Xiao Guodong fends off compatriot Si Jiahui to win Wuhan Open final

admin admin | 10-13 00:15

Xiao Guodong held off a fightback from compatriot Si Jiahui to win the final of the Wuhan Open 10-7 and land his first ranking title after 17 years as a professional.

In only the third final between two players from mainland China, Xiao - who knocked out reigning world champion Kyren Wilson earlier in the tournament - built on a solid start to forge a 6-3 lead during Saturday's opening session.

After Xiao won the first two frames of the match, world number 13 Si - who had made a maiden 147 break as he outclassed world number one Judd Trump in the semi-finals - got on the board with a run of 109.

Following the mid-session interval, Xiao edged a close fifth frame, winning 54-52 on the black after almost an hour, before then finishing up with breaks of 129 and 73 to take control of the best-of-19 final.

Having extended his lead in the evening up to 9-4 on the back of breaks of 113 and 77 to leave himself one away, Si dug in to cut the deficit after reeling off three straight frames, which included a fine 131.

Xiao, though, finally got over the winning line in the 17th frame, taking it 78-46 to take the winner's cheque of £140,000 (€167,110).

It was the 35-year-old's first ranking title since turning professional in 2007 and also pushes Xiao up towards the world's top 16.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.


ALSO READ

Council to take 'hard line' on non-consented emergency housing motels

The decision whether seven emergency housing motels will operate in Rotorua past December is weeks a...

Over 130 structures destroyed in Southern California wildfire

A Southern California wildfire has destroyed 132 structures, mostly homes, in less than two days, fi...

Anguish over paramedic killer's 'tragic' case verdict

A man who stabbed a paramedic to death after believing he'd heard demonic voices has been found not ...

Roaming dogs blamed for Flaxmere cat-killing spree

A pair of uncontrolled dogs are being blamed for a cat-killing spree in the Hastings suburb of Flaxm...

Sydney father dies after alleged Cup day one-punch attack

A family whose father died after an alleged one-punch attack in a pub are grieving the loss of their...

Connolly aiming to repeat Derry City's dream final of 2022

Derry City defender Mark Connolly is using more longer-term memories than short as they aim to make ...