World Championship: Si Jiahui feeling at home on main stage in Sheffield

The 20-year-old swapped life in his homeland, he comes from Zhu Ji in the Zhejiang province of central China, to pursue his snooker dreams in South Yorkshire.

The sacrifices have been testing – Si returned to China to visit his family for the first time in three years last month – while he travelled around the UK competing as an amateur last season after falling off snooker’s professional Tour.

But his dreams are turning into reality. Si – who has won six matches to stun the sporting world and reach the semi-finals of the Cazoo World Championship – resumes on Friday morning in his best-of-32 contest, leading Belgium’s Luca Brecel 5-3.

His unlikely feats have had snooker buffs racing for the record books, with Si becoming the first Crucible debutant to reach the semi-finals since 1995, the youngest player to make it to the last four in Sheffield since Ronnie O’Sullivan in 1996, and only the third player from his country to make it to the one table arena, after Ding Junhui and Marco Fu.

Si promised to attack – a tactic which has served him well in the first 12 days of this tournament – and an opening salvo of 125, 102 and 97 certainly announced himself on centre stage of this iconic theatre.

“I’ll keep going for my shots because I’m still not as good as others at safety,” he admitted before facing Brecel. “I’ll go for potting when there are options, try to attack. I will keep trying my best, but I don’t want fans to expect too much.

“I am surprised to get this far because I didn’t think I was at the level of players who can make it to the semi-finals. I need to improve. So please don’t think of me as great player like Ding (Junhui)”

Si – who trains at Victoria’s Academy, just a short walk from the Crucible – came into this match as the underdog, after a season which offered little evidence of what would transpire in Sheffield. A quarter-final appearance at the European Masters apart, the World No 80 has struggled for wins this campaign.

He won three qualifying rounds – beating Florian Nuessle, Tom Ford and Jordan Brown – to make his Crucible debut.

Then Si showed his composure to win final-frame deciders to beat Shaun Murphy 10-9 and Anthony McGill 13-12, either side of thrashing Robert Milkins 13-7.

So six wins later, Si walked onto the Crucible stage – transformed overnight from two tables to a one-table arena – for the first of four scheduled semi-final sessions. After a late-night win over McGill, and the magnitude of the occasion, Si could have been forgiven if he was jaded or nervous. But a long-range red from Si quickly settled any butterflies, even if he was was left with a rueful smile when Brecel fluked a pink to embark on a frame-winning break of 50.

What came next was a display of power-scoring which stunned not only Brecel, but the packed Crucible crowd and the millions watching on TV back in China.

Si knocked in back-to-back centuries – 125 and 102 – the only disappointment for the rookie coming in the fourth frame, when he looked at the scoreboard to realise he could not reach another three-figure score. But a 97 clearance was ample compensation to make it 3-1 at the mid-session interval. Si has freely admitted during the tournament his safety play is one area he needs work on, but in frame five his tactical acumen was at the fore. He refused to gamble on a couple of breaks, playing safe rather than attempt an audacious pot, and it paid dividends as he increased his lead to 4-1.

These best-of-32 contests often ebb and flow, and the first real turning point came in frame six. Si was on a break of 53, but somehow missed a simple black off its spot with the frame at his mercy.

World No 10 Brecel – who before this year had not a match at the Crucible in five previous visits – needed no second invitation, punishing his opponent with a 72 clearance.

Frame seven will be best remembered for its 36 penalty points awarded to Brecel as he cut the deficit to 4-3. Si, on a break of 33, in attempting to break up the pack of reds, found himself snookered on a colour.

He eventually found the brown at the seventh attempt, only for Brecel to snare him in another snooker, before the 28-year-old Belgium potter secured the frame with a 69 break.

The final frame was always going to be key, a big difference – if only psychologically – between 4-4 and leading 5-3 overnight.

Brecel had the first chance, a missed pink halting his 33 break, before Si replied with 43.

Errors ensured from both players, maybe the enormity of the moment realised.

Brecel miscued on the yellow to leave a free ball, only for Si to play a terrible safety on the yellow to seemingly gift his opponent the frame.

But with just pink and black remaining, Brecel faltered on a long pink, and a relieved Si nipped in to pinch the frame.