Unlucky Sam Craigie edged out by Zhao Xingtong
Sam Craigie potted a re-spotted black in the deciding frame, only for the white to go in off and hand world number one Zhao Xintong an extraordinary 6-5 victory at the International Snooker Championship in Nanjing.
Englishman Craigie missed a match ball blue in the final frame and allowed his opponent to clear the remaining balls to tie the frame at 72-72 and bring the black up for a deciding re-spot.
Both players spurned opportunities, before Craigie potted a great long-range black. He appeared to have secured a famous victory, but the white tracked towards the green pocket and dropped to give Xintong an unlikely win.
It’s a second consecutive week of heartbreak for Craigie, who lost his Northern Ireland Open semi-final 6-5 against Kyren Wilson, having led 5-3. The prize for Xintong is a clash with Irishman Aaron Hill, who beat Daniel Wells 6-5.
Xintong said: “I am so lucky today. When the frame finished I spoke to Sam. I just said he was so unlucky and that he is playing really well now. He will be strong in the future so don’t worry about that and just keep going. I know that he will be very despondent. I am lucky today.
“I thought I had lost. When he potted the black, I was standing at the camera. I saw the black straight to the pocket but I didn’t see the cue ball.”
Stephen Maguire ousted China’s current World Champion Wu Yize 6-5 in a thrilling clash to make the last 16.
It’s a first ever win over the reigning Crucible King for Scotland’s Maguire, who lost 5-4 in both of their previous meetings.
Nanjing has proved to be a lucrative location for 2004 UK Champion Maguire, who made the semi-finals last year. On that occasion he was beaten 9-2 by fellow Glaswegian and close friend John Higgins.
Having trailed 3-1 at the mid-session interval, Maguire reeled off breaks of 58, 78, 73 and 133 to take four of the next five and lead 5-4. Yize fired in a superb 110 to force a decider and had the first opportunities. Leading 50-0, Yize missed a long red and Maguire stepped up to clear brilliantly to the pink with 68 and run out the victor. He now plays Chinese legend Ding Junhui, who prevailed 6-5 against Zhang Anda.
Maguire said: “You can’t beat things like that. It is what gets my butterflies going. If I didn’t clear up there, it would have killed me. When you do clear up, it is just relief. That is a good win for me. He is unbelievable and his long potting is too good.
“There are a lot more lows than highs. If you get a result like that with a clearance at the end just enjoy it. I don’t like giving it a fist pump but it comes out when I miss and I punch the table. I’m just that person.”
Class of 92 members Mark Williams and John Higgins scored last 32 wins to set up a mouth-watering showdown.
Williams withstood an opening frame 147 break from rapid Thai cueman Thepchaiya Un-Nooh to prevail 6-3 and earn his place in the last 16. Higgins prevailed 6-2 against China’s Xu Si.
Chinese 18-year-old Wang Xinbo produced a stunning display to dispatch 2010 World Champion Neil Robertson 6-4. He top scored with 131 and now plays Marco Fu, who beat Julien Leclercq 6-3.
Chang Bingyu put himself in position to make it into the top 16 and qualify automatically for the UK Championship with a 6-3 defeat of Chris Wakelin. He is provisionally in 16th position, but his Chinese compatriot Ding is among those hot on his heels.
ROUND THREE RESULTS
Mark Williams (Wal) bt Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (Tha) 6-3
Hossein Vafaei (Egy) bt Mark Shelby (Eng) 6-2
Fan Zhengyi (Chn) bt Pang Junxu (Chn) 6-2
Yuan Sijun (Chn) bt Mitchell Mann (Eng) 6-4
Liam Davies (Wal) bt Ricky Walden (Eng) 6-5
Oliver Lines (Eng) bt Ben Woollaston (Eng) 6-5
Wang Xinbo (Chn) bt Neil Robertson (Aus) 6-4
Ding Jinhui (Chn) bt Zhang Anda (Chn) 6-5
Marco Fu (Hkg) bt Julien Leclercq (Bel) 6-3
Si Jiahui (Chn) bt Liu Hongyu (Chn) 6-0
John Higgins (Sco) bt Xu Si (Chn) 6-2
Kyren Wilson (Eng) bt Ryan Day (Wal) 6-1
Zhao Xingtong (Chn) bt Sam Craigie (Eng) 6-5
Stephen Maguiore (Sco) bt Wu Yize (Chn) 6-5
Chang Bingyu (Chn) bt Chris Wakelin (Eng) 6-3
Aaron Hill (Ire) bt Daniel Wells (Wal) 6-2
