After his superb run to the semi-finals of the Indian Open last week, Chinese teenager Xu Si is keen to further his experience this season. The 19-year-old rookie went to the last four in Visakhapatnam where he was eventually beaten 4-2 by four-time world champion and tournament winner John Higgins. The youngster has vowed to learn from his experience and cites a 4-0 win over David Gilbert as his tournament highlight.
He has minor regrets that he didn’t push Higgins harder but places good value on the lesson of playing the Scot. “My 4-0 win over David Gilbert was the highlight. I enjoyed the match so much and concentrated hard all the way through. I had a few good breaks and played well,” he said. “At beginning I was fighting so hard [against Higgins]. The fifth frame was turning point, when it was 2-2. I had a chance in that frame but didn’t take it, and in the end I lost 4-2. I wasn’t disappointed to lose John as he is such a good and experienced player. I just enjoyed the match.”
Xu Si has made his home in Sheffield in order to further his career and he says the opportunity to regularly practice with top-level professionals and fellow Chinese players is one that is helping him to improve all facets of his game every day. “I have improved a lot since I moved to England,” he added. “I always play against top professional players at the academy in Sheffield. You don’t get many chances against them and if you make a mistake then you lose the match. So I can find out the problems with my game and improve all the time. “[This season] I just to win as many matches as possible and get to the later stages of ranking events more often.”
Snooker odds available at Dafabet.