Chris Wakelin
Chris Wakelin has learned to embrace the opportunity to compete in tournaments in China and his positive attitude was reflected in a 5-0 win over Stuart Bingham to reach the last 16 of the Shenzhen Open.
World number 12 Wakelin fired breaks of 77, 64, 72 and 65 in a one-sided victory as he set up a meeting with Neil Robertson on Thursday. Another win would give the Englishman a first quarter-final of the season.
Wakelin spent a month in the Far East in July and August, during the ‘China Swing’ of events in Shanghai, Taiyuan and Wuhan. Before the last of those, he visited the city of Cixi and made a new group of friends who even took him on a mountain cycling excursion. “I was probably the heaviest person there by about 40 kilos so you imagine me trying to get to the top!” the 34-year-old joked. “But they really made me feel at home, I met some amazing people and great friends and they are here with me this week.
“It helps me feel a lot more settled. We can go out, make plans and go for nice meals. When I first came to China my diet was Pringles and McDonald’s. It’s still difficult being away from my family but when I am here I want to feel as comfortable as possible and make the most of the opportunities that come my way. There will be a time in a few years when I’ll be begging to be able to come back out here and play snooker in front of all these fantastic people.”
China Open champion Mark Selby boosted his hopes of another title as he made three centuries – 132, 77, 135 and 138 – in a 5-1 win over Jackson Page. “It’s amazing what confidence does, I feel I am going to take chances when I get them, and you have to do that to win tournaments,” said Selby, whose next opponent is Stephen Maguire, a 5-1 winner over David Grace.
Shaun Murphy showed his break-building quality in a 5-1 defeat of Hossein Vafaei, knocking in runs of 132, 76, 64, 78 and 112 as he set up a match with Elliot Slessor.
Michael Holt lost qualifying matches for the International Championship and Scottish Open last week, but has hit back in Shenzhen with wins over Xiao Guodong and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, beating the latter 5-0 with breaks of 60, 67, 62 and 54. He now meets Kyren Wilson who saw off David Gilbert 5-2.
Holt said: “I had a bad run of results which drained my confidence, so I came here thinking I will have a swing at it and luckily I’m still going. I have qualified for a lot of events this season but have not kicked on at the venues which has been frustrating.”
World Champion Wu Yize came from 2-0 down to beat Xu Si 5-3 with breaks of 132, 126, 87 and 66. Wu is yet to reach a ranking quarter-final this season but will progress to that stage if he beats Ricky Walden. Wu said: “Overall we both played pretty well. Matches like this are enjoyable for both players. I have to say, I’m quite impressed by how difficult snooker is to play at the moment. I feel I’ve played well in both of my matches so far, but both opponents have put me under a lot of pressure. Hopefully I can keep this momentum going in the matches ahead. When I get back into that rhythm of playing regularly, I feel very confident out there.
“Guangdong probably has the best snooker atmosphere of any province in China, so hopefully there will be more tournaments here. The spectators here have made a particularly good impression on me. I personally really enjoy a lively atmosphere, and I really enjoy having lots of people watching me play. Hopefully I can give them a few more matches to watch and perform even better.”
Walden is into the last 16 of a ranking event for the first time since the 2025 English Open. He edged out current English Open champion Ali Carter 5-4 thanks to a break of 61 in the deciding frame. Slessor enjoyed a 5-2 victory over Barry Hawkins, while Yuan Sijun won a Chinese derby against Fan Zhengyi by a 5-1 scoreline to set up a tie with Zak Surety.
RESULTS ROUND THREE
Kyren Wilson (Eng) bt David Gilbert (Eng) 5-2
Shaun Murphy (Eng) bt Hossein Vafaei (Egy) 5-1
Stephen Maguire (Sco) bt David Grace (Eng) 5-1
Mark Shelby (Eng) bt Jackson Page (Wal) 5-1
Chris Wakelin (Eng) bt Stuart Bingham (Eng) 5-0
Si Jiahui (Chn) bt Gary Wilson (Eng) 5-3
Michael Holt (Eng) bt Thepchaiya (Tha) 5-0
Ricky Walden (Eng) bt Ali Carter (Eng) 5-4
Wu Ziye (Chn) bt Xu Si (Chn) 5-3
Yuan Sijun (Chn) bt Fan Zhengyi (Chn) 5-1
Elliot Slessor (Eng) bt Barry Hawkins (Eng) 5-2
