What next for Xiao Guodong and Si Jiahui after shock Wuhan Open showpiece --[Reported by Umva mag]

Not too many people were cashing in winning bets after Xiao Guodong beat Si Jiahui to claim the Wuhan Open title on Saturday, but what can we expect next from the pair after the surprise final?

With the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Allen withdrawing and Mark Selby surprisingly losing in qualifying it did seem like an open draw in Wuhan, but the line-up for the final was a shock nonetheless.

Si is a bright young star in the sport, but had been to just one previous final, while Xiao had managed two ranking finals in his 17 years on tour. Neither man was successful in their previous showpiece outings.

It was the more experienced man who emerged the champion, with Xiao building a big lead and then holding off a spirited fightback to win 10-7, lift the trophy and land the £140,000 top prize.

With a significant title under his belt for the first time in his career, can we expect more from the 35-year-old?

Xiao has long been one of a group of players usually ranked somewhere between 20 and 40 in the world, occassionally making quarters and the odd semi-final, but earning themselves few headlines.

These guys get little credit but they are really excellent players to maintain that level in the world rankings and just need to build a bit of confidence or pounce on a rare opportunity to take the next step in their career.

Xiao took that opportunity in Wuhan, scoring brilliant wins in the shorter format games early in the week against Kyren Wilson, Barry Hawkins and Shaun Murphy, then cashing in on the experience advantage he held over Long Zehuang and Si in the semis and final.

He will now have the confidence and belief that comes with that success and can capitalise on it as the win will book his spot in a string of invitational events this season.

Speaking to Metro earlier this year, Xiao explained some of the many challenges Chinese players face when moving over tho the UK to compete on the mainly British-based World Snooker Tour.

While his greatest moment has now come in his home country, the triumph could well help him finally fully settle on the main tour and become a more regular presence in the latter stages of events.

Speaking to Metro in February, he said: ‘I’m still learning. My highest ranking is 19. I still have a chance to make top 16, I know I can do it.’

He has now topped that high point by climbing to number 18 in the world, with the elite top 16 firmly in his sights, and at 35 years old he has plenty of time to keep climbing those rankings.

Already in the top 16 is Si, who may have come up short on Saturday, but his performance over the week only cemented the lofty expectations many have of him.

‘This title goes to me for now, but he’ll have plenty of opportunities in the future,’ said Xiao of his vanquished foe.

Si faced what is arguably the toughest task in the sport right now in his semi-final, a clash with world number one Judd Trump and he passed that test with flying colours.

The 22-year-old triumphed 6-2, knocking in a 147 alongside breaks of 144, 108, 81, 71 and 61.

Trump did not hold back in his praise, saying: ‘This is the best performance there has been against me, by quite far. Apart from maybe John Higgins and the odd Ronnie performance, this is as well as you can play.

‘From what I’ve seen he is an absolute mile clear of anyone his age or within five years of him. It is difficult to keep playing like that, but it shows he has got it in there.

‘Now people have seen that, there will be a lot more pressure on him to win the World Championship and win events.’

The world number one knows all about that pressure and it should not be expected that Si will become a Trump-esque winning machine any time soon, but his progress continues to be very encouraging and his attitude to keep learning is a good one.

‘I was a bit nervous in the final, but I have no regrets. I played well enough. It’s a bit of a pity, but it’s okay. I’ll come back next time and aim to win my first title,’ he said.

‘The Masters is an opportunity to play against the top 16 players, which is a great chance to learn from them. Gaining experiences like these will be very helpful for me in the future.’

Setbacks don’t appear to slow him down too much, which should be a good sign for the tournaments to come and he will bank great confidence from the victory over Trump.

His previous run to a ranking final saw him beaten by the Ace in last season’s German Masters and when asked who he wanted to play at the Crucible this year, he wanted another crack at him.

‘I just want to learn from the best,’ he said in Sheffield. ‘I want a rematch against Judd Trump because I lost the final in Berlin, so I want another best of 19 to learn more from him.’

Also encouraging from Si was that he didn’t even rate his wildly impressive peformance against Trump as perfect, knowing he can improve on his safety game.

‘I’d give myself nine out of 10 for the performance, with one point off for my safeties,’ he said. ‘Luck was on my side and I’m really happy to have made a 147.’

Si has added that memorable win over Trump to another signature victory over Ronnie O’Sullivan in Saudi Arabia this season, but his next challenge, as it is for almost every player, is consistency.

He has beaten the best this campaign, but he has also lost to teenagers Gong Chenzhi and Iulian Boiko.

Si too will be busy with invitational tournaments this season, including a first visit to the Masters at Alexandra Palace, and if he can conquer nerves and find his best stuff regularly, he is in with a chance of winning anything he enters.

What’s next for both men is the Northern Ireland Open, which starts on Sunday in Belfast, with Xiao facing Jimmy Robertson in his opener and Si meeting Tian Pengfei.

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