Judd Trump defeats Anthony McGill to advance to the fourth round, while Kyren Wilson suffers a surprising exit.
Judd Trump continued the defence of his Wuhan Open title with a patient 5-2 win against Anthony McGill. The world No.1 had to recover from going 2-1 down, winning four frames on the bounce to progress to round four.
He will face John Higgins next. World champion Kyren Wilson suffered a shock defeat, losing to home favourite Xiao Guodong.
Defending champion Judd Trump is through to round four of the Wuhan Open after a competitive 5-2 victory against Anthony McGill.
An initial break of 58 got Trump going nicely and, despite a fightback from McGill, Trump was able to see out the first frame.
McGill’s response was exemplary as his sixth century break of the season – ending on 105 – levelled the match.
The pair were locked in safety play at the beginning of the third frame, but a series of fouls from Trump gave McGill the impetus and he eventually took a 2-1 lead with a break of 51.
The Eurosport commentary team called the fourth frame “instantly forgettable” due to its lack of fluency and scrappy play from both players.
However, the outcome felt like it would be hugely important to the direction of the match, and it went the way of Trump, who rolled in the pink to take it away from McGill and make it 2-2.
The world No.1 then found his flow in the fifth, easing his way around the table – quite the contrast to the fourth – and a break of 61 helped him move ahead in the match.
McGill was visibly frustrated in his attempt to draw level, slapping the table with his cue after missing a long red.
Missed opportunities from the Scot were pounced upon by Trump who moved one frame away from victory with his opponent conceding for 4-2.
Trump established a 71 point lead as he looked to close out the match and with three snookers needed to tie, McGill valiantly attempted to keep his tournament alive.
However, Trump showed the required patience to navigate the tricky situations handed to him, before a stray red showed itself for him to pot and end the match.
Trump will face John Higgins next, after the Scot got past Zak Surety 5-3.
Xiao stuns wilson to progress
There was a big shock as world champion Kyren Wilson was knocked out by Xiao Guodong in an epic battle, which the Chinese player took 5-4.
Wilson eased into a 2-0 lead, but threw away a 70-point lead in the third frame to let Xiao back into the match.
The world No. 29 then proceeded to take the next three frames to take a 4-2 lead and leave Wilson needing three straight frames of his own to stay in the competition.
He responded emphatically with back-to-back century breaks of 118 and 108 to force a deciding frame.
A dramatic end to the match came down to the pink and saw Xiao lay a fantastic snooker and, although Wilson was able to glance the pink, he could not leave it safe and Xiao took the win.
Speaking after the match, he said: “Kyren is ranked number two in the world and became world champion this year so I kept a clear head and reminded myself to be patient for my chance.
“Whether I was leading or trailing, I couldn’t let my guard down.
“When I compete in China, I really want to win. Having fans and my family in the audience makes me want to show my best. Thankfully I managed to get the result today,” he said.
Ali Carter came through triumphant in a high-quality clash with Marco Fu and will take on Shuan Murphy next, after Murphy got past Noppon Saengkham.