Chinese 21-year-old Si Jiahui reached the first ranking event final of his career, beating Kyren Wilson 6-3 in the last four of the BetVictor German Masters in Berlin.
The talented cueist showcased his considerable ability on the sport’s biggest stage last year, reaching the World Championship semi-finals. Si had looked set to appear in the final, before surrendering a 14-5 lead to lose 17-15 against eventual champion Luca Brecel.
This week Si has beaten Mark Joyce, Alfie Davies, Yuan Sijun, Ryan Day and now Wilson en route to his maiden title match. He will face either Judd Trump or Sam Craigie over the best of 19 frames tomorrow, with a top prize of £80,000 and the Brandon Parker Trophy on the line.
If Si wins, he will move into the top 16 on the one-year list and earn a place in the upcoming Players Championship, despite having missed out on qualification for the World Grand Prix.
Wilson was victorious here in Berlin back in 2019 and has enjoyed a fine record in Germany, having won three of his five ranking titles in the country. Despite scoring an impressive 5-0 whitewash win over Fan Zhengyi yesterday and looking good to beat Neil Robertson 5-3 in the last 16, he falls short of a place in the final.
A break of 97 gave Wilson the opener this afternoon, before he added the second to establish a 2-0 advantage. However, it was at that point Si embarked on a five-frame blitz to establish a stranglehold on proceedings. Breaks of 54, 138, 90 and 55 helped him to move one from the win at 5-2.
The pace of play altered significantly and Wilson claimed a 38-minute eighth frame to remain in contention. However, it was Si who won a 39-minute ninth to get himself over the line and into the final.
"You can say I’m quite simple minded, because I have not thought about making it to another semi-final much since the run at the Crucible last year. I just focus on each shot without thinking about how many tables are featured in the arena. If I play well, I will make progress and if I lose I will have no regrets. It doesn’t matter who I am playing, it’s not going to change my shot selections."
Si Jiahui
2023 World Championship Semi-Finalist
Si added: “I feel like I’ve got used to this venue very well, so even at 2-0 down I didn’t feel much pressure. I just relaxed out there because I know Kyren is a top professional. My form picked up and I managed to stay in a good mindset to close it out.
“This match was very like the World Championship. The audience has been so passionate and it is a massive crowd. It made me concentrate more.”