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DING Junhui moved into the final four of the Grand Prix her in Glasgow with a 5-2 victory over Peter Ebdon
Yet in the early stages of the match Ding could have been forgiven for thinking it was not going to be his night as he saw the first two frames wrested from his grasp by the cunning safety and the potting prowess of Ebdon. But the worm was to turn very abruptly as some terrible kicks ruined Peter's night.
Trailing 41-49 in the opener Ding was the favourite to claim it when Ebdon failed to escape a Ding's snooker on the yellow. Even worse he managed to give away a free ball. Taking the brown as his freeball and following it with the blue Ding then missed a sitter of a yellow with the rest. With the ball running to a safe position Ebdon then played a safety that left the yellow up towards the top cushion. Ding no doubt thinking about his yellow peril promptly left Ebdon with the yellow along the top cushion. Ebdon is the last person in the world that you gift those chances to and the Englishman sunk the yellow and screwed up to the baulk area and dispatched green, brown, blue and pink to lead 1-0
It was deja vu stuff for the Chinese player in the second frame as once again having built a lead of 44-14 with bits and pieces looked to have played a good safety in leaving the cue ball anchored to the baulk cushion. Ebdon though was feeling confident and relaxed enough to roll the red in dead weight and from it make a telling break of 50 to snatch the second frame.
If Ding was rattled he didn't show it as he powered in a long red to the corner and with the reds in highly pottable positions made a superb clearance of 107, which became the 150th century break of his relatively short professional career. Three years ago after having the opening two frames ripped from his grasp Ding's concentration may have wavered, and he may too have made the wrong shot selection. Not so here, where he showed a maturity by concentrating on every shot and not panicking under pressure.
Ding was in first in the fourth frame and with the help of a long red built a 42 point lead beofre having to yield to the sanctuary of the baulk cushion. Ebdon meanwhile was stuck on the top cushionlocked horns with Ding in a safety battle. Ding though finding himself in exactly the same position suffered a kick as he attmepted to put a few reds up at the baulk end of the table. With an inviting red to the corner Ebdon sank the long pot to the "yellow" pocket and made progress to 15 before a thunderous kick on the red saw Peter bang the butt of his cue in frustration on the floor. To his credit he still manged to hold his nerve in cutting in a dead weight blue to the centre to continue on his merry way towards a break of 41 before another kick forced him back to his seat. Ding though refused to give way and after placing what looked like an innocent little snooker that Ebdon needed three attempts to get out of Ding was presented with a straightforward red to the corner, sinking the red he cleared to the pink with 26 to level at 2-2 at the mid session interval.
The Chinese star dominated the fifth frame as he fired in break of 48 and 46 to take his third frame on the bounce and lead 3-2 against Ebdon who he had beaten three times out of four. Ebdon though was still very much in the match and after dropping in a long red when tucked under the baulk cushion stroked in a break of 34 when he missed a sitter of a red to the corner. Ding with a chance in the frame he thought he would not got took red to the centre amd made 28 only to miss a cannon on a red, leaving him to take a long red to the corner rather than continue in at close range. As Ebdon saw a long straight red rebound to the centre he would have been even more worried at the red that was available to the centre. And he had good right to be worried because minutes later it was Ding who cleared to the pink with a run of 47. Ebdon had it all to do.
But after looking in prime positon among the balls Ebdon in striking the black miscued leaving Ding to to step in with a red to the corner and follow up with a break of 77 to clinch victory and go through to his first semi final since 2006.
Meanwhile Mark Williams ended the gallant run of Robert Milkins by easing past the Englishman 5-2.
Milkins who had seen off Mark King in the previous round would no doubt have fancied his chances against the Welshman if Williams was to replicate the poor form he showed in knocking out Stephen Hendry.
But a top player doesn't play that badly two matches on the trot and Milkins never really gave the impression he had the game to knock out the two times former world champion. But after Mark's initial effort had been cancelled out by a 48 from Milkins Williams edged back into it with bits and pieces so the frame scores were nicely poised at 43-49 as they came to the colours. Milkins was to err first by sticking the yellow over the centre pocket. Adding green, brown and blue he needed the pink. Trouble was though Mark had overscrewed the blue and was left an awkward pink to the corner. Williams went for it and missed it- and left it close to the centre pocket for Milkins to sink it and then add the black to lead 1-0.
