Bai Yulu hopes the confidence that she gained from her historic run in the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship earlier this season will aid her attempt to become the first woman to qualify for the Crucible.
China’s Bai will be in action in the Halo World Championship qualifiers next month and faces Liam Highfield in her opening fixture on April 9th. She will need to win four matches to make it to the televised stages at the Crucible.
Last November, Bai beat Farakh Ajaib, Jamie Jones and Scott Donaldson in the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship qualifiers. Though she lost to Jack Lisowski in the last 48, it was still the deepest ever run from a woman in a Triple Crown event and she showed her break-building quality with 16 runs over 50 across the four matches.
“After winning three matches in the UK Championship, the biggest gain was definitely the confidence boost,” said 21-year-old Bai this week as she reflected on the season. “Before that, I had lost a few matches and felt like I wasn’t adapting well to the conditions. But those wins made me realise it wasn’t about ability, it was about finding the right rhythm. That run helped me get used to the feeling of the professional circuit.
“I was most proud of the win against Scott Donaldson. I never expected to come back in that match (from 5-3 down to win 6-5). Before the mid-session interval, I was feeling quite down – I’d lost two frames after making 50 breaks, and some other frames were really close. During the interval, I told myself to stop overthinking and just focus on each shot. After that, I played better and better. I ended up with making seven 50 breaks in that match. Even though I didn’t win every frame, I was really focused and played well overall. It’s more about playing my best. It was only afterwards that I realised Scott had previously beaten many top players, including Ding Junhui.”
Every new professional must learn quickly on the tour, as the step up from the amateur game is a vast. World Women’s Champion Bai feels that her tactical game is improving. “My way of thinking about shot selection has changed,” she said. “I’m much more cautious now when choosing between going for pots and playing safe, more mature I’d say. The difference is huge. Sometimes you think you’ve played a decent safety, but your opponent still pots it and leaves you stunned. So every decision needs to be made very carefully.
“I practise at Ding Junhui’s academy. I often play against Pang Junxu, Yuan Sijun and Ma Hailong. I lose a lot, but it helps me see where I need to improve. I love watching snooker too, Chinese players in particular, especially when they’re in important stages of a match. I learn a lot from them.”
Bai has played only one competitive best-of-19 frame match in her career, that was in last season’s Crucible qualifiers when she lost 10-7 to Jenson Kendrick. “Hopefully I can use that experience this time and not feel as nervous at the start,” she said. “It’s going to be tough, no matter who you draw. Every match is hard, so I just hope I can play my best and stay in my rhythm.”
Bai will be one of 128 players in the Halo World Championship qualifying rounds, running from April 7-16 at the English Institute of Sport – Sheffield. Just 16 will make it to the Crucible, and star names in action will include Ali Carter, Stuart Bingham, Jack Lisowski, Hossein Vafaei, Stephen Maguire, Gary Wilson, Chris Wakelin and David Gilbert. Tickets are just £12 per day – for all details click here.
Article by WST.
