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2024 International Championship

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2024 International Championship
Tournament information
Dates3–10 November 2024 (2024-11-03 – 2024-11-10)
VenueSNCNFC
CityNanjing
CountryChina
OrganisationWorld Snooker Tour
FormatRanking event
Total prize fund£825,000
Winner's share£175,000
Highest break Xu Si (CHN) (147)
Final
Champion Ding Junhui (CHN)
Runner-up Chris Wakelin (ENG)
Score10–7
← 2023

The 2024 International Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 3 to 10 November 2024 at the South New City National Fitness Center (SNCNFC) in Nanjing, China. The eighth ranking event of the 2024‍–‍25 season, it followed the 2024 Northern Ireland Open and preceded the 2024 UK Championship. The winner received £175,000 from a total prize fund of £825,000.

Qualifiers took place from 30 September to 2 October 2024 at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield, England. Qualifying matches featuring the defending champion (Zhang Anda); the reigning World Champion (Kyren Wilson); the two highest ranked Chinese players other than Zhang (Ding Junhui and Si Jiahui); four Chinese wildcards (Zhou Jinhao, Wang Xinbo, Cai Wei, and Zheng Dian); and Ronnie O'Sullivan were held over to be played in Nanjing.

Zhang won the 2023 event by defeating Tom Ford 10‍–‍6 in the final, capturing his maiden ranking title,[1] but he failed to defend the title losing 1‍–‍6 to Lyu Haotian in the last 32.

Ding won the tournament, defeating Chris Wakelin 10‍–‍7 in the final.[2] There were 134 century breaks made in the event, with 42 during qualifying and 92 during the main stage. The highest was a maximum break made by Xu Si.

Format

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The event was the tenth iteration of the International Championship, first held in 2012. The event took place from 3 to 10 November 2024 in Nanjing, China. Nanjing will host the tournament for three consecutive years from 2024 to 2026.[3][4]

Qualifying for the event was held from 30 September to 2 October 2024 at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield, England.[5]

Matches were the best of 11 frames until the semi‑finals, which were the best of 17 frames played over two sessions, and the final was a best of 19 frames match, also played over two sessions.[6]

The qualifying was broadcast by Discovery+ in Europe (including the United Kingdom and Ireland) and by the CBSA-WPBSA Academy WeChat Channel, CBSA-WPBSA Academy Douyin and Huya Live in China. It was available from Matchroom Sport in all other territories.[7]

The main event was broadcast domestically in China by CCTV-5, the CBSA-WPBSA Academy WeChat Channel, the CBSA-WPBSA Academy Douyin and Huya Live; by Eurosport and Discovery+ in Europe (including the United Kingdom and Ireland); by Now TV in Hong Kong; by Astro SuperSport in Malaysia and Brunei; by TAP in the Philippines; by Sportcast in Taiwan; and by True Sports in Thailand. It was available from Matchroom Sport in all other territories.[8]

Prize fund

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The breakdown of prize money for this event is shown below:[4]

  • Winner: £175,000
  • Runner-up: £75,000
  • Semi-final: £33,000
  • Quarter-final: £22,000
  • Last 16: £14,000
  • Last 32: £9,000
  • Last 64: £5,000
  • Highest break: £5,000
  • Total: £825,000

Summary

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Qualifying round

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In his 6‍–‍4 win over Lei Peifan, Thai player Thepchaiya Un-Nooh missed the final black of a potential maximum break for the third time in his career.[9][10]

Early rounds

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Held over matches

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The held-over qualifying matches were played on 3 November as the best of 11 frames.[11] Ronnie O'Sullivan beat Mink Nutcharut 6‍–‍3 making two century breaks, Zhang Anda defeated Ishpreet Singh Chadha 6‍–‍5, Ding Junhui whitewashed Reanne Evans, Kyren Wilson also whitewashed Mitchell Mann, and Si Jiahui beat Andrew Pagett 6‍–‍4.[12]

Last 64

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The last 64 matches were played on 3 and 4 November as the best of 11 frames.[6] On 3 November John Higgins recovered from 0‍–‍3 down to beat Ben Woollaston 6‍–‍4, Mark Selby also came back from 2‍–‍4 down to beat Jamie Clarke 6‍–‍4, Xiao Guodong whitewashed Ricky Walden, Xu Si beat Stan Moody 6‍–‍5, Matthew Stevens defeated amateur player Simon Blackwell 6‍–‍5, and Pang Junxu beat Elliot Slessor also by 6‍–‍5.[12] On 4 November Neil Robertson made four century breaks in his whitewash of Fan Zhengyi, Barry Hawkins beat Joe Perry 6‍–‍2, and O'Sullivan defeated He Guoqiang also by 6‍–‍2. Ding beat Martin O'Donnell 6‍–‍1, Kyren Wilson defeated Liu Hongyu 6‍–‍3, Judd Trump whitewashed Sanderson Lam, and Mark Allen beat Aaron Hill 6‍–‍1.[13]

