China's Wild Cards Have a Raw Deal in Beijing

Snooker: Marco Fu was made to work hard in his defeat of 18-year-old wild card Li Yuan at the China Open

All eight invited local wild cards were defeated on the opening day of the China Open in Beijing yesterday, although Li Yuan, an 18-year-old making his television debut, ran Marco Fu to a deciding frame.

From 4-2 down, Li made an 81 break in the seventh frame before winning the eighth with a last red to black clearance. Chances abounded on both sides in the decider as Fu grew edgy but the world No27 from Hong Kong eventually did enough to secure a 5-4 victory and a meeting with tournament favorite Ronnie O'Sullivan.

Last year, five of the eight Chinese wild cards were successful but home hopes now rest on Ding Junhui, the world No9, who faces Joe Perry today.

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