Mark Selby v Stuart Bingham live stream | China Open Semi-Final preview
Selby and Bingham are eyeing a place in the China Open final (Credit: Zhou Mi/Xinhua/Alamy Live News)
Mark Selby goes head to head with Stuart Bingham on Saturday for the right to play Noppon Saengkham in this year’s China Open final.
It is a battle of the former World champions in the second semi-final at the Riverside Sports Centre in Taiyuan.
Their most famous encounter came at this stage at the Crucible in 2021, with Selby recovering from 12-9 down to prevail 17-15 on his way to landing a fourth World crown.
The overall head-to-head record is finely poised at 22-22, though the form book and WST rankings would make the Jester favourite here.
Selby is the joint-most successful player in China Open history – lifting the trophy in 2015, 2017 and 2018 – and can pull clear of Mark Williams by claiming a fourth triumph this weekend.
Also a beaten finalist in 2011 and 2013, the Jester has looked like a man on a mission this week.
After opening with a 6-3 victory over Pang Junxu, Selby inflicted successive 6-1 routs on Kyren Wilson and Neil Robertson to move within one more win of a sixth appearance in the China Open showpiece.
As for Bingham, he finds himself in uncharted territory at this event, having previously fallen at the quarter-final stage on four occasions.
The 2015 World champion, who whitewashed 2023 Crucible king Luca Brecel 6-0 to qualify, won the last three frames from 4-3 down to beat four-time victor John Higgins in round one.
Bingham inflicted another 6-0 whitewash on Hossein Vafaei during a bad-tempered affair, before overcoming home favourite Zhang Anda 6-3 in the quarter-finals.
Ballrun, who was runner-up to Alfie Burden at last season’s Shoot Out, is now gearing up for his first appearance in the semi-finals of a conventional ranking event since the 2024 World Championship.
A good omen for the 50-year-old is the fact five of his 10 previous triumphs in events carrying ranking points have been secured on Chinese soil.
Should he prevail here, world number 44 Saengkham would stand in his way of adding to that tally on Sunday.
The match breaks off at 12.30pm BST (7.30pm local time) on Saturday and will be contested over the best of 11 frames at the Riverside Sports Centre in Taiyuan.
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