Zhao Xintong to face Wu Yize in all-Chinese semifinal at snooker's International Championship

China's reigning world champion Zhao Xintong defeated England's four-time former world champion Mark Selby 6-5 in Nanjing on Thursday, advancing to the semifinals of the WST (World Snooker Tour) International Championship.

Entering this contest, Selby, known as the "Jester from Leicester," had won his last five matches against Zhao. The Chinese star has endured a mixed start to the new season after making history by becoming Asia's first "Crucible King" in May.

The 42-year-old Selby opened strongly, producing breaks of 55 and 78, while also rolling in centuries of 118 and 97, to take a 4-2 lead.

But the 28-year-old Zhao found his rhythm, compiling breaks of 68, 97 and 55 to grab three consecutive frames and move ahead 5-4. Selby responded with a determined run of 81 in the 10th frame to force a decider.

The final frame saw Zhao hold his nerve and seal the victory with a break of 63, earning his first-ever come-from-behind win against Selby. His triumph set up a meeting with compatriot Wu Yize in the semifinals.

Wu faced English veteran Barry Hawkins. In his previous match, the 22-year-old Chinese potter trailed World No. 1 Judd Trump 4-0 before snatching six consecutive frames for an unlikely victory.

In the opening frame of this quarterfinal contest, Hawkins committed a clumsy foul by striking the blue with the rest (bridge), signaling that he was not at his best. Wu then cleared the table with a break of 66 to take the first frame.

Wu continued to dominate with breaks of 64, 73 and 85 over the next three frames, before crafting a run of 111 in the fifth.

He completed a 6-0 victory with a break of 86 in the final frame. The World No. 22 sealed the win after putting away his 12th frame in a row, advancing to an all-Chinese semifinal against Zhao Xintong, which will be contested over 17 frames across two sessions on Saturday.