Kyren Wilson and Xiao Guodong advance to final group

Kyren Wilson and Xiao Guodong both reached the final group at the ongoing 2021 WST Pro Series.

Kyren Wilson won an important deciding frame to defeat Stuart Carrington 2-1 and finish top of his group in the second phase of the WST Pro Series. That win earned a place in the final group.

Chinese snooker player, Xiao Guodong also defeated Lu Ning 2-0 to reach the final group. The 32-year-old, who is currently ranked 39 has been in fine form at the ongoing tournament.

Their group had an exciting ending, as it came down to the seventh and last round of matches to decide who will go through. Wilson, Xiao, Carrington, and Woollaston were all tied on four wins from their first six.

Four-time ranking event champion Wilson squared up against Carrington, and the winner was sure to finish among the top two. Wilson won the opening frame with a break of 51, but Carrington replied emphatically and levelled with a superb 137. The crucial deciding frame lasted 33 minutes, with Wilson taking it with a match-winning run of 44.

China’s Xiao faced Lu Ning in his final match and won 2-0 to advance. That result meant that Woollaston’s hopes of progressing ended, even though he defeated Robert Milkins 2-1.

Kyren Wilson ended the day with five wins out of seven and a frame difference of plus six. That was exactly the same record as Xiao Guodong, however, it was Wilson who topped the group because he won the head-to-head game against Xiao. Ben Woollaston, who lost to Xiao Guodong, also won five matches but finished third with a frame difference of plus four. Thus, he won’t be able to qualify for the final group.

Xiao Guodong and Kyren Wilson will be joining Mark Williams, Ali Carter, and four more players in the final group of the 2021 Pro Series. The winner of that group will be crowned as the champion of the world ranking event on Sunday night.

Written by: Collins Nwokolo