-16 win. Meanwhile Shaun Murphy is on the brink winning another frame to go four ahead of Daniel Wells with just one frame remaining before their break. Shaun Murphy 5-2 Daniel Wells (84-24) Zhang Anda 3-3 Pang Junxu Today, 12:43 By Joshua Hall Latest scores - Wells bags ANOTHER century Well he may not be going to win this match, but Daniel Wells has hit TWO CENTURIES on his Crucible debut. The 36-year-old gets a 109 as he takes the seventh frame 113-6 to give himself a slim chance at a comeback. Zhang Anda and Pang Junxu are also back underway on Table 2, where Junxu had pulled a frame back. Shaun Murphy 5-2 Daniel Wells Zhang Anda 3-2 Pang Junxu Today, 12:20 By Joshua Hall Anda leads at interval Zhang Anda goes two frames in front of Pang Junxu to take a healthy lead into the mid-session interval. The Chinese potters will return to the table soon after a short break. Murphy remains seemingly out of reach of Wells on Table 1. Shaun Murphy 5-1 Daniel Wells (1-4) Zhang Anda 3-1 Pang Junxu Today, 12:08 By Joshua Hall Latest scores - Dominant Murphy Shaun Murphy is running away with this match - utterly dominant. He wins the sixth frame, his fifth, in a single visit as Wells is left to watch on helplessly at his 138 BREAK! The Magician is looking like he is going to be hard to beat during this tournament, could he win a second time some 20 years on from his first World Championship? You wouldn't know he's flying by the way he calmly sat down for a sip of water afterwards - locked in. Shaun Murphy 5-1 Daniel Wells Zhang Anda 2-1 Pang Junxu (47-49) Today, 11:54 By Joshua Hall Zhang Anda has edged the third frame to take the lead over Pang Junxu. Anda stitched together some lovely pots to go ahead of Junxu for the first time today with a 67-17 win. Shaun Murphy has gone another frame ahead of Wells on Table 1, doing so without letting Wells pot a ball in a 83-0 win. Shaun Murphy 4-1 Daniel Wells Zhang Anda 2-1 Pang Junxu Today, 11:38 By Joshua Hall Back underway Shaun Murphy and Daniel Wells are back at the table following their mid-session interval. Meanwhile Zhang Anda and Pang Junxu are still slogging it out at a snail's pace on Table 2. Shaun Murphy 3-1 Daniel Wells (0-0) Zhang Anda 1-1 Pang Junxu (15-2) Today, 11:21 By Joshua Hall Latest scores - Murphy century Shaun Murphy hits a 100 to take a 3-1 lead over Wells after the debutant missed some important blacks. Murphy seems to be showing the kind of form that won him the Masters. The pair will head into a mid-session interval now. Shaun Murphy 3-1 Daniel Wells Zhang Anda 1-1 Pang Junxu Today, 11:16 By Joshua Hall Latest scores - Anda levels It's a much slower pace of play on Table 2, but Zhang Anda has brought their second frame to an end and levelled the scores. It was a more dominant display from Anda who won the frame 98-12 with a high-break of 68. Shaun Murphy 2-1 Daniel Wells (47-15) Zhang Anda 1-1 Pang Junxu Today, 11:07 By Joshua Hall Latest scores - Wells risk doesn't pay off With things tied up Daniel Wells tried a long red to open up the table. Unfortunately for the Welshman his effort bounced off the cushion and into a pack of reds. That left the table at the mercy of Shaun Murphy, who took advantage and put himself back in the lead. Shaun Murphy 2-1 Daniel Wells Zhang Anda 0-1 Pang Junxu (48-5) Today, 10:58 By Joshua Hall Latest scores - Junxu in front We finally have a leader over on Table 2. A tightly-fought affair saw Pang Junxu win the first frame 73-41 with a high-break of 47. Shaun Murphy 1-1 Daniel Wells (1-7) Zhang Anda 0-1 Pang Junxu Today, 10:43 By Joshua Hall Latest scores - Wells century Well, well, Wells - how about that for frame for the Crucible debutant Daniel Wells. The Welshman has made a CENTURY in only his second frame at the Crucible. Not just any century either, but incredibly impressive 131! He levels the scores with Shaun Murphy and sets up a superb match. Shaun Murphy 1-1 Daniel Wells Zhang Anda 0-0 Pang Junxu (35-48) Today, 10:29 By Joshua Hall Latest scores - Murphy ahead Shaun Murphy has shown his experience with a dominant opening frame. The Magician looked comfortable throughout with a high-break of 64. On Table 2, Junxu remains ahead. Shaun Murphy 1-0 Daniel Wells Zhang Anda 0-0 Pang Junxu (29-47) Today, 10:18 By Joshua Hall Latest scores We're underway! It's a veteran vs a Crucible debutant on Table 1 as 2005 World Champion Murphy takes on Wells. While Table 2 guarantees a fourth Chinese cueist will advance to the second round as Zhang Anda and Pang Junxu face off. It's Murphy and Junxu that have drawn first blood this morning. Shaun Murphy 0-0 Daniel Wells (12-0) Zhang Anda 0-0 Pang Junxu (1-14) Today, 10:10 By Joshua Hall Here they come The players are making their way out and we are moments away from the start...
