With Selby defeating Hawkins 6-2, the four semi-finalists of the Snooker UK Championship are confirmed: all four are Grand Slam champions, with China completely eliminated.

On December 6th Beijing time, the quarter-finals of the Snooker UK Championship wrapped up. In the last key clash, four-time World Champion Selby took on Hawkins. The match became one-sided as Selby dominated, beating Hawkins 6-2 to claim a semi-final berth. Thus, the semi-finalists are all Grand Slam winners: Trump, Robertson, Murphy, and Selby. Meanwhile, the three Chinese players—Ding Junhui, Pang Junxu, and Zhang Anda—were all defeated and sent home!

Selby faced Hawkins. Recently, Selby won the Champion of Champions and was in excellent form, which continued at the UK Championship. The match started evenly with each player winning one frame, tied 1-1. Then Selby demonstrated his masterful skill, using steady defense to win four consecutive frames and reach 5-1, gaining a match point. Under pressure, Hawkins responded with a high break over 100 to save one match point. However, Selby quickly finished the match with a decisive 83-point break, crushing Hawkins 6-2 and powerfully advancing to the semi-finals, catching the last train!

Although three Chinese players reached the quarter-finals, they were clearly outmatched by the "80s Four Tigers." Ding Junhui started strong but then fell apart, losing 2-6 to defending champion Trump after leading 2-0, showing poor mentality. Zhang Anda trailed Murphy throughout and eventually lost 3-6. Pang Junxu performed slightly better, falling behind 1-5 but fighting back to win three frames and putting pressure on Robertson, though he lost 4-6, which is still an acceptable score. The complete elimination of the Chinese contingent shows that the overall player quality is still lacking; occasional bursts of performance cannot be sustained. Currently, only Zhao Xintong can consistently challenge top players, but even he is unpredictable, sometimes playing brilliantly and other times poorly.

As a result, the semi-finals are dominated by the "80s Four Tigers," with no representation from the "75 Trio." All four are Grand Slam champions, fully deserving their places. Trump, the defending champion, will face Robertson in one semi-final, while Murphy and Selby will battle in the other. These matches promise intense clashes and exciting fireworks. Let's look forward to it!

Written by Sports Fiction