International Champion Zhang Anda registered a superb 4-2 win over player of the season so far Judd Trump and avenged a painful recent defeat to make the last 32 of the BetVictor Scottish Open in Edinburgh.
Trump staged a stirring fightback win over Zhang in the final of this season’s BetVictor English Open. Having trailed 7-3 he notched up six frames on the bounce to emerge a 9-7 victor. This time Zhang prevailed after an imperious performance.
The aftermath of that defeat saw Zhang regroup and bounce back with a sensational maiden ranking crown at the International Championship in Tianjin. He beat the likes of Ding Junhui, Mark Williams and Ronnie O’Sullivan en route to the title match. There he scored a momentous 10-6 win over Tom Ford, which included a 147, to secure silverware.
Despite that, Zhang still faced a daunting task taking down Trump today, who he hadn’t beaten since the 2016 World Open. The Ace in the Pack came in to the encounter favourite, given his scintillating form which also saw him pick up silverware at the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open and the Wuhan Open.
Zhang put on a near faultless performance this afternoon, compiling breaks of 71, 114, 82 and 81 on his way to the win. Next up he faces either World Championship semi-finalist Si Jiahui or former Shoot Out runner-up Julien Lecrercq.
World Champion Luca Brecel came through a 4-3 victor after finding himself 3-2 down against Blackpool’s James Cahill.
Brecel has been living life dangerously so far this week, after his delayed flight nearly caused him to miss his opening round tie with Iulian Boiko. Staring down the barrel of defeat today, Brecel pulled off a brilliant clearance of 36 which culminated with a tough black along the top cushion to make it 3-3. The Crucible King then burst over the line in style with a sublime 133.
Victory puts Brecel in a strong position to qualify for the World Grand Prix, only the top 32 on this season’s money list will earn a place and Brecel would have missed out if he had lost today.
“I think yesterday I felt good and today I was much better. It was an improvement. I was one ball away from getting knocked out, I made a good clearance and then I had a good last frame,” said 28-year-old Brecel.
“It is going to happen all of the time. Nobody is going to win every game easily when they win a tournament. You saw it at the UK Championship when Ronnie O’Sullivan should have lost to Robert Milkins. I think Judd Trump does it all of the time, he wins a lot of deciders.
“The more you are up for it the more pressure you are going to feel. There are ups and downs to it. I’m enjoying it now and I’m up for the challenge. When I get a chance I feel good among the balls and I think my long game is pretty good as well. All things considered it has been quite a good start.”
Scotland’s Liam Graham secured his second match win as a professional, after defeating Ben Mertens 4-2 to make the last 32. Graham was handed a bye through the first round, when Ronnie O’Sullivan withdrew from the event. Today’s win sees Graham take full advantage and he now faces Sanderson Lam.
John Higgins earned his progression with a 4-1 win over He Guoqiang, while Jimmy White scored an impressive 4-3 win over Jimmy Robertson.
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