'Unbelievable' – Hossein Vafaei secures Judd Trump Welsh Open snooker semi-final after 'tastiest' comeback win

ByEurosport

Updated 05/03/2022 at 13:28 GMT

Hossein Vafaei recovered from trailing 4-1 against Zhang Anda in the Welsh Open quarter-finals to complete a memorable 5-4 victory. The Shoot Out winner looked down and out in the race to five frames, but reeled off breaks of 68, 58, 63 and 96 to progress to the last four and a semi-final meeting with World No. 3 Judd Trump on Saturday afternoon in Newport (LIVE on Eurosport at 12:45pm).

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Hossein Vafaei hit back from 4-1 behind to complete a rousing 5-4 win over Zhang Anda and secure a fascinating Welsh Open semi-final clash with fellow crowd-pleaser Judd Trump in Newport.

Iran's leading player watched as world No. 105 Zhang compiled 108 and 67 to dominate the early stages of their quarter-final at Celtic Manor on Friday night before hitting back in style with knocks of 68, 58, 63 and 96 enough to secure his progress.

“It was unbelievable. This is one of the tastiest comebacks I’ve ever had in my life,” Vafaei told reporters..

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If you say to any player about being 4-1 down, they will know how hard it is to win from there.

"As soon as I started this tournament I wasn’t showing good performances at all."

The Shoot Out winner is through to a fifth ranking event semi-final. He lost 6-0 to Neil Robertson in the 2019 Welsh Open semi-finals, but is clearly one of the in-form players on the circuit.

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He has defeated former world champions Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Selby this season and is provisionally up from 21 to a career-high of 19 in the world.

His last major semi-final appearance saw him lose 6-5 to Mark Williams – the player he defeated in the one-frame Shoot Out final in January – at the 2019 China Championship.

"Whatever happens, I accept it as a challenge. I am trying to enjoy it," said Vafaei, who defeated Trump 4-2 in the last 32 of last year's Welsh Open after a 5-3 triumph over the 22-time ranking event winner in the 2017 China Open quarter-finals.

Winning the Shoot Out gave me so much belief. I actually did it and the hard work paid off. That is why I can believe.

"I am the kind of player that can win five or six frames in a row as soon as I get into rhythm. The Shoot Out showed me that I can do it.”

Watch: Tense final moments as Vafaei stuns Trump at Welsh Open

Both semi-finals are contested over the best of 11 frames with Jack Lisowski meeting Joe Perry in the second semi-final on Saturday night at 7pm.