Wilson to Face Xiao in Wuhan Open Final

England’s Gary Wilson booked his place in the Wuhan Open final with a comeback victory over Mark Allen, setting up a showdown with defending champion Xiao Guodong, Sport360NG reports.

World number 18 Wilson trailed 2-1 against Northern Ireland’s Allen but surged back impressively, reeling off five frames in a row to claim a 6-2 win.

Xiao, ranked 14th, kept his title defence alive by defeating three-time world champion Mark Williams 6-3 in the other semi-final. The 35-year-old from Chongqing, close to Wuhan’s Hubei Province, moved clear with a break of 75 after the opening four frames were split.

Although Williams, the world number five, hit back to level at 3-3, Xiao pulled away by taking the next two frames before overturning a 58-point deficit with a decisive break of 68 to seal the match.

Reflecting on his win, Xiao described it as an “honour” to compete against players of Williams’ calibre. “After losing to Mark in the Champion of Champions final last year, this victory gives me great confidence,” he told the World Snooker Tour.

The final, played over the best of 19 frames, gets under way on Saturday at 07:00 BST.