Ding Junhui Wins Three Straight Matches for the First Time This Season, Reaches English Open Quarterfinals to Face World Champion Kyren Wilson

In the early hours of September 11 Beijing time, the 2026 Snooker English Open in Brentwood concluded three last-16 matches involving Chinese players. Ding Junhui recorded his first three-match winning streak of the season by defeating English player Joe O'Connor 4-1 to reach the quarterfinals, where he will face World Championship winner Kyren Wilson. Zhou Yuelong continued his strong start to the new season by winning the Chinese derby against Yuan Sijun 4-2, while Wu Yize was still unable to regain the form he showed when winning the World Championship this year, losing 1-4 to younger player Liam Davies and exiting in the last 16.

Ding Junhui's opponent in this round, Joe O'Connor, was ranked only 31st but had previously been a difficult opponent for him. The two players had met twice before, with Ding losing both matches. This time, Ding maintained the good form he showed in his previous two matches, and after O'Connor leveled the score at 1-1, Ding won three consecutive frames to end his two-match losing streak against the opponent. He also achieved a three-match winning streak for the first time in the four ranking events he has played this season and reached the quarterfinals. Although he did not produce a century break, the match showed that the nearly 40-year-old veteran still has ambition, a desire to win, and strong belief. In the quarterfinals, Ding will face a strong opponent in Kyren Wilson. Nicknamed 'The Warrior', Wilson has defeated Chinese players several times since the start of this season, with Zhao Xintong and Wu Yize both stopped by Wilson in important matches.

Zhou Yuelong, the only Chinese player to reach the semifinals at the China Open, also performed well this time. After winning three straight matches, he advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Yuan Sijun 4-2 in the last 16. Zhou often becomes the last remaining Chinese player in ranking events when other Chinese players struggle, but he has usually fallen just short of winning the title.

It was disappointing for Wu Yize. After beating two Chinese players, Gao Yang and Xu Si, he reached the last 16, but he lost 1-4 to Welsh teenager Liam Davies, who is more than three years younger than him. This was their first meeting. Davies has risen from outside the top 100 to around 90th in the rankings this season, and his victory over Wu will further improve his ranking. Born in 2006, Liam Davies could become one of the few young players from the British Isles capable of competing with China's younger generation in the future. Meanwhile, Wu Yize has still been unable to find his World Championship-winning form, suffering consecutive defeats to professional newcomers ranked outside the top 90 and even top 100, first Latvia's Cikita and now Liam Davies. It remains uncertain when the true form of Wu Yize will return.

Compiled from related reports.

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