Shaun Murphy triumphed at the end of a dramatic deciding frame to end the hopes of Ding and his millions of fans at the Honghe Industrial 2008 World Snooker China Open with a 5-4 win.
The exciting contest came down to the last few balls. Ding, trailing 42-61, had a chance to clear from the final green, but failed to gain perfect position on the brown then missed a tough pot to a centre pocket.
As the brown rebounded and rolled towards a baulk corner, Ding must have had a flash-back to his match against Stuart Bingham at the same stage of this tournament three years ago, when he fluked the brown and went on to win the tournament.
But this time, the brown finished hanging over the jaws, giving Murphy an easy chance to clear to the pink for victory and a quarter-final place against Mark Allen.
Earlier, Malta Cup champion Murphy started strongly with breaks of 71 and 111 to go 2-0 up. Ding came back to win four of the next six frames with a top run of 72.
But the 20-year-old and his legions of supporters were left disappointed. "I played ok but I had some bad luck in the last frame," said Ding, who has never beaten Murphy. "The pressure on me was huge. I will go back to the UK to prepare for the Crucible, because there is less attention on me there.
"I had chances and we both made mistakes. I'm staisfied with winning my first match here, so losing tonight doesn't matter too much."
World No 3 Murphy said: "I'm delighted. I made some nice breaks and played some good safety. I'm sure the match was great entertainment for anyone watching.
"We both had some good and bad luck throughout the match, but Ding was unlucky in the last frame to leave the brown over the pocket. It couldn't have finished in a better place for me.
"It was a massive advantage for me that I've never lost to Ding, though he's a great player and I'm sure he'll beat me one day. His biggest disadvantage is the expectation. He's got the weight of a nation on him and it must be difficult."
Allen reached his second ranking quarter-final with a 5-3 win over Ali Carter. Allen was a semi-finalist at the Northern Ireland Trophy earlier this season and is one win away from matching that performance.
Breaks of 64 and 135 put the Ulsterman 2-0 up. Carter got back to 2-2 with 59 and 54 and led 66-0 in the next after a 58, but Allen hit back to steal it 67-66.
Carter won the sixth on the black with a 45 clearance and led 46-0 in the seventh, but once again Allen pinched it with a 59. A run of 75 in frame eight sealed a superb win for the former World Amateur Champion.
"I didn't miss many balls and I took my chances," said Allen. "Ali had a bit of bad luck here and there and I took advantage.
"My main aim now is to get into the top 16, then after that I can push on and maybe win a few titles. I will face a very tough opponent next. I am confident but also realistic. This may not be my year to win this tournament but hopefully in the future I can win it."
Mark Selby continued his excellent recent form with a 5-3 win over Marco Fu. That set up a clash with John Higgins and a rematch of the Crucible final. They have also met twice in ranking events this season - Selby winning both. The Leicester player made breaks of 70, 63 and 127 to see off Hong Kong's Fu.
Ryan Day set up an all-Welsh quarter-final with Mark Williams by beating Ken Doherty 5-3.
Doherty made a 136 in coming from 3-1 down to 3-3, but Pontycymmer's Day recovered to win the last two frames with 71 and 54.
"Mark and I are both in good form so it should be a good battle," said Day, looking ahead to his meeting with Williams.
07:30 Maguire, S - Bond, N 1,33 3,105-0 07:30 Williams, M - Day, R 2,12 1,653-5
12:30 Selby, M - Higgins, J 1,61 2,205-2
12:30 Murphy, S - Allen, M 1,60 2,225-3
Confiance faible pour Murphy...il doit pouvoir le faire...mais pas avec le niveau de cet après midi...
Murphy qui gagne 5-3, pas génial mais solide ce Murphy...
Par contre Williams-Day là c'est hyper ouvert, je penche un peu plus sur Day comme le book mais Williams est en bonne forme, il semble avoir retrouvé son jeu...
Williams rate le coche à 3-3 alors qu'il a la table et fait l'erreur de trop sur le desnookage à 3-4 = 3-5 pour Day
Selby-Higgins est le gros match du jour, j'espère que Selby en pleine bourre va gagner comme lors du dernier open de galles 5-2 le 15/02/08
holow a écrit:
Vendredi 28 Mars 2008
Snooker-Chine-China Open
07:30 Maguire, S - Bond, N 1.363 12:30 Selby, M - Higgins, J 1.727
Stephen Maguire raced to a 5-0 victory over Nigel Bond at the Honghe Industrial 2008 World Snooker China Open to move within two wins of his second ranking title of the season.
