Mark Selby has pulled out of next week’s Ladbrokes Players Championship as well as the China Open later this month.
The world number one has withdrawn from both ranking events for personal reasons.
The Ladbrokes Players Championship runs from March 22 to 27 at Event City in Manchester. Selby was due to face Andrew Higginson in his opening match on Wednesday at 7pm.
World Snooker has replaced Selby in the draw with Matthew Selt. The Ladbrokes Players Championship field is made up by the top 24 players from the European Tour Order of Merit plus two from the Asian Tour and six from a combined list. Selt was the highest player on the European Tour Order of Merit, as well as the combined list, not otherwise qualified.
The match between Selt and Higginson will take place at 1pm on Wednesday while the clash between Kyren Wilson and Ryan Day has been moved to the 7pm session on Wednesday. The updated format is attached.
The China Open runs from March 28 to April 3 in Beijing. Selby, who won the title last year, was due to play Darryl Hill in the first round on March 28. Hill will be given a bye to the last 64.
The following tournament is the Betfred World Championship which starts on April 16th in Sheffield.
Snooker ace Kyren Wilson described his record-breaking match with Anthony Hamilton as “phenomenal” after they made six consecutive centuries between them on Wednesday evening.
Wilson won the China Open qualifying match in Barnsley 5-3 after he made four centuries and Hamilton two. They eclipsed the previous record of five in a row set by Ronnie O’Sullivan and Stephen Hendry during the 2003 British Open final as well as Stephen Maguire and Neil Robertson in the quarter-finals of the 2009 Masters.
The heavy scoring started in the second frame when Wilson compiled breaks of 103 and 108 to lead 2-1. Hamilton levelled with 137, Wilson replied with 125 then Hamilton’s 123 made it 3-3. It was Kettering’s 24-year-old Wilson who made the record sixth ton with 100 in frame seven. He then won the match in the next with a run of 68.
“It’s the best match I’ve ever played by far,” said world number 20 Wilson, who won his first ranking title at the Shanghai Masters earlier this season. “It was good open snooker and the table was very reactive which made the conditions perfect for high scoring.
“Once a frame was won we were willing each other on to make centuries, although I didn’t realise that six in a row was a record until after the match. I was actually gutted that I missed the last red in the final frame when I could have made it seven.
“Even if I had lost I still would have enjoyed it. Anthony was very gracious afterwards, he wished me luck and we agreed that it had just been a phenomenal match.”
Wilson reached the semi-finals of the German Masters last week and he’s now looking forward to the Coral Shoot Out in Reading this weekend, having also got to the last four in that event last year.
“I really enjoy the Shoot Out, it’s great fun and I want to go even further this time,” said the player nicknamed The Warrior. “I love it when the crowd gets behind me although I was probably guilty of playing to them last year when I had a chance to reach the final.
Kyren Wilson
“Although I got to the semis in Berlin last week I didn’t feel I played that well and I was straight back on the practice table when I got home. I made a small technical change and obviously that was working last night.”
The Coral Shoot Out will be staged at The Hexagon in Reading for the first time, featuring 64 of the world’s best players battling for the trophy and £32,000 top prize. Judd Trump, John Higgins, Shaun Murphy and World Champion Stuart Bingham are among the top stars in action.
All matches last a maximum of ten minutes, with a shot clock of 15 seconds for the first five minutes, then dropping to ten seconds.
Televised by ITV4, the event runs from Friday to Sunday. Tickets are still available and start at just £15. For details call 0118 960 6060 or visit http://www.worldsnooker.com/tickets
2015 World Champion, MA Long, has taken one more step closer to creating history by winning his 20th ITTF World Tour title today at the GAC Group 2015 ITTF World Tour China Open.
MA edged closer to the legendary Vladimir SAMSONOV’s record of 26 ITTF World Tour titles, with an impressive victory over world number two, XU Xin, in Dujiangyan, Chengdu.
The world number one, who had to come from behind in the semifinal to beat lowly ranked Yuya OSHIMA from Japan, was simply too powerful for his team mate XU in the final, prevailing 13-15, 11-4, 11-7, 12-10, 11-9.
After the match the 26 year old stated: “This is the sixth time I have won the China Open, so it is very special to me. It also takes me one step closer to SAMSOMSOV’s ITTF World Tour record. XU is always a very tough opponent. I knew I had to be in my best form to defeat him, and thankfully today I was in front this awesome crowd here.”
ZHU Yuling, who is from the Sichuan province, used her home ground advantage perfectly, as she blew the current World Champion DING Ning off the court in a ruthless display in front of the capacity crowd.
The 20 year old won her second ITTF World Tour title surprisingly easy 11-9, 11-4, 13-11, 11-8 to claim gold at the final ITTF World Tour Super Series event of the year.
“I really felt the support today from my local crowd” stated the world number three,” and I know DING Ning is an amazing player, so I needed to be at the top of my game. It was a surprise that I played so well and won 4-0. This was because I put all my heart and soul into match. I am so happy to be the champion!”
It was defeat for XU Xin in the men’s singles, but a win in the men’s doubles as he teamed up with FAN Zhendong to defeat FANG Bo & ZHU Linfeng (CHN) 10-12, 11-6, 7-11, 8-11, 9-11 in the final.
Ma Long & Zhu Yuling are the 2015 ITTF China Open Champions
LIU Shiwen made up for her disappointing semifinal loss against ZHU Yuling by teaming up with CHEN Meng to claim the women’s doubles title. The Chinese duo defeated their teammates GU Yuting & MU Zi 11-3, 11-9, 11-8 to ensure that they both don’t go home empty handed.
In the under 21 singles, Hitomi SATO from Japan won an extraordinary fifth women’s title in 2015 and seventh overall to confirm herself as the dominant under 21 player on the planet.
The men’s under 21 title went to the 2013 Junior World Champion JANG Woojin from Korea, who is quickly establishing himself as a future star of the sport.
The world’s best players now head to Bulgaria for the GAC Group 2015 World Tour Bulgaria Open, which starts on 19 August 2015 in Panagyurishte.
newfanzone 