Last 32

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photo of Xu Si
Xu Si (pictured in 2017) made the second maximum break of his career in his last 32 round match against Ryan Day

The last 32 matches were played on 5 November as the best of 11 frames.[6] Xu made his second career maximum break in his 6‍–‍2 victory over Ryan Day.[14] Pang defeated 5th seed O'Sullivan 6‍–‍4, and Trump beat Joe O'Connor, also by 6‍–‍4. Hawkins beat Neil Robertson 6‍–‍1, Kyren Wilson made three century breaks in his 6‍–‍4 victory over Wu Yize, and Xiao defeated 4th seed Allen 6‍–‍2. Chris Wakelin beat 9th seed Shaun Murphy 6‍–‍3, and Ding whitewashed Hossein Vafaei. Defending champion and top seed Zhang was beaten 1‍–‍6 by Lyu Haotian.[15]

Last 16

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The last 16 matches were played on 6 November as the best of 11 frames.[6] In the morning session Wakelin beat 8th seed Mark Williams, Xu beat 3rd seed Trump, and Jackson Page beat Pang, all by 6‍–‍4. In the match between Lyu and Higgins, frame 10 was decided on a re‑spotted black, which Higgins won to force a deciding frame. The match was then taken off, to be concluded later. When they resumed, Higgins won the decider. Kyren Wilson beat Hawkins 6‍–‍2, Xiao beat Jack Lisowski 6‍–‍3, Ding beat Jiang Jun, 6‍–‍3, and Gary Wilson beat 6th seed Selby also by 6‍–‍3.[16]

Later rounds

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Quarter finals

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The quarter-finals were played on 7 November as the best of 11 frames.[6] In the afternoon session Xiao beat Page 6‍–‍4, making two century breaks. In the match between Wakelin and Higgins, the match was taken off at 5‍–‍5 to be resumed later.[17] In the evening session Ding beat Kyren Wilson 6‍–‍4 making century breaks in the last two frames. Wakelin took the deciding frame to defeat Higgins 6‍–‍5, and Xu beat Gary Wilson, also by 6‍–‍5.[18] After being informed that his match would be interrupted before the deciding frame for the second time in two days, Higgins was visibly annoyed. His eventual defeat meant that he failed to qualify for the upcoming Champion of Champions event.[19]

Semi finals

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photo of Chris Wakelin
Chris Wakelin (pictured in 2016) beat Xiao Guodong 9‍–‍8 in the semi‑finals
photo of Ding Junhui
Ding Junhui (pictured in 2015) beat Xu Si 9‍–‍6 in the semi‑finals

The semi-finals were played on 8 and 9 November as the best of 17 frames, played over two sessions.[6] For only the third time ever in a ranking event, three of the four semi‑finalists were Chinese (the other two times being the 2020 Shoot Out and the 2024 Wuhan Open the previous month).[18]

On 8 November Wakelin played Xiao. At the end of the afternoon session Wakelin led Xiao by 5‍–‍3.[20] Wakelin went on to win the match 9‍–‍8, making a 119 break in the 10th frame.[21] After the match Wakelin said: "From 8‍–‍5 I threw it away. I made ridiculously easy mistakes. In the decider I knew it was now or never, I had to forget about what had happened. I'm so relieved to have a day off tomorrow because I'm done in! That was the hardest match of my life. In the first ten years of my career, so many times I put myself in winning situations in matches but didn't take those chances. This was my final because getting into the top 16 was the goal. But now the shackles are off and I know I have performances like that in me." Xiao said: "I fell too far behind at the start and didn't perform particularly well. My opponent had me under pressure throughout the match, I couldn't find my rhythm. I want to apologise to Ding and Xu for not making it to an all‑Chinese final! I hope they can keep the title here in China. This is the best time ever for Chinese snooker and I hope the young players can gain experience and keep improving."[22][23]