Scotsman
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Snooker World Championship Tuesday Matches: Who is playing today, who's through, prize money, odds - Ronnie O'Sullivan match
It's day four of the world's biggest snooker competition. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The 2025 Halo World Snooker Championship - the 49th consecutive year the event has been held at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre - is now underway. Ronnie O'Sullivan is starting his Crucible campaign today. | Getty Images First held in 1927, it is the longest-running and most prestigious tournament in professional snooker, with a prize fund of £2,395,000, of which the winner will receive £500,000. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Last year saw Kyren Wilson defeat Jak Jones 18–14 in the final. Wilson returned to defend his title but has fallen at the first hurdle, being knocked out in the first round by Lei Peifan. And yesterday saw Scotland's John Higgins get off to a winning start, grinding out a 10-7 first round win over Joe O'Connor. Today will see the continuation of the first round matches, with crowd favourite Ronnie O'Sullivan making his first appearance at this year's competition (hopefully). Here's everything you need to know Who is playing at the World Snooker Championship today? Here's what action is taking place today, on Tuesday, April 22. All are first round matches. 10am Zhang Anda (12) v Pang Junxu Shaun Murphy (15) v Daniel Wells 2.30pm Ronnie O'Sullivan (5) v Ali Carter Ding Junhui (10) 6-3 Zak Surety 7pm Judd Trump (2) v Zhou Yuelong Si Jiahui (13) 6-3 David Gilbert Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Who is favourite to win the matches? If the matches go according to the bookies' predictions then Zhang Anda, Shaun Murphy, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Ding Junhui and Si Jiahui will be going through to the second round. There are likely to be upsets though - Ali Carter, in particular, will fancy his chances of beating the odds. Can I watch the Snooker World Championship on television? The BBC will once again be broadcasting live coverage across BBC1, BBC2, the Red Button and the iPlayer. There will also be highlights programmes every evening to catch up on the day's action. What is the format of the Snooker World Championships? All first-round matches are the best of 19 frames (first to 10 frames) played over two session. Second-round matches and the quarter-finals are the best of 25 frames (first to 13 frames), played over three sessions. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The semi-finals are the best of 33 frames (first to 17 frames) played over four sessions. The final is the best of 35 frames (first to 18 frames) played over four sessions. Who has won the most World Championships? Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan jointly hold the record for the most world titles in the modern era, having won the tournament seven times each. Hendry is also the youngest ever winner, having been only 21 when he claimed his first title in 1990. Ray Reardon and Steve Davis have each won six titles, while John Higgins and Mark Selby have won four, with John Spencer and Mark Williams having claimed three. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad So, if Ronnie O'Sullivan another tournament he'll pull ahead of Stephen Hendry for the record of most titles. How many 147s have there been at the World Snooker Championship? Prior to this year there had only ever been 14 maximum breaks in the history of the competition, with Ronnie O'Sullivan and Stephen Hendry recording three each. The other players to have achieved the ultimate snooker feat are John Higgins, Ali Carter, Mark Williams, Jimmy White, Cliff Thorburn and Neil Robertson, Kyren Wilson and Mark Selby. What's the prize money? A total of £2.395 million in money is up for grabs at the World Snooker Championship, with the winner handed a cheque for a hefty £500,000. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The runner-up gets a consolation cheque for £200,000, the semi-finalists £100,000, quarter-finalists £30,000, second round players £30,000, and even those who fail to win a match are handed £20,000. In addition, there's a bonus £40,000 up for grabs for a maximum 147 break, and a further £15,000 for the highest break in the tournament. What trophy is presented at the World Snooker Championships? The recognisable World Championship trophy dates back to 1926 when it was bought by pioneering player Joe David for just £19. It's made of silver, weighs 46.5 troy ounces, and is topped by the figure of a Greek shepherdess - not a snooker player, as some people presume.
