Sam Craigie dumps out defending champion Zhao Xintong at UK Championship, Mark Allen beats Jordan Brown
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Updated 12/11/2022 at 17:30 GMT
The UK Championship kicked off at the Barbican in York on Saturday and there was a shock in the opening session as defending champion Zhao Xintong was sent packing by Sam Craigie. It has been a poor start to the current campaign for Zhao and he never looked comfortable at any stage. The new snooker season is underway and you can follow the best of the action live and exclusive on discovery+.
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The defending champion crashed out of the UK Championship at the first hurdle, with Sam Craigie beating Zhao Xintong 6-2.
Zhao had a breakthrough season in 2021/22 with victory at the UK Championship and German Masters.
The Chinese player appeared to have the sport at his feet, and world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan took him under his wing in an attempt to turn him from prodigious talent to serial winner.
The current season has not started well, as he lost in qualifying for the Northern Ireland Open, in the second round at the British Open and the same stage at the European Masters.
His big moment in Asia earlier in the year did not materialise, as he was forced to withdraw from the Hong Kong Masters after being diagnosed with Covid-19.
It was hoped that the return to the Barbican in York would spark him into life, but he never looked comfortable and was second best to Craigie by some distance.
The opening four frames were shared, with Craigie taking the one before the interval with a break of 78 to settle the nerves.
It was all Craigie following the break as he won four in a row to secure victory.
The sixth and seventh frames were pivotal, as Zhao had chances to snatch both but passed them up and Craigie fell over the line to get within one of victory.
The final frame also proved a struggle, as Craigie missed a couple of chances. Zhao did not punish and the underdog put the match away, albeit a few of the potts wriggled in jaws before dropping, as he finished with a 104.
Mark Allen has been one of the form players of the new season and he overcame Jordan Brown 6-4.
The two are close friends and practice partners, and Allen made a slow start against his lesser-fancied opponent.
But Allen found his stride mid-way through the match to claim a norrow win.
Allen has won 14 of his last 15 matches in ranking tournaments, with his only defeat in that spell being to Ryan Day in the final of the British Open.
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The new snooker season is underway and you can follow the best of the action live and exclusive on discovery+. You can also watch Seventh Heaven, a two-part show about Ronnie O’Sullivan’s historic World Championship win last season, on demand now.
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