Source: Xinhua
Editor: huaxia
2026-03-17 23:32:30
NANCHANG, China, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Defending champion John Higgins suffered a shock first-round exit at the World Snooker Open in Yushan county, south China's Jiangxi province, on Tuesday.
The four-time world champion was edged 5-4 by Britain's 19-year-old Stan Moody, who reached the quarterfinals of this season's Wuhan Open after back-to-back wins over established names including Ding Junhui and Zhou Yuelong.
Moody, ranked 47th in the world, seized control early with his accurate long-potting and solid cueing, racing to a 4-1 lead after the first five frames to move within one frame of victory.
Higgins adjusted his rhythm in the sixth frame and made the most of his chances at the table, reeling off the next three frames in a row. That run included a superb 135 break in the seventh frame, and he eventually leveled the match at 4-4 to force a decider.
In the final frame, Moody capitalized on a critical Higgins error and compiled a match-winning 65 break, taking the frame 65-15 to book his place in the last 32.
World No. 1 Judd Trump of Britain defeated Austria's Florian Nuessle 5-1 in the afternoon session.
"I'm really eager to get my form back on track here," Trump said in his post-match interview. "It's great to travel the world, but you never really know where you're living half the time. I love it out here in Asia, the events here are completely different, they're run incredibly well. Being here in China is so much easier to get around, and the time zone is really manageable too."
Under the tournament schedule, Trump will face fellow Briton Jackson Page in his next match.
Speaking about the upcoming tie, Trump said: "Jackson Page is a tricky, complex opponent, he's got an incredibly dangerous game. Yeah, I've heard his game has improved loads, he's been putting the work in on the practice table, and he's still getting better all the time."
Highly watched Chinese prospect Zhao Xintong defeated Long Zehuang 5-4 in the evening session to advance to the last 32.
Meanwhile, fan favorite Ronnie O'Sullivan received a walkover into the last 32 after India's Ishpreet Singh Chadha withdrew from the tournament. He will face Matthew Selt on Wednesday. ■