'How did that go in?' - Watch the Zhou Yuelong pot at English Open that left commentator Neal Foulds in state of shock

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Zhou Yuelong was an impressive winner over Mark Selby in their English Open semi-final at the Brentwood Centre in Essex on Saturday, but he also had some good luck on his side - notably a pot that had the commentary team in a state of shock. Watch and stream top snooker action, including the English Open, live and on demand on TNT Sports and discovery+

‘How did that go in?’ - Zhou pots red that leaves Foulds baffled

Video credit: TNT Sports

Zhou Yuelong ran out a comprehensive winner over Mark Selby in their English Open semi-final, but he did admit to having some fortune.

As well as seeing Selby run out of position on occasions and cannoning in the wrong ball when splitting the pack, Zhou got a piece of good fortune that left Neal Foulds in a state of bewilderment in the TNT Sports commentary box.

During the fifth frame, Zhou assessed his options before getting down and playing a red to the left middle.

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He got up off the shot immediately, which is often a tell-tale sign of a miss, but a ripple of applause greeted Zhou as the red dropped into the bag.

A replay from behind the ball had Foulds scratching his head, as the red looked destined for the near jaw only to move off its line and into the pocket.

"He leapt up in the air straight away as if he had missed it," Foulds said on commentary for TNT Sports. "How did that go in? Wow."

The camera cut to Selby as the ball dropped, and Foulds added: "I think Mark Selby thought he had pulled a bit of a stroke on him there, but if you see it again it has gone in completely the wrong direction.

"I don’t think I have ever seen that happen before, a ball go upwards to the middle pocket."

‘A special semi-final’ - Zhou thrilled with win over Selby

Video credit: TNT Sports

There have been complaints about the conditions at the Brentwood Centre in Essex this week, with Selby suggesting a swimming pool connected to the venue was having an impact.

"I think with having a swimming pool at the venue, you can just feel the moisture," Selby said.

"As soon as you walk out of the arena to go to the corridor where the toilets are, you can just feel the damp from the pool.

"I think everywhere we’ve played… it was the same in Barnsley, Ponds Forge. It’s difficult, you know."

There was no suggestion that the pool had a hand in Zhou's pot in frame five, but he did admit to having good fortune on his side during his semi-final win.

"I was getting nervous, especially playing Mark Selby in a special semi-final," Zhou said. "I got some luck in the first two frames and then I was able to relax a little."

Despite being on the wrong end of the result and a poor run of the balls, Selby had words of praise for Zhou.

"Little things were going wrong but when Zhou got his chances he took them, and he deserved to win," Selby said.

"Sometimes it is just one or two shots here or there. It just was not to be.

"It is great to see him back playing somewhere near his best. He has been in the wilderness for two or three seasons so it is good to see him back and I wish him well."

Watch and stream top snooker action, including the English Open, live and on demand on TNT Sports and discovery+

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