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The International Snooker Excursion returns to China for the beginning of the inaugural Xi’an Grand Prix on Monday, the second one rating match of the 2024/25 marketing campaign and 2d of 5 main occasions within the nation this season.
Snooker in China has grown vastly in public reputation for the reason that nation first hosted a rating match 34 years in the past when seven-time international champion Stephen Hendry defeated 1985 Crucible winner Dennis Taylor 9-3 within the ultimate of the Asian Open in Guangzhou in November 1990.
Hendry’s win got here 4 years after his outdated rival Steve Davis had finished a 3-0 win over Terry Griffiths within the ultimate of the invitational China Masters in August 1986, a momentous fit that gave Shanghai the dignity of website hosting the country’s first main match.
Regardless of the presence of the game’s all-time greats in travelling to China, the following rating match within the nation used to be now not staged till March 1999 when John Higgins finished a 9-3 China World ultimate win over fellow Scot Billy Snaddon in Shanghai.
House good fortune used to be just a topic of time.
The primary Chinese language participant to seize a rating name used to be 18-year-old Ding Junhui, who overcame Hendry 9-5 to safe the China Open name in April 2005 with a tv target market of 110 million staring at the ancient triumph.
Nearly all of the trendy greats of the sport have all claimed trophies in China, together with international champions Kyren Wilson, Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins, Neil Robertson, Mark Williams, Mark Selby, Mark Allen, Shaun Murphy, Peter Edbon and Graeme Dott.
Selby has seemed in essentially the most rating finals in China, successful seven instances from 11 ultimate appearances between 2011 and 2018.
Document 41-time rating match winner O’Sullivan loved the primary of his 4 name wins in China with a 9-2 win over Stephen Lee within the China Open ultimate in Shanghai in December 1999 whilst additionally claiming 3 extra invitational trophies on the elite Shanghai Masters.