Chinese snooker star Yan Bingtao has reached the semi-finals of his debut Masters tournament after beating Stephen Maguire on Friday, becoming the youngest semi-finalist since Ding Junhui in 2007. “I‘m absolutely over the moon and really excited about the result. At the beginning I didn’t expect to get through the first round, now I am in the semi-finals,” Yan told World Snooker Tour after his win. The 20-year-old beat Scotland’s Maguire 6-5 in a match that went back and forth. Yan began by winning the first two frames, with Maguire taking the next three. World No 11 Yan, playing in his first year at the invite-only Masters, drew level before the pair traded frames until 5-5. Yan Bingtao will be the youngest @Betfred Masters semi finalist since Ding Junhui in 2007! He's beaten Stephen Maguire 6-5 #ilovesnooker pic.twitter.com/LSJ4f1U6Bc — World Snooker Tour (@WeAreWST) January 15, 2021 Yan then sealed the win in the decider, just as he did with his first round win over world No 2 Neil Robertson. “I won both matches on the deciding frame, so that is an achievement for me,” Yan said. When will Chinese snooker players be in the frame for biggest prizes? Yan’s 141 break to take victory was a career high and also surpassed Maguire’s tournament high, before John Higgins raised the bar for the prize pot with a 145 in his win over Ronnie O’Sullivan. Next up for Yan in Milton Keynes, where the Masters is taking place behind closed doors due to Covid-19, is Stuart Bingham with Higgins and David Gilbert facing off in the other semi-final. Ding, who went out to O’Sullivan in the first round of this year’s Masters, was 19 when he reached the 2007 semi-final.