Ronnie O’Sullivan made a surprising early exit at the 2024 Grosvenor Casinos Champion of Champions, with Xiao Guodong pulling off two stunning comebacks against snooker icons O’Sullivan and Mark Selby at Bolton’s Toughsheet Community Stadium on Thursday.
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After a few early errors, the four-time Champion of Champions winner Ronnie O’Sullivan took control early on, claiming the first frame with a 98 clearance. He quickly extended his lead in the second frame with a 95 and followed with a dazzling 125 in the third, marking his 46th century at this event.
Xiao, who hadn’t potted until the fourth, finally struck with an incredible 130 clearance to begin his comeback. The Chinese debutant levelled the match with further runs of 90 and 93. In the deciding frame, a fierce safety exchange on the green ended when O’Sullivan accidentally left the green over the pocket, giving Xiao the opportunity to clinch a remarkable victory and advance to the group final to meet former world champion Mark Selby.
Selby met Shaun Muprhy in the second match who took the lead in the first frame with a run of 97. Selby levelled after a marathon 57-minute second frame and surged ahead with a stunning 133 in the third. Murphy responded in the fourth when Selby missed a long red, levelling the match again. The Jester from Leicester, returned with a 76 clearance in the fifth to reclaim his lead and added another century with a 115 in the sixth, securing his place in the group final against Xiao.
Xiao faced a formidable challenge, initially building a lead of 48 in the first frame only to lose it after a foul, allowing Selby to secure the frame. The Jester continued his momentum, pulling ahead with a 122 clearance to go up 3-0. Xiao responded with his own century, a 122, to start narrowing the gap.
Selby extended his lead to 4-1, but Xiao rallied to win the next three frames, levelling at 4-4 without conceding a single point to Selby. After a close ninth frame, Selby took the lead again, yet Xiao fought back to equalise and complete his incredible comeback, taking the match in the final frame to reach tomorrow’s semi-finals.
There are still a limited number of tickets available for tomorrow’s semi-finals, starting from £44 a session. Secure your ticket here.
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