In an all-Chinese quarterfinal showdown between 28-year-old Zhao Xintong and 38-year-old Ding Junhui, the younger world champion Zhao cruised past veteran icon Ding 6-1 to book his spot in the last four at the World Snooker Tour (WST) Shanghai Masters in east China's Shanghai Municipality on Thursday.
Zhao showed nothing but dominance after opening the match with a break of 134. Ding's best response was an 84 break in the third frame to trim the margin to one, but the reigning world titleholder immediately replied with another century break of 132 to push his lead to 3-1.
As the contest continued, Zhao kept firing on all cylinders, rolling in breaks of 75, 75, and 119 to seal the deal.
"I brought out my true level, and did not think too much about the match," Zhao said. "I just focused on my own pace and ball control, so I was quite immersed in the contest, and this match went quite smoothly for me, because Ding Junhui gave me a lot of opportunities."
"I had some chances, but failed to capitalize on them, and that made the match even tougher," Ding lamented. "Zhao Xintong was in good form, and after seizing one opportunity, he demonstrated his strong abilities. I couldn't afford to turn over the table, but I did not play well here, and he grabbed the chance to win the contest."
Zhao's opponent in the semifinals will be England's Kyren Wilson, who eliminated his compatriot, seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan, 6-3 in the last eight.
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