Encouraged Milkins had a run of 36 in the early stages of the second frame only to miss an easy red and leave Mark to counter with 28. Neither player was establishing any sort of command at the table when it came to breakbuilding and the frame remained in doubt right until the colours and wasonly settled when Milkins went in off potting the yellow. That was the last chance he was to have as Williams rolled in the yellow and added green, brown and blue to level at 1-1.
From there Robert's self belief evaporated as Williams visably relaxed and swooping on a easy red missed by Milkins made 70 to lead 3-1 at the mid seassion interval. Plenty for Robert to sit and dwell over while Williams without ever really playing well was all but the winner. On the resumption the Welshman at last played something approaching his "B" game as he rolled in a break of 83 to put him just one frame from victory.
Robert though was not going to go down without a fight and chiselled out a break of 54 only to run out of position. Williams though with 37 points on the board forced two four point penalty snookers from Milkins and then potted a long straight red, following it up with the black to trail 43-54 before missing a red to the "green" pocket. Milkins concocted a vicious snooker in leaving the cue ball hidden behind the brown to force four penalty points- and with it a free ball. Taking the brown Milkins then added a further four points before being forced on to the back foot. This was one duel he was to win with a long red from the baulk cushion into the top corner pocket and added the pink to leave Williams needing a snooker that he was not to get and Milkins reduced his deficit to 2-4.
And the alarm bells would surely have been ringing for the Welshman as Milkins fired in a break of 65 in the seventh frame only to leave a frame ball red sitting over the corner pocket. Williams though thrailing was now the favourite to win the frame with all of the balls in relatively easy potting positions. With the rest of the reds dispatched Williams approached the colours. The yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black followed for a clearance of 70 to seal a 5-2 victory and set up a match with Ding Junhui while Neil Robertson will take on the defending champion John Higgins in the other semi final.
Suzy Jardine
Yet in the early stages of the match Ding could have been forgiven for thinking it was not going to be his night as he saw the first two frames wrested from his grasp by the cunning safety and the potting prowess of Ebdon. But the worm was to turn very abruptly as some terrible kicks ruined Peter's night.
Trailing 41-49 in the opener Ding was the favourite to claim it when Ebdon failed to escape a Ding's snooker on the yellow. Even worse he managed to give away a free ball. Taking the brown as his freeball and following it with the blue Ding then missed a sitter of a yellow with the rest. With the ball running to a safe position Ebdon then played a safety that left the yellow up towards the top cushion. Ding no doubt thinking about his yellow peril promptly left Ebdon with the yellow along the top cushion. Ebdon is the last person in the world that you gift those chances to and the Englishman sunk the yellow and screwed up to the baulk area and dispatched green, brown, blue and pink to lead 1-0
It was deja vu stuff for the Chinese player in the second frame as once again having built a lead of 44-14 with bits and pieces looked to have played a good safety in leaving the cue ball anchored to the baulk cushion. Ebdon though was feeling confident and relaxed enough to roll the red in dead weight and from it make a telling break of 50 to snatch the second frame.
If Ding was rattled he didn't show it as he powered in a long red to the corner and with the reds in highly pottable positions made a superb clearance of 107, which became the 150th century break of his relatively short professional career. Three years ago after having the opening two frames ripped from his grasp Ding's concentration may have wavered, and he may too have made the wrong shot selection. Not so here, where he showed a maturity by concentrating on every shot and not panicking under pressure.