Maguire, who won the Northern Ireland Trophy in November, took just 96 minutes to see off the challenge of Bond, who was contesting his first ranking quarter-final in five years.
The Glaswegian rattled in breaks of 65, 57, 52, 105 and 55 in booking a semi-final against Ryan Day. Maguire has been arguably snooker's most consistent performer this season and is determined to add to his career tally of three ranking titles.
"To win any match 5-0 is a good result, so to win a quarter-final against Nigel, whose been playing some of the best snooker of the week, is fantastic," said world No 10 Maguire.
"He could have won the first frame but I managed to clear up from about 50 points behind. That dented his confidence and by the time he recovered he was 3-0 or 4-0 down. So winning the first frame had a lot to do with the result.
"I've played Ryan twice before and it's 1-1. We grew up together as juniors so we have a lot of history and we're good friends off the table."
Derbyshire's Bond said: "Stephen's in great form, he's been one of the top four players this season. It was a hard game, I didn't do much wrong, just missed a couple of balls and played one loose safety. I didn't get much table time because he didn't miss much."
Day won the all-Welsh battle against Mark Williams 5-3, and is now one step away from repeating his run to the final of the Roewe Shanghai Masters last August.
Williams won the opening frame with a 61, then Pontycymmer's Day levelled with a 52 clearance before adding the next two for a 3-1 lead.
Back came Williams to 3-3, making a 108 in the sixth. But world No 16 Day proved stronger at the business end as a 76 made it 4-3 and he secured victory in the next.
"It was a very good quality game with good breaks and safety," said Day. "I'm happy to have come out of it on top. My all round performance was solid and I showed a bit of self-belief to win from 3-3."
Williams, who has improved his chances of staying in the top 32 in the rankings by reaching the quarter-finals, added: "At 3-3 I went into the pack but didn't land on a red. If I had done it might have won it."
SELBY CONTINUES HIGGINS HOODOO
28 Mar 2008 13:59:00
Mark Selby has become John Higgins' bogey player this season as another victory over the Scot took him to the semi-finals of the Honghe Industrial 2008 World Snooker China Open.
Since losing to Higgins in the final of the 888.com World Snooker Championship at the end of last season, Selby has exacted three measures of revenge with victories in the Roewe Shanghai Masters, Welsh Open and now a 5-2 success in this tournament in Beijing.
In a high quality match which featured a break of 50 or more in every frame, Selby opened with a 74 then Higgins levelled with a 55. Runs of 50 and 67 gave Selby a 3-1 interval lead.
Higgins pulled one back with a fine 127 but failed to score a point in the last two frames as Selby rolled in 76 and 106.
The Leicester Jester, who won his first ranking title in Wales last month, has now won eight consecutive matches and continues to build his reputation as a world-beater.
He now faces friend and practice partner Shaun Murphy tomorrow, with a place in the final at stake.
"I was very consistent, that's probably the first time this week that I've played well throughout the match," said 24-year-old Selby. "My safety game was solid and I hardly played a bad shot. You have to play like that to beat John.
"I give everyone the same respect and prepare for each match the same way, but I always seem to play well against John. This gives me great confidence, if I can keep playing like this hopefully I can go on to win the title."
World No 1 Higgins said: "Mark played well but I gave him too many chances. My tactical play was very bad. I was giving chances away too cheaply, that was the disappointing thing for me.
"Mark played the way he's been playing all season and if you're not very sharp he will beat you. He's got that much confidence at the moment, when he goes to the table he doesn't think he's going to miss.
"When I get back I'll have a couple of days with my family, then I'll be in the club for two weeks before Sheffield. I've got lots and lots of practice to do."
Former World Champion Murphy fought to a 5-3 win over Mark Allen. The Rotherham potter has shown a remarkable degree of consistency this season, reaching the semi-finals of the last five ranking events.
Northern Ireland's Allen took the first frame with a 56 then Murphy won three on the spin with 53, 52 and 59. Allen won a scrappy fifth then an 82 from Murphy put him 4-2 up.
Breaks of 54 and 62 in frame seven allowed Allen to halve the gap, but his hopes of a fight back were short lived as Murphy closed out the tie with a 64.
"I'm very pleased to get through to another semi and continue my consistent form," said Murphy. "The four players left have been the best this week, and with the exception of Ronnie O'Sullivan they are probably the best four in the world at the moment.
"Mark Selby and I are good friends, and we've had some good matches in the past. We're both playing well so it should be a quality game of snooker and I think it will be quite close."
Allen said: "I didn't deserve to win because I didn't play well enough, so I'm disappointed. I felt as if my form was improving as I went on in the tournament, I played well last night.
"But today it didn't go for me. I only started playing well towards the end, and against someone of Shaun's class I gave myself too much to do."
07:30 Stephen Maguire - Ryan Day 1,45 2,35
12:30 Shaun Murphy - Mark Selby 2,10 1,55
Les favoris sont clairs pour moi, et pour les books...
J'hésite a jouer la surprise Day, car il a battu 3 bons joueurs pour arriver en demi, alors que Maguire a eu une opposition moins forte.
Mais je vais suivre la logique car Maguire a été très solide tout de même.
Maguire réalise une frame parfaite, le 147 et gagne le match 6-5.
Il a eu l'occasion de finir le match 2 fois, 1millimètre l'en empêche en frame finale, mais Day fait 2 erreurs de trop en loupant la verte et un desnookage. Un match sérré et Maguire à la fin.
Selby c'est le favori pour le tournoi, Murphy devra être à son top niveau pour le battre ou espérer un baisse de régime de Selby.
Pour l'instant rien ne le laisse penser.
Et bien pourtant c'est ce qui s'est passé...Selby en perte de vitesse et Murphy mieux et toujours solide 6-3
Dernière édition par holow le Sam 29 Mar 2008 20:23; édité 1 fois
There was double delight for Stephen Maguire in Beijing as he made his first televised 147 and beat Ryan Day 6-5 in a thrilling Honghe Industrial 2008 World Snooker China Open semi-final.
Maguire is through to his third ranking event final of his remarkable season .
In a high class encounter both players were in impressive potting form.
"It was a good match to be involved in and it was obviosuly a bit tense at the end and it was good to get over the line," admitted Maguire.
"Brilliant, apart from winning tournaments it is the best feeling ever they don't come along very often and potting the last black was just great.
"When I potted the pink I was thinking great I can go and buy a new car as I was perfect on the black but when I got down I had to step back and go again even though the black was un-missable," replied the Northern Ireland Trophy winner When questioned afterwards by the journalists on making history.
Maguire opened with a 51 before compiling the first maximum seen in a ranking event in Asia to move two ahead.
But Day was clearly not fazed by his friend making history and responded with four on the spin.
Maguire didn't see a ball for the next two frames as the Pontycymmer cueman knocked in breaks of 104 and 89 to level at the interval. On the resumption of play he continued to make very few mistakes although Maguire had a chance in frame five but having fought back to within four points with a break of 46 he couldn't convert the green allowing Day to seize the frame.
Runs of 30 and 70 secured the next before Maguire was able to break Day's stranglehold on the match. A 61 in frame 7 moved him to within a frame and he was level in the next, this time a break of 75 doing the damage.
Maguire then pulled ahead for the first time in the match since his opening fireworks.
Day a finalist in the season opener, the Roewe Shanghai Masters, was 6-2 up in that match before Dominic Dale hit him with eight frames in a row. Here he showed great composure in frame 10 to tie the match and send it into a deciding frame, a cool 63 proving decisive after the Northern Ireland Champion had missed a tricky red to the middle.
A tense opening exchange was shattered when Day attempted a long red that rattled in the jaws and cannoned across the bottom of the table. Maguire made 58 before he left the black in the jaws of the bottom pocket. Day looked like he'd done all the hard work but ran out of position on the green.
Maguire sunk the green but ran out of position himself on the brown and had to play safe but eventually prevailed to reach his first ranking event final outside of Europe.
He will face the winner of the second semi-final between Shaun Murphy and Mark Selby. "The two of them are the best players in the World. It will be a similiar match to today, very tough and I will watch the match with no preference to who I play," he said.
For Day who was within a frame of reaching back to back finals in China it was not too be, "I'm disappointed, I played quite well. We both had a run of a few frames but I had a chance to clear up at the end so I'm a little disappointed."
Shaun Murphy reached his first ranking final of the season with a 6-3 defeat of Mark Selby in the Honghe Industrial 2008 World Snooker China Open.
Rotherham's Murphy brought to an end Selby's winning streak as he set up a final meeting with Stephen Maguire in Beijing. Murphy had lost at the semi-final stage of the past four ranking events but overcame that hurdle with a composed performance.
The 25-year-old will face Glasgow's Maguire over 19 frames tomorrow with the winner to take home a cheque for £48,000. Murphy will be seeking his third ranking title and his first since the Malta Cup two years ago - though he did win the same tournament when it took place as an invitational last month. It's well documented that he and Maguire are not friends away from table, but neither will need any extra motivation when they battle for the title.
