Shanghai Masters

[Odrl]

No surprises today then. Pretty much a dream semi-final line-up, with four players capable of playing top notch snooker. I don't think anyone really stands out at this point. They all had good wins today, but the losing opponents clearly didn't have their day, so none of the winners were pushed particularly hard.

Should be a good day tomorrow. Perhaps a few more thoughts later... :smile:

[Big Splash!]

Reducing the squirt does make it easier to play extreme spin without losing accuracy but there are more effective ways thanAcuerate just removing material from the shaft. I have seen pro's miss relatively easy balls when they have had to load up the CB. One reason I can never understand why brass is still used in cues, there are stronger and lighter materials out there that will reduce the squirt and last longer.

I agree with you, titanium could be used instead. The ferrule wall could be reduced in most cases as well. Fibre has been used as well. But brass is cheap (compared to stainless steel) and folk do like the spin it generates given its density. Shots with other ferrules just aren't as punchy or generate as much spin IME. I've played with fibre and it's lovely but deep screw, I'd always have brass. Swings and roundabouts.

[Slasher]

I agree with you, titanium could be used instead. The ferrule wall could be reduced in most cases as well. Fibre has been used as well. But brass is cheap (compared to stainless steel) and folk do like the spin it generates given its density. Shots with other ferrules just aren't as punchy or generate as much spin IME. I've played with fibre and it's lovely but deep screw, I'd always have brass. Swings and roundabouts.

I used a light aircraft alloy on 2 cues I built, nearly zero squirt at 9.5mm, was thinking of getting some Titanium cap style ferrules made these would work well for anyone that changes their own tip as you would never have to level the surface. As for generating spin we could start a whole new thread on the psychology of equipment and materials lol

[Odrl]

Just a quick prediction then, before I go to bed...

Mark Selby v. Stuart Bingham: For some reason this pairing doesn't quite generate the kind of excitement that an O'Sullivan-Higgins or a Robertson-Trump would, but it's worth saying that this is a meeting between the players ranked 1 and 2 in the world, and also a meeting between the two players who have shared the last three World titles between them. Neither of them is playing at the very top of their game in this tournament, but they are both proven champions, so I wouldn't be surprised to see them raising their game for the final weekend. The head-to-head is largely irrelevant, because most of their matches were played before Bingham's rise to the top of the game a few years ago, but we do have a few matches that are a little more recent. I'm sure many people will remember Selby's 6-5 win over Bingham in the 2013 Masters, from 5-1 down. I certainly remember the state this forum was in when he went on to do the same against Graeme Dott in the semi-finals. It was probably the most hate any player has received in one night since Higgins in 2010. :smile: Selby also went on to beat Bingham in the International Championship later that year, 6-1, but Bingham prevailed 6-4 when they played in the Champion of Champions shortly after. That was also the last time these two have met in a major match, so it's nice to see another best-of-11 between them here. The snooker we've seen over the last couple of days has not been spectacular, quite a few wasted chances and simple misses from all the players who are still in the tournament. If this one goes scrappy as well, I think Selby is a big favourite. But my feeling is that Bingham could play well here, and I will go for him to win 6-4. :smile:

Ding Junhui v. Stephen Maguire: This is the 10th edition of the Shanghai Masters and no player has won it more than once in this time. It looks like that run might come to an end this year, but Maguire's win could still see it continue. He has probably played the best snooker out of anyone in this tournament, it's just a question whether he has anything left for the final weekend. He seems to have got a little weaker with each match, while Ding seems to be getting stronger and stronger. They have played each other quite a bit over the years, but their last really big match was back in 2009, and their last meeting of any kind was in 2013. Maguire used to be a really unfavourable opponent for Ding back when he was a top4 player, but since 2009 Ding has reversed that trend, so the head-to-head is about even now. Obviously most of their meetings have been in the UK, including a win for Ding in the Grand Prix when it was played in Scotland, but I think this will be their first meeting in a major match in China. I am not expecting perfect snooker, but I do think we will see some high breaks and generally a quick and open match, and hopefully high quality as well. Ding has a habit of going behind in a lot of his matches these days, and while this one is long enough for him to find his game and recover, I think a quick starter like Maguire, especially in this form, will be tough for him to contain. Maguire to win 6-4. :smile:

Now that we are down to one table, I think I will have a bit of a sleep in the morning, then watch the match in full and hopefully finish just in time to watch the afternoon match live. Should be a good day. :smile:

[streamer45]

A decider then, pretty entertaining match.

[JimMalone]

Mark Selby produces another comeback to beat Stuart Bingham 6-5 after being 3-5 down. You really never can count him out.

As in the whole tournament Selbys break-building was again not near his best today, but his safety game was again very strong and he could up his whole game, when it counted.
Bingham played a few really wonderful frames, but in the end he just couldn't make it over the finish line.

[Dr_Doctor]

Great match! I was rooting for Bingham but he couldn't make any of his half chances in the last frame unfortunately.

[motorhead]

Epic Selby's comeback!! too good

[ghost121]

Granite. Bingham made great match of it, though.

[PatBlock]

Great match! I was rooting for Bingham but he couldn't make any of his half chances in the last frame unfortunately.

Yes I think he let Selby off the hook there, should have finished it in the 9th really.

-

[Odrl]

A 63 break with 13 reds, amazing. :smile: Shame about the foul, he was on course for a total clearance of about 100, surely the lowest ever in professional snooker. :smile:

[Odrl]

Anyway, great match between Selby and Bingham this morning. My decision to watch it delayed backfired a little because Selby's break in the decider was missing from my recording for some reason. I only missed 20 minutes, but it turned out to be the worst 20 minutes to miss. :smile: I thought Bingham had it when Selby was struggling to put anything together in the middle of the match, but Bingham returned the favour and didn't really play much part in the last three frames.

With the match going 6-5, I actually didn't manage to finish it before the other match started, and I was annoyed to find that it's Bundesliga time again, so Eurosport are not covering it here. :frown:

[Dr_Doctor]

Dings seems to be playing a bit quicker lately which is great to watch and I think he plays better that way. In the past few seasons he appeared to be over-analyzing every shot.

[Slasher]

Lovely dish by Maguire to go 3-2 up, then has a rush of blood to his head a goes for a daft one :stupid:

[Odrl]

Good win for Ding in the end. Maguire just didn't have enough firepower today. He was getting very close on most pot attempts, but they kept staying out...

So, a repeat of the World final tomorrow. Should be fantastic. :smile: