Snooker huge upset! World No.4 falls, China suffers heavy blow, Wu Yize 2-6 Gilbert

On August 12, Beijing time, the China Open snooker quarter-finals were in full swing, and a key match just concluded. China's top rising star Wu Yize, ranked fourth in the world, was in poor form throughout the game, quickly falling apart and losing 2-6 to veteran David Gilbert in a stunning upset, failing to reach the last eight. As a result, the Chinese contingent suffered a major blow, with all three title contenders Ding Junhui, Zhao Xintong, and Wu Yize eliminated!

Wu Yize, ranked fourth in the world, is the reigning world champion. Starting the new season with such honors, he is highly anticipated, and we all hope he can win again and challenge for world No.1. In the first round of this event, he narrowly defeated his teammate Yao Pengcheng 6-5 to advance to the last 16. In the round of 16, he faced Gilbert, who had just eliminated Ding Junhui 6-1. Though Gilbert is ranked only 32nd, he is in excellent form and can beat anyone when playing well. Therefore, Wu Yize was bound to face a strong challenge and had to take it seriously to avoid an upset.

After the match began, in the first frame, Gilbert came from behind in a scrappy frame with a break of 56 to take the lead. The second frame was a messy affair, but Gilbert's solid defense and piecemeal scoring gave him a 64-43 win. In the third frame, Gilbert's sharp potting allowed him to fire a magnificent 132 break, winning three consecutive frames to take a dream 3-0 lead. In the fourth frame, Wu Yize found some form, hitting a break of 88 to stop the bleeding and pull one back, but it was only a flash in the pan. Gilbert quickly regained momentum, producing breaks of 54 and 122 in the fifth and sixth frames to win two straight and take a 5-1 lead. Facing match point, Wu Yize fought back in the seventh frame with a break of 80+ to make it 2-5. However, Gilbert was in hot form, growing stronger and finishing with a devastating 89 break to seal the match, winning 6-2 and advancing to the quarter-finals without much trouble.

From this match, it's clear that Gilbert played extremely strongly, firing two century breaks and three fifties to secure the victory, with sharp accuracy. On the other hand, Wu Yize still seemed a bit immature, unable to handle pressure, and his defensive issues were exposed. It seems Wu Yize is not yet well-rounded, and to reach world-class level, he needs to learn more about defense!

Text/Sports Novel