China’s Si Jiahui Reaches Crucible Quarter-Finals

China's Si Jiahui Reaches Crucible Quarter-Finals

In a recent snooker match, Si Jiahui secured a 13-7 victory over Robert Milkins to advance to the quarter-finals of the Cazoo World Championship. The win brought Jiahui one step closer to fulfilling Shaun Murphy’s prediction that he will become the first Crucible king from China. Jiahui is now just two wins away from becoming the biggest outsider to ever reach the final.

Jiahui, ranked 80th in the world, had only reached one ranking event quarter-final before this tournament, which occurred at the European Masters earlier this season. However, the 20-year-old has been playing the best snooker of his life and has knocked out two formidable opponents in Murphy and Milkins to secure his spot in the quarter-finals. Additionally, Jiahui is the youngest Crucible quarter-finalist in 25 years.

Jiahui first turned professional in 2019 but was relegated two years later. He returned in 2022 after winning the World Snooker Federation Open and is now a much-improved player with genuine potential.

Jak Jones has also made it to the last eight, marking the first time that two debutants have reached the quarter-finals at the Crucible since 1988 when Tony Drago and Steve James both made their first appearance.

In the recent match, Jiahui led 11-5 overnight and came from behind to win the first frame of the day with a 35 clearance. Milkins then added some respectability to the scoreline with a fine 69 clearance. However, Jiahui secured victory with a run of 105, his second century of the tie.

In a post-match interview, Jiahui shared that he felt peaceful and calm emotionally since the qualifiers and treated the tournament as a minor event. He added that his father, who owns a pool club, has been very supportive and motivating.

Jiahui’s next opponent will be Anthony McGill, provided the Scot can convert an 11-5 lead over Jack Lisowski into a place in the last eight. Looking ahead to the potential meeting with McGill, Jiahui stated that he plans to rely on his attacking skills since his safety is supposedly the worst among the 32 players.

Milkins, ranked 14th in the world, shared his thoughts on the match, saying that he lost many close frames, but Jiahui played well. While Milkins believes that Jiahui is a good player, he feels that Jiahui might need a few more years of experience before winning the tournament.

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