“I knew that this match was creating history, with four Chinese players reaching the semi-finals of a ranking event. This is a great milestone and it gives us a lot of confidence going forward.”
Zhou will face Zhang Anda in the semi-finals after he beat Wu Yize 5-2, the same scoreline by which Xiao Guodong defeated Si Jiahui, with those two quarter-finals also all-Chinese fixtures.
In the other quarter-final, world champion Zhao Xintong edged past England’s Chris Wakelin 5-4 to set up a semi-final with Guodong, who beat his idol Ronnie O’Sullivan in the second round.
Zhao had led 4-1 before Wakelin roared back to level at 4-4 and force a deciding frame.
But Zhao got the better of a tactical battle in the decider to seal the success.
The first snooker ranking event was the 1974 World Championship and this World Grand Prix is the 455th in the history of the sport.
The historic last-four ties emphasise the growing influence of China in the sport, with Zhao becoming the first Chinese world champion in May last year, while nine of the last 16 at this World Grand Prix are from the nation.
