O’Connor shocks champion in Cardiff
FORMER world snooker champion Stuart Bingham will face world No.103 Joe O’Connor in the semifinals of the ManBetX Welsh Open.
Bingham won 5-2 against Zhao Xintong at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, while O’Connor shocked defending champion John Higgins 5-3.
Bingham played almost flawless snooker during the opening frame and Xintong was forced to sit and watch with he Englishman hogging the table time. At one stage he was unable to put a ball for 47 minutes because he scarcely had an opportunity.
“Zhao is an attacking, fluent player who can be a bit scary because he is capable of reeling off a couple of frames in no time. I’m happy to be in the semi-final,” said Bingham.
“I’ve been playing pretty good all week and finished off well against Robbie Williams in the previous round with three tons.
“I tried to keep calm, play my shots and stay in the zone.”
Leicester’s O’Connor rounded off his shock win with a sublime break of 131.
In a match of the highest quality, Higgins and O’Connor traded big breaks after the Englishman had taken an early two-frame lead.
A clearance of 106 from Higgins in the fourth frame suggested that the veteran was ready to come back after the break and blow his opponent away. But O’Connor had other ideas, with breaks of 70 and 72 putting him on the brink of victory.
And in the eighth frame he delivered in style, racking up a massive break of 131 to seal the victory in style.
Following wins over the likes of Ding Junhui and Kyren Wilson, the 23-year-old will have no fears of facing Bingham in today’s semi-final.