In a nail-biting opener at the World Snooker Xi'an Grand Prix, England's Alfie Burden pulled off a thrilling 5-4 victory against China's snooker star Ding Junhui on Monday. 🎱
The match was neck and neck from the start! Both players were tied 2-2 before the first break. Burden took the lead in the fifth frame with a solid 81-point run. But Ding wasn't backing down—he fired back with an 88-0 win in the sixth frame. Talk about a comeback! 🔥
The tension soared as they each snagged another frame, pushing the game into an epic ninth-frame decider. In the final showdown, Burden took control early on. Ding tried to claw back the points, but a costly error dashed his hopes of advancing. 😓
Meanwhile, Ding's long-time rival, the legendary Ronnie O'Sullivan, cruised into the second round with a commanding 5-0 win over Wang Yuchen from Hong Kong, China. O'Sullivan, aka \"The Rocket,\" was on fire! 🚀 He dominated the table, only facing a slight hiccup in the third frame before sealing the deal without letting Wang score a single frame.
\"I've played pretty terrible for two years, so every match has felt rubbish,\" O'Sullivan admitted candidly. \"I've just got to try and look at the longer term to try and play my way out of it. But you just have to keep showing up and trying to do your best.\"
He added with a grin, \"I'm looking forward to it. The longer I can stay, the more dinners I can have here in China. I just come for the dinner, the people, and the culture; snooker is a bonus!\" 🍜❤️
Other big names making waves after Monday's matches include Mark Selby and Zhang Anda, who both secured wins in the first round. Mark Williams, Judd Trump, and Chinese players Si Jiahui, Gong Chenzhi, and Lyu Haotian all booked their spots in the third round, rounding out the last 32. 🙌
Reference(s):
Alfie Burden defeats Ding Junhui at World Snooker Xi'an Grand Prix
cgtn.com
