Wuhan Open: Xiao Guodong shakes off nerves to beat Si Jiahui for first career ranking title
With two Chinese players in the final, the Wuhan Open had an electric atmosphere. The title went the way of Xiao Guodong, who claimed a 10-7 victory over Si Jiahui.
It looked like being a comfortable victory for Xiao when he opened a 9-4 advantage, but he got extremely tight as the winning line was in sight and won a tense 17th frame to get his hands on a first career ranking title.
Xiao Guodong secured his first career ranking title when overcoming a case of the jitters to beat Si Jiahui 10-7 in the final of the Wuhan Open.
The 35-year-old was imperious early in the contest and full value for a 6-3 lead after the opening session – which he closed out with superb breaks of 129 and 73.
He returned to win three of the first four frames of the evening session to get within one frame of the winning line, but things then got nervy.
Some poor passages of play from Xiao allowed Si to win three frames on the spin courtesy of breaks of 76, 131 and 83 to close within two.
The 17th frame was a nerve-shredding affair, with Xiao missing simple chances and Si, for his part, hitting the wrong ball when attempting a pot.
The crowd could sense the nerves and let out a huge cheer when Xiao knocked in the penultimate red to get in front in the frame.
While potting balls was Xiao’s strong suit early in the match, the telling moment came when he laid a devilish snooker on the final red.
Si missed the red on three occasions, and the third failed attempt presented Xiao with a chance to close out the contest – which he did to get his hands on a first career title after 17 years as a professional.
“Before winning a title, I thought the moment of victory would be incredibly exciting,” Xiao told WST. “I’m really happy now, but it’s not as overwhelming as I imagined.
“Nevertheless, I feel that all the hard work over the years has finally paid off.
“For a player, winning a title is extremely important. I turned professional in 2007 and after 17 years of competing, I’ve finally won my first ranking title. No matter what, it’s all been worth it.”