WUHAN, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's Zhao Xintong and Chang Bingyu will meet in an all-Chinese final at the World Snooker Wuhan Open after both players won their semifinals on Friday.
Chang stunned seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan 6-3 in the afternoon, earning the first victory of his career over his childhood idol and reaching his second career final.
The match was closely contested early. O'Sullivan committed three fouls as both players struggled with mistakes, allowing Chang to take the opening frame 69-24. Chang then added a break of 73 to move 2-0 ahead.
O'Sullivan responded with an 82 break in the third frame and won the fourth to level the match at 2-2. After the interval, however, Chang capitalized on O'Sullivan's mistakes to build a 4-2 lead.
O'Sullivan pulled one frame back with a break of 58, but Chang answered with a 69 break to move within one frame of victory. He then held his nerve in the ninth frame to complete the 6-3 win.
"O'Sullivan is my idol. He taught me how to play when I was 14 or 15. It was always a pleasure to play with him, and I'm really excited to be able to beat him," Chang noted.
"My defense was better than before, and my mentality was also more stable," he added. "I was able to calm myself down when I lost points."
Chang joked that his immediate priority was getting some sleep before Saturday's final. "I just hope I can get a good night's sleep today," Chang said. "Last time I couldn't sleep at all the night before. I hope I can play a little better than last time tomorrow, and I'll be satisfied."
Zhao, who rose to No. 1 in the live world rankings after the quarterfinals, advanced to the final by beating defending champion Xiao Guodong 6-2 in the evening.
"Today neither of us played at our best level. Maybe I adjusted a little faster than my opponent in the end, so when I got opportunities, I was able to take them," Zhao said.
Zhao said he would not put extra pressure on himself in the final against Chang.
"I'll just treat it as an ordinary match that I have to play and do my best," he said. "Chang's level is particularly high. Everyone knows he's very difficult to play against, so hopefully we can both play well."
