Over the past two weeks Si Jiahui has calmly despatched his opponents one by one – first the 2005 world champion Shaun Murphy, then the 13th seed Robert Milkins, before knocking out Scotland’s Anthony McGill in the quarter-finals – like the world’s most serene assassin. The 20-year-old has produced an extraordinary Crucible debut to be within reach of the World Championship final, and perhaps the most remarkable part is that he has taken it all in his stride.
But Si wasn’t always this calm. When he was young, his father Si Peijun opened a snooker club in their hometown, Zhuji. The young Jiahui was obsessed, and by 10 years old he could beat just about anyone in the room, with the help of a rest to reach the middle of the table. Yet the game would often frustrate him.
He trained from nine in the morning until 10 at night by his father,” recalls Roger Leighton, who coached Si as a teenager. “He was a nice, friendly kid, but he had a temper. His father was difficult and put extra pressure on him, like most Chinese fathers do.”
Si was 12 when he arrived at Leighton’s Wiraka Billiard Academy in the city of Foshan. He had plenty of raw talent and no little spirit, but his game was in need of refinement. “I worked on his foundation and consistency, and his mental side,” Leighton says. “He was always very determined and gutsy, but he wasn’t as relaxed then as he is now.”
A telling moment came aged 14 when Si beat the man long tipped to deliver China’s first world title, Ding Junhui, in a national tournament, coming back from two frames down to win 3-2. Leighton knew he was working with a special player. “There I saw his focus and determination and I was sure he had a great chance to go far.
