The 2024 International Championship final will be contested between Ding Junhui and Chris Wakelin in Nanjing on Sunday.
The eighth ranking title of the 2024/25 snooker season is up for grabs with ยฃ175,000 going to the winner at the SNC National Fitness Center.
Ding Junhui fought his way back from 5-2 behind to beat fellow Chinese cueist Xu Si 9-6 in Saturday’s second semi-final.
It takes the 37 year-old through to a 24th career ranking final as he chases an overdue 15th crown at this level and a first since emerging with the 2019 UK Championship trophy.
With his greater overall experience at this stage of tournaments, Ding will obviously go into the International Championship as the slight favourite for glory.
But it has been a long time since the former world number one has etched his name onto silverware, and he’ll likely feel the pressure in front of his home fans too.
Wakelin has represented a markedly improved player over the course of the last couple of seasons, particularly since claiming the Snooker Shoot Out title in early 2023.
The 32 year-old was considered a bit of journeyman before that breakthrough moment, but since then he has established himself as a consistent performer.
Indeed, by beating Xiao Guodong 9-8 in Friday’s first semi-final, it’s already guaranteed that Wakelin will enter the top 16 of the world rankings for the first time in his career.
The Englishman, who counted Shaun Murphy, Mark Williams, and John Higgins among his earlier conquests this week, will look to substantiate that improvement with a second ranking title and a decidedly more prestigious one than the Shoot Out.
Ding and Wakelin have clashed only twice before on the World Snooker Tour, with honours even and one victory apiece.
Their most recent clash came in this season’s Wuhan Open where Wakelin compiled a hat-trick of century breaks to claim a 5-3 triumph in the last 16.
If either player can produce that kind of level in this International Championship final, he will prove difficult to beat.
Additionally on the line is a place in next week’s Champion of Champions draw, while the mammoth champion’s cheque would practically guarantee qualification for the three lucrative Players Series events later in the season.
Plenty to play for then in what promises to be a fascinating finale to the week’s action in China.
Live coverage of the International Championship final is available for UK and Irish viewers on discovery+ and Eurosport.
The sessions begin at 6am and 11:30am UTC.
Featured photo credit: WST
Wakelin’s three century breaks in succession against Ding, at the Wuhan Open, were actually all total clearances. That may be the only instance of it being achieved in successive frames.
Ding would get into the Champions of Champions if he lost the final and Ronnie O’Sullivan pulled out.
True, Ding replaced O’Sullivan in last year’s Champion of Champions too.
You’re probably right about Wakelin’s three total-clearances, but Zhou Yuelong got 134, 122 and 134 against Dominic Dale in a Summer Championship League match. We’re still trying to check whether the 122 was a total clearance (or he missed a ball at the end). Unfortunately the stream crashed during the break and I haven’t been able to ask Zhou, assuming he remembers.
If Ding wins today then Zhang Anda would replace O’Sullivan if he withdraws.
Zhang is still in Shaoguan, but he’ll probably be travelling to the UK in time if he gets the call. But if Ronnie’s going to insist on the Thursday 1pm slot, then the least he can do is actually turn up!
I hope he does play as I’ve not been able to watch him as much as I’d have liked so far this season.