On 9 November Xu played Ding. At the end of the afternoon session Xu led Ding by 5‍–‍3, with Xu making breaks of 137 and 113, and Ding making a 119 break. In the evening session Ding went on to win the match 9‍–‍6.[24] After the match, Ding said: "In the first session, Xu played really well, I didn't have many opportunities in the first half, and he managed century breaks with great sharpness, making the most of his chances. However, he wasn't quite at the same level in the second session. He had many chances tonight but lost the first three frames, which impacted his mindset." Xu said: "I was feeling good in the first session, but my focus seemed to slip in the second, and I made more mistakes. I had plenty of opportunities but struggled throughout, unable to get the positioning I wanted, and my safety play was quite average. Overall, aside from the second session in this match, I'm pretty satisfied with my performance in the tournament."[25][26]

Final

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The final was played on 10 November as the best of 19 frames, played over two sessions. Wakelin, playing in his third ranking event final, faced Ding, who was playing in his 24th.[6] At the end of the afternoon session, Ding recovered from 1‍–‍4 down to lead Wakelin 5‍–‍4.[27] Ding went on to win the match 10‍–‍7, and secure his first ranking title since the 2019 UK Championship.[28] After the match Ding said: "I've played so well in every match. Chris applied a lot of pressure in this game, especially at 4‍–‍1. I put too much pressure on myself at the beginning. That was the perfect start for him, but he started missing and there were some key frames to get 5‍–‍4 ahead. The second session was totally different." Wakelin said: "I got off to a great start and losing six frames on the trot was the difference. I was proud of how well I handled myself. Only a couple of years ago, that kind of situation would have scared the life out of me. To be out there and feel like I could have won, despite how Ding played, I think I was a credit to myself."[2]

Main draw

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The draw for the tournament is shown below. Numbers in parentheses after the players' names denote the top 32 seeded players, and players in bold denote match winners.[29][6]

Top half

[edit]
 
Last 64
Best of 11 frames		Last 32
Best of 11 frames		Last 16
Best of 11 frames		Quarter-finals
Best of 11 frames		Semi-finals
Best of 17 frames
 
                  
 
 
 
 
  Zhang Anda (CHN) (1) 6
 
 
 
  David Grace (ENG) 3
 
 China Zhang Anda (1) 1
 
 
 
 China Lyu Haotian 6
 
  Haydon Pinhey (ENG) 4
 
 
 
  Lyu Haotian (CHN) 6
 
 China Lyu Haotian 5
 
 
 
 Scotland John Higgins (17) 6
 
  Simon Blackwell (ENG) (a) 5
 
 
 
  Matthew Stevens (WAL) 6
 
 Wales Matthew Stevens 1
 
 
 
 Scotland John Higgins (17) 6
 
  John Higgins (SCO) (17) 6
 
 
 
  Ben Woollaston (ENG) 4
 
 Scotland John Higgins (17) 5
 
 
 
 England Chris Wakelin (24) 6
 
  Zak Surety (ENG)[a] w/d
 
 
 
  Chris Wakelin (ENG) (24) w/o
 
 England Chris Wakelin (24) 6
 
 
 
 England Shaun Murphy (9) 3
 
  Anthony Hamilton (ENG)[b] w/d
 
 
 
  Shaun Murphy (ENG) (9) w/o
 
 England Chris Wakelin (24) 6
 
 
 
 Wales Mark Williams (8) 4
 
  Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (THA) 6
 
 
 
  Stuart Bingham (ENG) (25) 0
 
 Thailand Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 1
 
 
 
 Wales Mark Williams (8) 6
 
  Mark Davis (ENG)[c] w/d
 
 
 
  Mark Williams (WAL) (8) w/o
 
 England Chris Wakelin (24) 9
 
 
 
 China Xiao Guodong (29) 8
 
  Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) (5) 6
 
 
 
  He Guoqiang (CHN) 2
 
 England Ronnie O'Sullivan (5) 4
 
 
 
 China Pang Junxu (28) 6
 
  Pang Junxu (CHN) (28) 6
 
 
 
  Elliot Slessor (ENG) 5
 
 China Pang Junxu (28) 4
 
 
 
 Wales Jackson Page 6
 
  Ali Carter (ENG) (12) 6
 
 
 
  Ross Muir (SCO) 5
 
 England Ali Carter (12) 4
 
 
 
 Wales Jackson Page 6
 
  David Gilbert (ENG) (21) 4
 
 
 
  Jackson Page (WAL) 6
 
 Wales Jackson Page 4
 
 
 
 China Xiao Guodong (29) 6
 
  Gong Chenzhi (CHN) 5
 
 
 
  Jack Lisowski (ENG) (20) 6
 
 England Jack Lisowski (20) 6
 
 
 
 China Si Jiahui (13) 5
 
  Ben Mertens (BEL) 3
 
 
 
  Si Jiahui (CHN) (13) 6
 
 England Jack Lisowski (20) 3
 
 
 