Former World Champion Murphy went 2-0 up tonight with a top break of 64. Leicester's Selby, whose purple patch has yielded the SAGA Insurance Masters and Welsh Open titles, took the next three in a row with 54, 95 and 132.
Murphy hit back with 73 and 77 to go 4-3 up then he came from 44-0 down to win frame eight on the brown. He built an early 41-3 lead in the next, then Selby battled back to within four points before missing a tough final yellow. Murphy laid a snooker and capitalised on the chance that followed by clearing to the blue for victory.
"I'm very pleased to win and to be in the final," said Murphy, who is accompanied this week by wife Clare and her parents. "It's been a bit frustrating losing in semi-finals, but I've been pleased with the consistency I've shown this season and now I've got the chance to win a trophy.
"I showed a lot of patience tonight. Mark is a fantastic player and he always makes the game difficult for his opponent. He wanted me to attack and go for my shots. but I decided to hang back and wait for him to make the mistakes."
Selby said: "I struggled throughout the match, apart from the one frame where I made a century. Shaun wasn't brilliant either but he deserved to win. I had chances in the balls but I didn't score well enough. I'll get back to the practice table once I'm home and make sure I'm in good shape for Sheffield."
MAGUIRE TRIUMPHS IN CHINA CLASSIC
30 Mar 2008 17:40:00
Stephen Maguire won his second ranking title of the season with a dramatic 10-9 victory over Shaun Murphy in the final of the Honghe Industrial 2008 World Snooker China Open.
Murphy battled bravely from 9-7 down to 9-9 as, for the second time in the past three stagings, the tournament went down to the last few balls.
The Beijing Students University Stadium crowd were on the edge of their seats as Maguire made a superb clearance from last red to blue to get over the winning line at 12.20am. The 27-year-old from Glasgow collected the trophy and a top prize of £48,000.
After a lean spell of three years without a major title, Maguire announced his return to form last November by winning the Northern Ireland Trophy. He subseqently lost in the final of the Maplin UK Championship but is now back on the winner’s podium as the only player to win two ranking events this term.
It’s the fourth ranking title of his career - only 11 players have reached that mark in snooker history: Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis, Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins, Mark Williams, Jimmy White, John Parrott, Peter Ebdon, Ken Doherty, Ray Reardon and Stephen Lee.
The Scot, who superb break-building skills were evident in his first televised 147 in the semi-finals, will now go into the 888.com World Snooker Championship full of confidence.
Murphy won five frames on the bounce from 5-2 down but seemed to tire in the closing stages, perhaps as a result of several long matches and late finishes this week. He found a second wind at 9-7 down as he fought back to all square but the former World Champion from Rotherham was ultimately denied his third ranking title and a cheque for £22,500.
Another consolation for Murphy is his jump to the top of the provisional world rankings, with Sheffield, the last stop on the circuit this season, just three weeks away.
Murphy trailed 5-3 after the first session but pulled one back in the first frame tonight with a break of 75.
The next lasted 37 minutes and came down to the colours, Murphy knocking in an excellent long yellow along the side cushion and adding the green to level the match.
An 81 put him ahead for the first time since 2-1, and he took a 7-5 advantage into the mid-session interval after winning a safety exchange on the green in frame 12.
Maguire, having lost five consecutive frames, came out refreshed after the break and, with a statement of intent, rattled in a 137 to halve his deficit. He dominated a scrappy 14th to level at 7-7 then rolled in an 80 to regain the lead.
The momentum was now clearly with Maguire and he went two up with three to play with an 89. Murphy, watched by wife Clare and her parents, kept his hopes alive by winning the 17th with an 86.
Maguire edged ahead in frame 18 with 40 before missing a tricky red to the centre. Murphy recovered to within 15 points then potted the penultimate red from distance and made a cool 30 clearance to force the decider.
Both players had scoring chances, Maguire making 35 before running out of position then Murphy compiling 38 only to do the same with two reds left.
It came down to a safety exchange on the last red. Murphy had shown patience and restraint throughout the final, but perhaps his safety-first approach was over-ridden by his natural attacking instinct as he went for a risky long pot.
He missed and let Maguire in, though the Scot still had plenty to do. He played a brilliant shot on the yellow to dislodge an awkward green, slotted home the next three balls and eventually denied his opponent the snooker he needed by potting the pink for victory.
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