Snooker World Championships 2021 - Zhou Yuelong edges 6-5 thriller against Xu Si in third round

Updated 11/04/2021 at 11:04 GMT

Chinese duo Zhou Yuelong and Xu Si faced off in the third round of the World Championship qualifiers, with Zhou proving the winner after a hard fought 6-5 win on Saturday evening. The pair exchanged frames for the first 10 before Zhou delivered a break of 71 in order to progress to the next round.

Zhou Yeulong

Image credit: Getty Images

Zhou Yuelong needed all 11 frames to beat Xu Si in their third-round qualifier at the 2021 World Championships.

Xu went two up with heavy scoring breaks in both frames, with a 90 following 95.

Zhou then hit back with two frames of his own, levelling with an unanswered break of 84, before Xu made it 4-2 in his favour.

World Championship

Williams blows away ‘fourth son’ Page to reach last eight with session to spare

22/04/2022 at 12:20

His opponent and countryman pulled back yet again, before Xu hit 78 to find himself just one frame from victory, but a tough-fought 10th frame - Xu grabbed 67 in a single visit before Zhou squeezed by with 73 - set the match up for an 11th-frame decider.

For all the tension at the finale, it took just one single 71 break for Zhou to go through.

Veteran Nigel Bond could not fight his way past younger rival Matthew Selt, as he was defeated 6-5.

Scott Donaldson also needed every frame to get past Dominic Dale, with Liam Highfield's game with ElliotSlessor needing a re-rack in the final frame.

In the first result from the day's later games, Kurt Maflin ran out a 6-4 winner against Jak Jones.