 China Xiao Guodong (29) 6
 
  Ricky Walden (ENG) 0
 
 
 
  Xiao Guodong (CHN) (29) 6
 
 China Xiao Guodong (29) 6
 
 
 
 Northern Ireland Mark Allen (4) 2
 
  Aaron Hill (IRL) 2
 
 
  Mark Allen (NIR) (4) 6
 
Note: w/d=withdrawn; w/o=walkover

Bottom half

[edit]
 
Last 64
Best of 11 frames		Last 32
Best of 11 frames		Last 16
Best of 11 frames		Quarter-finals
Best of 11 frames		Semi-finals
Best of 17 frames
 
                  
 
 
 
 
  Judd Trump (ENG) (3) 6
 
 
 
  Sanderson Lam (ENG) 0
 
 England Judd Trump (3) 6
 
 
 
 England Joe O'Connor (30) 4
 
  Joe O'Connor (ENG) (30) 6
 
 
 
  Anthony McGill (SCO) 1
 
 England Judd Trump (3) 4
 
 
 
 China Xu Si 6
 
  Stan Moody (ENG) 5
 
 
 
  Xu Si (CHN) 6
 
 China Xu Si 6
 
 
 
 Wales Ryan Day (19) 2
 
  Ryan Day (WAL) (19) 6
 
 
 
  Daniel Womersley (ENG) (a)[d] 3
 
 China Xu Si 6
 
 
 
 England Gary Wilson (11) 5
 
  Robbie Williams (ENG) 6
 
 
 
  Stuart Carrington (ENG) 3
 
 England Robbie Williams 5
 
 
 
 England Gary Wilson (11) 6
 
  Dean Young (SCO) 4
 
 
 
  Gary Wilson (ENG) (11) 6
 
 England Gary Wilson (11) 6
 
 
 
 England Mark Selby (6) 3
 
  Jimmy Robertson (ENG) 1
 
 
 
  Noppon Saengkham (THA) (27) 6
 
 Thailand Noppon Saengkham (27) 3
 
 
 
 England Mark Selby (6) 6
 
  Jamie Clarke (WAL) 4
 
 
 
  Mark Selby (ENG) (6) 6
 
 China Xu Si 6
 
 
 
 China Ding Junhui (10) 9
 
  Jiang Jun (CHN) 6
 
 
 
  Amir Sarkhosh (IRN) 5
 
 China Jiang Jun 6
 
 
 
 China Yuan Sijun 4
 
  Michael Holt (ENG) 4
 
 
 
  Yuan Sijun (CHN) 6
 
 China Jiang Jun 3
 
 
 
 China Ding Junhui (10) 6
 
  Ding Junhui (CHN) (10) 6
 
 
 
  Martin O'Donnell (ENG) 1
 
 China Ding Junhui (10) 6
 
 
 
 Iran Hossein Vafaei (23) 0
 
  Hossein Vafaei (IRN) (23) 6
 
 
 
  Dylan Emery (WAL) (a) 1
 
 China Ding Junhui (10) 6
 
 
 
 England Kyren Wilson (2) 4
 
  Joe Perry (ENG) 2
 
 
 
  Barry Hawkins (ENG) (18) 6
 
 England Barry Hawkins (18) 6
 
 
 
 Australia Neil Robertson (15) 1
 
  Fan Zhengyi (CHN) 0
 
 
 
  Neil Robertson (AUS) (15) 6
 
 England Barry Hawkins (18) 2
 
 
 
 England Kyren Wilson (2) 6
 
  Andrew Higginson (ENG) 3
 
 
 
  Wu Yize (CHN) (31) 6
 
 China Wu Yize (31) 4
 
 
 
 England Kyren Wilson (2) 6
 
  Liu Hongyu (CHN) 3
 
 
  Kyren Wilson (ENG) (2) 6
 

Final

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Final: Best of 19 frames. Referee: Xie Yixin
SNCNFC, Nanjing, China, 10 November 2024
Chris Wakelin (24)
 England 		7–10 Ding Junhui (10)
 China
Afternoon: 78–41, 54–64, 92–9, 85–0, 65–9, 0–76, 0–80, 53–54, 42–81
Evening: 17–66, 30–92, 82–0, 93–3, 6–106, 79–34, 5–72, 31–81
(frame 3) 92 Highest break 98 (frame 14)
0 Century breaks 0

Qualifying

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Qualification for the tournament took place from 30 September to 2 October 2024 at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield, England.[5] Numbers in parentheses after the players' names denote the top 32 seeded players, and players in bold denote match winners.[30][11]

