Barry Hawkins makes rarely seen snooker blunder in humiliating defeat

Barry Hawkins was defeated 6-0 by Wu Yize in the quarter-finals of the International Championship in China

English snooker ace Barry Hawkins saw his hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the International Championship in China dashed by an extraordinary mistake.

In a bizarre blunder, the world No. 13 accidentally struck the blue ball with his cue extension, bringing his time at the table to an immediate halt. Meanwhile, Chinese player Wu Yize cruised through his quarter-final clash, securing his spot in the semi-finals where he’ll face fellow countryman Zhao Xintong.

Hawkins struggled to find his rhythm throughout the encounter, failing to register a single break above 50. Following his costly error, he was visibly frustrated as Wu seized the initiative.

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Prior to the quarter-finals, Hawkins had seen off Zhou Jinhao, Huang Jiahao, Jak Jones, and Northern Ireland Open champion Jack Lisowski.

That run had raised hopes of silverware, but his mistake brought those ambitions to a halt, ending in a 6–0 defeat.

The Kent player has claimed four ranking titles during his career, most recently defeating Judd Trump in the 2023 European Masters final.

Though he suffered defeat to Kyren Wilson in this year’s German Masters final.

Back in September, Hawkins clashed with referee Ben Williams during a deadlock with Jak Jones, branding the official’s refusal to allow a re-rack as ‘rubbish.’

“We’re going to be here all night. That’s rubbish. There’s loads of people who have re-racks when you know it’s going to be a long frame,” he said at the time.

In the quarter-finals, Wu racked up breaks of 50 or more in all six frames against Hawkins, with a high score of 111.

He sailed to victory after securing six straight frames against Judd Trump in the previous round.

The world No. 22 was on the brink of a last-16 exit, lagging 4-0, before pulling off an incredible comeback.

Should he triumph over Zhao Xintong, Wu will go head-to-head with the victor of the semi-final clash between John Higgins and Stephen Maguire.