Stephen Hendry criticizes Xiao Guodong’s poor shot at World Snooker Championship
Stephen Hendry has described a particular shot by Xiao Guodong during his second-round match at the World Snooker Championship as “the worst shot so far”, reports BritPanorama.
The seven-time world champion made his comments while providing commentary alongside fellow former champion John Parrott. This critique came as Guodong struggled against Shaun Murphy, trailing 4-0 in frames at the Crucible Theatre.
Hendry remarked, “It’s just not a shot: it’s almost amateurish the way he played it,” directing little sympathy towards the world number nine’s performance. The moment in question saw Guodong mistakenly snooker himself while attempting to target a red ball into the bottom left corner.
During the commentary, Hendry elaborated on the mechanics of the failed shot: “He’s got a red over the corner next to the black, and all you’ve got to do here is hit this with pace.” Guodong’s execution did not yield the desired outcome, leaving the cue ball lodged amidst a cluster of reds.
He added, “You’ve got a fantastic bunch of reds there, you’ve got the black hanging over the pocket. It’s almost like having a free shot.” Hendry emphasized that Guodong’s choice to play the shot with little pace was misguided. “I don’t know why you’d want to play with no pace, and he ends up snookering himself,” he said.
Hendry continued to suggest that Guodong’s tension was affecting his play. “He’s not started the match well, he’s desperate to get a frame on the board and not thinking clearly,” he commented. Against this backdrop, Murphy had been consistent and powerful, scoring breaks of 79, 103, 63, and 64, and establishing a comfortable lead while Guodong managed only a meager seven, 28, 16, and 23 points in the opening frames.
This sequence of events highlights the pressure competitors face in high-stakes situations and serves as a reminder of how quickly fortunes can shift in professional snooker.