Nanjing

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Qualifying matches featuring the defending champion (Zhang Anda); the reigning World Champion (Kyren Wilson); the two highest ranked Chinese players other than Zhang (Ding Junhui and Si Jiahui); four Chinese wildcards (Zhou Jinhao, Wang Xinbo, Cai Wei, and Zheng Dian);[6] and Ronnie O'Sullivan were held over to be played in Nanjing. The results of the held‑over matches played on 3 November 2024 were as follows:[11][29]

Morning session

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Afternoon session

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Evening session

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Sheffield

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The results of the qualifying matches played in Sheffield were as follows:[30][11]

30 September

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1 October

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2 October

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Century breaks

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Main stage centuries

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A total of 92 century breaks were made during the main stage of the tournament in Nanjing.[31]

Qualifying stage centuries

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A total of 42 century breaks were made during the qualifying stage of the tournament in Sheffield.[32]

Notes

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  1. ^ Zak Surety withdrew and so Chris Wakelin was given a walkover to the last 32.[6]
  2. ^ Anthony Hamilton withdrew and so Shaun Murphy was given a walkover to the last 32.[6]
  3. ^ Mark Davis withdrew and so Mark Williams was given a walkover to the last 32.[6]
  4. ^ a b Daniel Womersley replaced Jamie Jones who withdrew.[11]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Zhang lands Tianjin glory". World Snooker Tour. 12 November 2023. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Ding claims Nanjing glory". World Snooker Tour. 10 November 2024. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  3. ^ "Nanjing ready to stage International Championship". World Snooker Tour. 30 September 2024. Archived from the original on 1 October 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  4. ^ a b "International Championship". World Snooker Tour. Archived from the original on 28 September 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  5. ^ a b "BetVictor Northern Ireland Open and International Championship qualifiers draw". World Snooker Tour. 24 September 2024. Archived from the original on 26 September 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "International Championship". snooker.org. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  7. ^ "How to watch the qualifiers". World Snooker Tour. 25 September 2024. Archived from the original on 27 September 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  8. ^ "How to Watch the International Championship". World Snooker Tour. 30 October 2024. Archived from the original on 7 November 2024.
  9. ^ "Un-Nooh misses black for 147". World Snooker Tour. 30 September 2024. Archived from the original on 30 September 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  10. ^ Drury, Sam (30 September 2024). "Un-Nooh misses final black for 147 for third time". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 2 October 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d e "International Championship qualifiers". snooker.org. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  12. ^ a b "International Championship day one". World Snooker Tour. 3 November 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  13. ^ "International Championship day two". World Snooker Tour. 4 November 2024. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Xu makes Nanjing maximum". World Snooker Tour. 5 November 2024. Archived from the original on 5 November 2024. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  15. ^ "International Championship day three". World Snooker Tour. 5 November 2024. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  16. ^ "International Championship day four". World Snooker Tour. 6 November 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  17. ^ "Xiao into top 16 for first time". World Snooker Tour. 7 November 2024. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Resurgent Ding topples Crucible king Wilson". World Snooker Tour. 7 November 2024. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  19. ^ "Angry Higgins beaten in quarter-finals by Wakelin". BBC Sport. 7 November 2024. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  20. ^ "Wakelin ahead in Nanjing semi-final". World Snooker Tour. 8 November 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  21. ^ "Chris Wakelin scraps past Xiao Guodong to reach International Championship final after edging 17-frame thriller". Eurosport. 8 November 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  22. ^ "Wakelin beats Xiao in Nanjing thriller". World Snooker Tour. 8 November 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  23. ^ "Wakelin reaches International Championship final". BBC Sport. 8 November 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  24. ^ "Ding secures spot in International Championship final". BBC Sport. 9 November 2024. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  25. ^ "Home favourite Ding beats Xu to reach final". World Snooker Tour. 9 November 2024. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  26. ^ Hilsum, James (9 November 2024). "Ding Junhui stages impressive recovery to overcome Xu Si, will meet Chris Wakelin in International Championship final". Eurosport. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  27. ^ "Ding rallies to lead final". World Snooker Tour. 10 November 2024. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  28. ^ "Ding wins first ranking title in five years". BBC Sport. 10 November 2024. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  29. ^ a b "International Championship 2024 matches". World Snooker Tour. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  30. ^ a b "International Championship 2024 qualifiers matches". World Snooker Tour. 2 October 2024. Archived from the original on 5 October 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  31. ^ "Tournament centuries". snookerinfo.co.uk. 8 November 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  32. ^ "Centuries: International Championship qualifiers - 42". snookerinfo.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 October 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
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