Zhao Xintong leads Yan Bingtao 8-0 after extraordinary first session in German Masters final

Zhao Xintong has an iron grip of the German Masters final after opening up an 8-0 lead of over Yan Bingtao in the race to nine. Yan, who won thrillers against Mark Selby, Ryan Day and Mark Allen to reach the final, had the look of a player whose well had run dry. Ad/> He had scoring opportunities, but failed to take them and the UK champion punished his errors — with Zhao on the brink of victory going into the evening at the Tempodrom.

German MastersYan holds nerve to beat Allen in German Masters thriller18 HOURS AGO Robertson set to miss Championship League after positive Covid test Selby will take time away from snooker if pressures impact on mental health In what was a scene-setter for the afternoon session, Yan got in first in the opener but broke down on 34 and Zhao stepped in with a 74 to open his account. Both players had chances in the second, but Yan paid the price for a sloppy safety. Trailing by 24 points, he stuck a red over the bottom left and Zhao’s long-potting prowess was never going to let him down.

Zhao did not close out the frame and had to endure a long safety exchange after Yan chased and got a snooker, but good pots on green and blue secured a two-frame lead. Yan passed up a chance in the third, albeit a tough black bridging over a red and paid a heavy price as Xhao ruthlessly swept up his sixth ton of the tournament, a break of 118. Zhao ensured he would take a 4-0 lead into the mid-session interval by knocking in a break of 84, but was denied a second century after going in off.