In a thrilling display of resilience, China’s Zhang Anda staged a remarkable comeback to defeat England’s Stuart Bingham 6-5 at the UK Championship in York on Thursday, securing his place in the quarterfinals.
Bingham dominated the early stages, opening with a century break of 101 to take the first frame and extending his lead to 2-0 with a 67-46 win in the second. Despite Zhang narrowing the gap with a 68-20 win in the third frame, Bingham appeared unstoppable, claiming the next three frames and adding another century break of 105 in the fourth to establish a commanding 5-1 lead.
Facing a daunting deficit, Zhang displayed exceptional tenacity. He embarked on an impressive streak, capturing the next four frames and delivering a break of 108 in the tenth frame to level the match at 5-5.
With momentum on his side, Zhang maintained his composure in the decisive final frame. He secured victory with a 73-29 win in the eleventh frame, completing an astonishing turnaround. Zhang will face World No. 1 Judd Trump of England in the quarterfinals.
Trump also endured a challenging match, edging out Scotland’s John Higgins 6-5 in another nail-biting encounter earlier in the day. The two were evenly matched in the initial frames, tying at 2-2 without any significant breaks exceeding 40 points. After the interval, Trump found his rhythm, posting a century break of 111 to claim a 3-2 lead.
However, an in-off foul by Trump in the sixth frame allowed Higgins to capitalize, winning two consecutive frames and producing a break of 106 in the seventh to take a 4-3 advantage.
Trump responded by regaining control with breaks of 69 and 75, but Higgins fought back, winning the tenth frame 73-11 to force a decider.
In the final frame, Higgins started strongly with a 34-0 lead. Yet, a misjudged shot off the back cushion left an opportunity for Trump, who seized the moment and closed out the match with a clinical break of 111.
Reference(s):
Zhang Anda comes back to beat Stuart Bingham at UK Championship
cgtn.com
