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World Snooker
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China’s wait for snooker world champion goes on as ‘female Ding’ Bai Yulu loses women’s final

  • Teenager is beaten to the crown by Siripaporn Nuanthakhamjan of Thailand as her dream run ends at the last hurdle
  • 12-time winner Reanne Evans calls tournament’s £8,000 (US$9,600) winner’s cheque ‘disgusting’ compared with £500,000 for men’s champion

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Bai Yulu has announced her talent at the global tournament despite her defeat in the final. Photo: WWS
Shirley Chui
Bai Yulu has been compared to Chinese men’s cue legend Ding Junhui, but if her star has risen spectacularly at the World Women’s Snooker Championship, she emulated Ding in unwanted fashion by falling agonisingly short of the ultimate prize.
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The teenager was beaten 6-3 in the final in Bangkok on Saturday by Siripaporn Nuanthakhamjan of Thailand, who also looked an unlikely winner at the outset before, like Bai, picking off some illustrious names.

Neither finalist featured on the event poster, but between them they removed several of those who did, with 19-year-old Bai, on her tournament debut, stunning 12-time winner Reanne Evans 5-3 and Siripaporn knocking out her compatriot and reigning world champion Mink Nutcharut 5-2 in the semi-finals.

Their showdown began with Bai – the first mainland Chinese player to reach the final, although Hong Kong’s Ng On-yee is already a three-time winner – taking a 2-0 lead.

Thailand’s Siripaporn Nuanthakhamjan won the women’s world title for the first time. Photo: WWS
Thailand’s Siripaporn Nuanthakhamjan won the women’s world title for the first time. Photo: WWS

After her opponent brought it back to 2-2, Bai won the next to lead at the midsession interval. She was overhauled, however, as Siripaporn took four frames in a row to clinch the title and with it a wild card for the men’s World Snooker Tour.

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