Wakelin vs Ding – head-to-head
Despite being a pro for nearly a decade – and Ding almost 20 years – Wakelin has only met Ding twice.
They met just a month ago in Wuhan, with the Englishman beating Ding 5-3 in the last 16, with three century breaks in that one.
That was their first meeting since the 2017 Scottish Open, which Ding won 4-2 in a last 64 clash.
Stats via CueTracker.net
Ding back on track
Ding had been struggling for a bit of form this season so far, while the former world No 1 has had a lean few years at the very top of the game.
Six of his 10 wins this season have come this week, while he has been absent from a couple of tournaments.
Ding is chasing his first ranking title since the 2019 UK Championship – he has lost three finals and two semis since – and a win will break a long wait for silverware from one of the game’s best.
Wakelin into the top 16
Chris Wakelin is now into the top 16 in the world after his semi final win over Xiao Guodong on Friday.
He’s also in line for the biggest payday of his career – win or lose.
Wakelin’s previous biggest win was the £50,000 he netted for his win at the Shoot Out in October 2023.
He also secured £35,000 for reaching the final of the Northern Ireland Open last season.
But this tournament in Nanjing will allow Wakelin to win either the £175,000 top prize, or £75,000 should Ding take home the title.
Mink prefers Selby
Women’s snooker star Mink Nutcharut faced Ronnie O’Sullivan earlier this week – but admitted she prefers Mark Selby’s game.
Mink, the only female player to score a 147, lost 6-3 in a spirited effort against the sport’s GOAT.
After the game she said: “Ronnie is the best, for me, in snooker. The best one is Ronnie but I can say my idol, for my style, is Mark Selby.
“I just play snooker in my style but I want to control myself, like him.”
New tell-all Higgins book
Alex Higgins’ best friend is planning to release a book that ‘won’t sugar coat’ the former world champion’s bonkers life.
Cecil Mason is said to have been one of those closest to The Hurricane and was pals with him from childhood on the Donegall Road in Belfast.
Higgins, who won world titles in 1972 and 1982, once headbutted a tournament director, was friends with notorious London gangsters the Krays and gambled away around £4million of career winnings.
He once urinated in a plant pot at the Crucible and even threatened to have Dennis Taylor shot.
‘I don’t agree’
You may have missed it, but earlier this week Xiao Guodong raised eyebrows with his strange use of the spider in Nanjing.
Rather than use it directly, Xiao rested his hand on the spider to give himself a bridge and some leverage and ensure he did not touch another ball.
The move, which is perfectly legal, left WST commentator Martin Foulds unimpressed – and calling for a rule change.
He said: “This is… Now what’s happening here? He’s got the extension on [the table].
“Now he’s doing something which, I have to say, I don’t agree with.
“I know it’s perfectly legal. But I don’t think that’s the reason that the spider is in existence, so you can use it that way round.”
After Xiao potted a red, Foulds added: “I don’t think that’s the purpose of the spider.
“But that’s not really for me, that’s for the rule-makers. It’s perfectly legitimate under the rules.”
