Eight players in the 2024 Shanghai Masters draw remain in the hunt for glory with the quarter-finals on Thursday’s schedule in China.
Three days of intriguing action at the Shanghai Grand Stage has resulted in 16 of the 24 competitors from the original field already bow out.
Among those are world champion Kyren Wilson and world number one Mark Allen, but several heavy hitters are still in contention for the £210,000 top prize.
Let’s, then, take a look at the four upcoming matches in the Shanghai Masters quarter-finals.
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Ding Junhui
(Thursday, 12:30pm UTC+1)
For the first time in 15 years, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ding Junhui will encounter each other on Chinese soil.
Considering they are by far and away the two most popular players in the snooker-loving country, it promises to be an electric atmosphere.
That meeting in 2009 was also in the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters when the tournament was previously attributed with ranking status.
O’Sullivan won 5-3 on that occasion en route to securing the first of his record five titles in the competition.
Indeed, the Rocket has generally enjoyed the upper hand from this rivalry over the years.
Ding, himself twice a Shanghai Masters champion, lost three high-profile encounters against O’Sullivan around the New Year period last season, including in the final of the UK Championship.
The Chinese cueist produced a strong finish to deny an in-form Ali Carter in his last-16 decider, while O’Sullivan coasted through his opening test against wildcard Zhou Jinhao.
Judd Trump vs Si Jiahui
(Thursday, 12:30pm UTC+1)
The match between Judd Trump and Si Jiahui might have to play second fiddle on Thursday afternoon’s billing to O’Sullivan and Ding.
Yet this is an equally fascinating clash on the quarter-final schedule at the 2024 Shanghai Masters.
Both players are known for their attacking prowess, highlighted already during their early fixtures in the tournament.
Trump contributed a brace of 112 century breaks en route to a routine victory over Mark Williams, while Si has compiled a 131 and seven more breaks above 50 in his two wins against Tom Ford and Luca Brecel.
The latter victory will have been particularly sweet for the 22 year-old having squandered a huge lead to Brecel in last year’s World Championship semi-final.
Si will be seeking more revenge when he takes on Trump, who he lost to in the German Masters final back in February.
In fact, Trump has won all five of their prior meetings and will be a strong favourite to advance.
Pang Junxu vs Mark Selby
(Thursday, 7am UTC+1)
Mark Selby lost the opening frame of his first match of the new season but proceeded to win the following six against wildcard Cao Jin.
The Leicester man won this tournament way back in 2011 and will face another Chinese contender as he bids for a place in the last four this week.
Pang Junxu will be Selby’s next opponent, the 24 year-old emerging from a titanic tussle with world number one Mark Allen in a deciding frame.
The pair had to be pulled off as their drawn-out session in the afternoon risked interfering with the evening bout of play.
When they resumed, Pang managed to prevail on the final blue to set up a fixture against the player who beat him in his only previous ranking event final – the 2023 WST Classic.
Pang will probably have to raise his game against Selby, who is unlikely to put in as wretched a performance as Allen produced.
Selby will be looking at his half of the draw, with several high-profile names already disposed of, and thinking he’s got a great chance of challenging for the silverware.
Shaun Murphy vs Zhou Yuelong
(Thursday, 7am UTC+1)
Zhou Yuelong conjured arguably the result of the fledgling 2024/25 snooker season so far with his 6-0 dismantling of world champion Kyren Wilson.
The 26 year-old has looked very strong from the off this week, underlined by his three-ton performance to beat Barry Hawkins in the previous round.
But while his scoring has been impressive – boosted by a couple of terrific frame-winning clearances in both games – few would have predicted the pummelling that he’d inflict on Wilson.
Zhou, a former World Cup winner but without an individual title on World Snooker Tour, faces Shaun Murphy in the last eight.
The Magician produced a strong display to see off the challenge of fellow former world champion John Higgins with a 6-3 scoreline.
Murphy, a finalist in 2019 when he lost 11-9 in the final to O’Sullivan, enjoys a superior head-to-head record against Zhou.
The Shanghai Masters is arguably the biggest tournament on the annual schedule that the 2005 world champion has never won, so he’ll be keen on mounting a serious challenge again.
2024 Shanghai Masters draw
Round 1 (bo11)
Zhang Anda 3-6 Zhou Jinhao
Ali Carter 6-0 Qiu Lei
Tom Ford 3-6 Si Jiahui
Mark Williams 6-3 Wang Xinbo
Gary Wilson 5-6 Pang Junxu
Jak Jones 2-6 Cao Jin
John Higgins 6-1 Lyu Haotian
Barry Hawkins 4-6 Zhou Yuelong
Round 2 (bo11)
Ronnie O’Sullivan 6-1 Zhou Jinhao
Ding Junhui 6-5 Ali Carter
Luca Brecel 2-6 Si Jiahui
Judd Trump 6-2 Mark Williams
Mark Allen 5-6 Pang Junxu
Mark Selby 6-1 Cao Jin
Shaun Murphy 6-3 John Higgins
Kyren Wilson 0-6 Zhou Yuelong
Quarter-Finals (bo11)
All times in UTC+1
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Ding Junhui
(July 18: 12:30pm)
Si Jiahui vs Judd Trump
(July 18: 12:30pm)
Pang Junxu vs Mark Selby
(July 18: 7am)
Shaun Murphy vs Zhou Yuelong
(July 18: 7am)
Semi-Finals (bo19)
O’Sullivan/Ding vs Si/Trump
(July 20: 7am and 12:30pm)
Pang/Selby vs Murphy/Zhou
(July 19: 7am and 12:30pm)
Final (bo21)
TBC vs TBC
(July 21: 7am and 12:30pm)
Featured photo credit: WST
