On December 16, 2023, the Scottish Open opened in Glasgow in four 1 4 finals, and China's Zhou Yuelong defeated world champion Bingham 5-4 in a thrilling match to become the only Asian face in the semifinals. The other three qualifiers were defending champion Gary Wilson, legend John Higgins and Thailand's Sankham, who all eliminated their respective opponents 5-3 to reach the semi-final stage.
The match between Zhou Yuelong and Bingham was the most exciting game of the day, and both of them showed a high level of first-class skills and scored many high scores. Zhou Yuelong scored 100 points in a single stroke at the beginning of the game, putting huge pressure on the opponent. After 1-1, Zhou Yuelong seized the opportunity in a row, and scored 97 points in a single stroke in the fifth game, and got the match point with a score of 4-1. However, Bingham did not give up, he scored 142 points in the sixth game, setting a record for the highest score of the tournament, and then won two games in a row to tie the score at 4-4. In the deciding game, Zhou Yuelong withstood the pressure and scored 70 points in a single stroke, locking the game and advancing to the semifinals with a score of 5-4. This is Zhou's third time this season and the sixth in his career. Zhou Yuelong has made great progress this season, his technique and mentality have improved significantly, and he already has the strength and confidence to challenge for the championship.
Defending champion Gary Wilson had the easiest game of the day, sweeping Chris Wakelin 5-0 without giving his opponent any chance. Gary Wilson was hot in the game, scoring 68 points, 96 points, 118 points, 68 points, and 82 points in a row, showing the momentum and level of the defending champion. Gary Wilson has been in great form at the tournament, reaching the semi-finals of the Scottish Open for the second year in a row, and he will be aiming to defend his title and become the first player to win back-to-back titles in the tournament.
Higgins and Sancam both ended their matches 5-3 as they beat Tom Forde and Lin Shanfeng respectively to reach the last four. Higgins is the highest-ranked player in the Final Four and he is a legend of the best grams, having won 31 ranking tournaments. He opened the game with a clean sheet against Tom Forde, and although he was tied by his opponent halfway through, he still won 5-3 and reached the semi-finals. Higgins is 48 years old, but he still maintains a high level of form and is one of the favourites to win the tournament. Sankham, the lowest-ranked player in the semi-finals, is Thailand's number two and has won a ranking tournament once. In the match with Lin Shanfeng, he hit three shots to break 100, won 5-3, and reached the semifinals. Sancam is one of the dark horses of this tournament, he has excellent attacking ability, and he is one of the strong candidates to challenge for the title of this tournament.
The Scottish Open semi-finals will be played on 17 December, with Gary Wilson taking on Zhou Yuelong and Higgins taking on Sancam. There are two world champions in the semi-finals, one defending champion and one Chinese seedling, all of whom have different styles and characteristics, they all have different goals and motivations, and they all have different opportunities and challenges. The duel between them will be a wonderful feast, let's wait and see which of them can have the last laugh and lift the championship trophy!