2024** Gram Players Championship
In the early morning of February 20, Beijing time, the first round of the 2024** Gram Players Championship is the 1 8 finals, a key battle, Ding Junhui vs. Higgins, and in the end, Higgins defeated Ding Junhui 6-4 and advanced to the top 8. The latest report, the top eight have been out: Higgins, Trump, Ding Junhui are out, and the two world champions Higgins and Trump have advanced.
In the latest ranking (after the Welsh game), Ding Junhui returned to the ranks of the top10, still the first brother in China, although he has not won the ranking tournament for many consecutive seasons, but he also has the performance of two consecutive British Championships runner-up, which also Ding Junhui ranked 6th in a single season and qualified for the Players Championship! In the past Welsh race, Ding Junhui was out early and was not in good shape.
Higgins, nicknamed "The Wizard", is a world champion and Grand Slam player, but his ranking championship drought has also been a long time, and he had a good chance to challenge for the championship in Wales, but was eliminated by Gary Wilson. The two are also a pair of old rivals, and the previous encounters have won and lost each other, the most recent being the 2023 Champions of Champions 1 4 finals, when Higgins defeated Ding Junhui 6-1.
In the first half, the two played equally, with a big score of 2-2, Ding Junhui hit a shot of 50+, and Higgins hit a shot to break 100. At the beginning of the second half, Ding Junhui hit two shots to break 100, Higgins hit two shots of 50+, and Higgins got the match point 5-4. In the 10th game, the two fought for a while and then re-swung! Restarted, Ding Junhui took the lead, and Higgins reversed in a single game and advanced 6-4.
In a match that ended earlier, Trump easily defeated Chris Wackerlin 6-2. As the top seed of the tournament, Trump is also the favorite to win the championship, this season's state is very good, after missing the Welsh game, Trump is still in good shape, facing Walkerin, Trump passed smoothly, although his hand in the first half was not too good, but the whole court still played a shot to break 100 and a shot 50+, and took the lead in the top 8; Wackerlin hit a shot to break 100.