Xiao Guodong won five straight frames to come from behind and beat Long Zehuang 6-4 in the semi-finals of the Wuhan Open.
Victory for 35-year-old Xiao sees him reach the third ranking final of his career, where he will be chasing his first title triumph. China’s Xiao will face either compatriot Si Jiahui or world number one Judd Trump in tomorrow’s final.
The world number 29 reached a maiden title match back in 2013, when he and Ding Junhui made history at the Shanghai Masters and contested the first ever ranking final between two Chinese players. The match went Ding’s way by a 10-6 scoreline. He was also runner-up to Anthony McGill at the 2017 Shoot Out.
Defeat for Long ends what has been the most significant week of his fledgling career, which is only in its second season. The 27-year-old picked an appropriate event to reach his maiden ranking semi-final, as he comes from Wuhan.
Long beat Mark Selby to qualify and has defeated the likes of Jackson Page and Jack Lisowski out in China this week. Those results delighted his fans and family looking on from the stands, but today proved to be a bridge too far.
When the match got underway it was Long who came flying out of the traps. He registered the highest break of the tournament so far with a run of 141, as well as a contribution of 104, on his way to leading 4-1.
However, from there it was the more experienced Xiao who took charge of proceedings. Five frames on the bounce, including breaks of 130, 112 and 91, were enough to see him blitz from behind to secure the win.
Xiao said: "I'm really happy to make it to the final. Long Zehuang played well today too. Before 4-1 down, he put me under a lot of pressure. Long has only been a professional for two years and I think he has a lot of potential. This tournament in particular will give him a significant boost to his career. His family was here supporting him, and that definitely helped him.
"I remember when myself and Ding became the first players to face each other in a ranking final back in 2013. It attracted a lot of attention. Now that I’ve reached another final here, I hope to see more Chinese players making it this far in home tournaments. This would show that snooker in China has a very bright future. For the younger players, every improvement is an inspiration. Now, Ding doesn’t have as much pressure as before, when he was carrying it all by himself back then."