Ding was in first in the fourth frame and with the help of a long red built a 42 point lead beofre having to yield to the sanctuary of the baulk cushion. Ebdon meanwhile was stuck on the top cushionlocked horns with Ding in a safety battle. Ding though finding himself in exactly the same position suffered a kick as he attmepted to put a few reds up at the baulk end of the table. With an inviting red to the corner Ebdon sank the long pot to the "yellow" pocket and made progress to 15 before a thunderous kick on the red saw Peter bang the butt of his cue in frustration on the floor. To his credit he still manged to hold his nerve in cutting in a dead weight blue to the centre to continue on his merry way towards a break of 41 before another kick forced him back to his seat. Ding though refused to give way and after placing what looked like an innocent little snooker that Ebdon needed three attempts to get out of Ding was presented with a straightforward red to the corner, sinking the red he cleared to the pink with 26 to level at 2-2 at the mid session interval.
The Chinese star dominated the fifth frame as he fired in break of 48 and 46 to take his third frame on the bounce and lead 3-2 against Ebdon who he had beaten three times out of four. Ebdon though was still very much in the match and after dropping in a long red when tucked under the baulk cushion stroked in a break of 34 when he missed a sitter of a red to the corner. Ding with a chance in the frame he thought he would not got took red to the centre amd made 28 only to miss a cannon on a red, leaving him to take a long red to the corner rather than continue in at close range. As Ebdon saw a long straight red rebound to the centre he would have been even more worried at the red that was available to the centre. And he had good right to be worried because minutes later it was Ding who cleared to the pink with a run of 47. Ebdon had it all to do.
But after looking in prime positon among the balls Ebdon in striking the black miscued leaving Ding to to step in with a red to the corner and follow up with a break of 77 to clinch victory and go through to his first semi final since 2006.
Meanwhile Mark Williams ended the gallant run of Robert Milkins by easing past the Englishman 5-2.
Milkins who had seen off Mark King in the previous round would no doubt have fancied his chances against the Welshman if Williams was to replicate the poor form he showed in knocking out Stephen Hendry.
But a top player doesn't play that badly two matches on the trot and Milkins never really gave the impression he had the game to knock out the two times former world champion. But after Mark's initial effort had been cancelled out by a 48 from Milkins Williams edged back into it with bits and pieces so the frame scores were nicely poised at 43-49 as they came to the colours. Milkins was to err first by sticking the yellow over the centre pocket. Adding green, brown and blue he needed the pink. Trouble was though Mark had overscrewed the blue and was left an awkward pink to the corner. Williams went for it and missed it- and left it close to the centre pocket for Milkins to sink it and then add the black to lead 1-0.
Encouraged Milkins had a run of 36 in the early stages of the second frame only to miss an easy red and leave Mark to counter with 28. Neither player was establishing any sort of command at the table when it came to breakbuilding and the frame remained in doubt right until the colours and wasonly settled when Milkins went in off potting the yellow. That was the last chance he was to have as Williams rolled in the yellow and added green, brown and blue to level at 1-1.
From there Robert's self belief evaporated as Williams visably relaxed and swooping on a easy red missed by Milkins made 70 to lead 3-1 at the mid seassion interval. Plenty for Robert to sit and dwell over while Williams without ever really playing well was all but the winner. On the resumption the Welshman at last played something approaching his "B" game as he rolled in a break of 83 to put him just one frame from victory.
Robert though was not going to go down without a fight and chiselled out a break of 54 only to run out of position. Williams though with 37 points on the board forced two four point penalty snookers from Milkins and then potted a long straight red, following it up with the black to trail 43-54 before missing a red to the "green" pocket. Milkins concocted a vicious snooker in leaving the cue ball hidden behind the brown to force four penalty points- and with it a free ball. Taking the brown Milkins then added a further four points before being forced on to the back foot. This was one duel he was to win with a long red from the baulk cushion into the top corner pocket and added the pink to leave Williams needing a snooker that he was not to get and Milkins reduced his deficit to 2-4.
And the alarm bells would surely have been ringing for the Welshman as Milkins fired in a break of 65 in the seventh frame only to leave a frame ball red sitting over the corner pocket. Williams though thrailing was now the favourite to win the frame with all of the balls in relatively easy potting positions. With the rest of the reds dispatched Williams approached the colours. The yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black followed for a clearance of 70 to seal a 5-2 victory and set up a match with Ding Junhui while Neil Robertson will take on the defending champion John Higgins in the other semi final.
Suzy Jardine
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