How 'once in a million' shot almost cost Chris Wakelin frame he had 'already won' in Scottish Open final against Chang Bingyu
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Updated 21/12/2025 at 21:50 GMT
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Chris Wakelin must have thought the snooker gods were playing tricks on him during the fourth frame of the Scottish Open final. The Englishman, along with TNT Sports commentators Philip Studd and Joe Johnson, was convinced that he had levelled the match, only for disaster to strike on the final blue. Jimmy White called the bizarre foul "once in a million", even though Wakelin wrapped up the frame.
'He can't believe it!' - Wakelin pots black in crazy fluke foul
Video credit: TNT Sports
Chris Wakelin could not believe his misfortune in frame four of the 2025 Scottish Open final.
The Englishman, who sealed the second ranking title of his career with a 9-2 victory, looked set to level the showpiece at 2-2 before the first mid-session interval.
But "sheer horror" struck in at Edinburgh's Meadowbank Sports Centre, with Wakelin leading Chang Bingyu 73-38 with just blue, pink and black remaining - a total of 18 points.
The 33-year-old from Rugby rattled the jaws with the blue, sending it careering into the black, which floated down the left cushion into the yellow pocket via a disastrous middle-pocket deflection.
Even TNT Sports commentators Philip Studd and Joe Johnson were certain that the frame had been won, only for the unthinkable to happen.
"And that's an important one to seal the deal in frame four of the final," said Studd when Wakelin sunk the final green.
"What an absorbing start to the title match it's been," Studd continued as Wakelin knocked in brown.
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White analyses Wakelin's 'once in a million' foul
Video credit: TNT Sports
"Now hang on, he doesn't want this in. He doesn't want this in! Oh my goodness me," said Studd as the black dropped.
"A free ball as well. Wait a minute. He can't believe it," added Johnson.
"A look of sheer horror on Chris Wakelin's face. Free ball, so the pink counts as an extra blue. One snooker required to tie when the frame was effectively over before Wakelin saw that black hit the jaw, run into the yellow pocket, and leave a free ball," said Studd.
"This game is crazy and will drive you crazy"
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With Chang awarded seven points for the foul and subsequently earning himself another five for potting the pink off a free ball, suddenly the frame was in the balance.
The score now read 73-50 with 18 points still left on the table, meaning a single snooker would be enough for Chang to tie the frame and force a re-spotted black.
Wakelin was then compelled to chase the blue for over 11 minutes, while his opponent attempted to find a frame-changing snooker.
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Chang dazzles crowd and stuns opponent with incredible long red
Video credit: TNT Sports
Eventually, Chang left the blue over middle and duly conceded the frame before giving the Englishman a chance to pot it, thus ending a series of scarcely believable scenes, which had all been kicked into motion by a "once in a million" shot.
"Chris Wakelin, practising cueing a dead-straight blue, thinks he's already won the frame, which he has. The black goes in. So when it goes back on its spot, it leaves a free ball," explained White in his mid-session analysis.
"You can see Chris quickly looks at the scoreboard, wondering, 'What's going on here?' Luckily enough, he got over the line. But that happens once in a million shots."
And after his triumph in the evening session, Wakelin called it "the most insane shot" he had ever played.
"That fourth frame today... I said to Linda [Wakelin's coach] if I lost that frame, the match might be over. That's just the most insane shot I think I've ever played."
Watch and stream the 2025/26 snooker season, including the Scottish Open, live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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