Having another day at home today but I will be back at the Crucible from Saturday-Monday. Before then though we have the small matter of the Hendry/Ding match coming to a conclusion, as well as three other last 16 matches being played and I will update this post throughout the day to keep you up to date with exactly what is happening…
Morning Session
Well they started 4-4 and at the time of writing they stand level at 6-6, but what a morning session we have had again as this enthralling match continues to entertain.
As has been the case in every session Ding has played this week, he started off very well indeed, taking advantage of a few failed long-range efforts from Stephen to move into the lead at 5-4. Hendry though came up with an excellent 65 in frame ten to soon level again, a break including three great long pots and a couple of real pressure shots early on around the black spot.
Ding though was not to be deterred and he hit back with an even better break, a fabulous 130 to edge in front yet again. Following a wild effort from Stephen in frame 12 it looked for all the world that this would become a 7-5 lead at the mid-session interval but he broke down on 48 and Hendry got himself right back in the frame with an excellent break himself. Unfortunately for him though he could not get from yellow to green but eventually it came down to the blue and after Ding missed it to the left centre, Hendry made a great pot to the yellow pocket to take the frame. For Ding I think that it was a good job that the interval came right after that frame because it is something that could have played on his mind otherwise.
So far it has been another fascinating session and it is a match that I am really enjoying. Still feel that Ding is the favourite but Stephen looks so focused and is hanging on to him at the moment. I just sense that every frame that Hendry wins is taking some sort of superhuman effort, while Ding is taking a few ‘easier’ frames with big breaks and eventually I think he will start to edge away. We shall see.
Well what a frame that was after the interval! Hendry this time in first with a break before he missed what was virtually a frame-ball red into the yellow pocket to give Ding a chance to steal one this time. Eventually though it came down to the final black and what drama we had as firstly Ding somehow missed it to the right centre, the ball going from jaw to jaw and somehow not staying out, credit to Ding who smiled away at this.
The next chance also fell to Ding but dramatically he jawed it, nearly knocking it off the table, before almost fluking it in the right-centre and then seeing it run awkward for Stephen. Unbelievably though, Stephen followed suit and jawed it before seeing it almost go into another pocket and then running safe. At this point even the normally straight-faced Stephen Hendry could not resist having a giggle at his good fortune.
Eventually though it was a relieved Hendry who got over the line and moved into the lead for the first time at 7-6. Could be a huge frame that.
Wow, vintage stuff from Stephen in the next, a fabulous long red to start the frame and though he had to play safe on 24, he soon got back in and notched up his first century of the tournament, the 729th of his career and his 117th at the Crucible to lead 8-6.
Important couple of frames for Ding now, two frames behind for the first time in the match he needs to win at least one of the remaining two frames of this session because the way Stephen is playing, he’s going to be hard to stop. I’ve not seen Stephen look this pumped up and this focused for a match since his opening round win over Mark Allen last season.
And Ding has a chance now, Stephen got in with another great long red but he’s missed a black off the spot and it could be costly. What has Ding got in response? An excellent break of 84 that’s what and he’s just one behind at 7-8. Big frame for Stephen now I think as having played so well this morning, he will probably want to have a lead to show for it going into tonight but as he has just shown, Ding is playing pretty well himself…
Oh and just when it looked like the session couldn’t get any more exciting, Ding has come back from needing two snookers to snatch the last frame of the session and draw level at 8-8! It looked comfortable for Stephen but he played a very poor shot to go in-off in the left-centre and Ding soon cleared the table to clinch what could be the most crucial frame of the match.
At 9-7 the way Stephen was playing I’d have fancied him to complete the job tonight but that frame will play on his mind this afternoon and give Ding the lift he needs to go on and reach the quarter-finals for the first time. What a session of snooker though.
Over on the other table Ryan Day leads Nigel Bond 6-2 after their first session. Hard for me to comment as I have seen very little of the match but that already the Welshman looks to be in a commanding position.
Afternoon Session
Well I had to nip out into town for the first four frames of the afternoon session but it seems like both O’Sullivan and Allen have picked up from where Ding and Hendry left off earlier and produced some high quality snooker.
Ronnie was noticeably off his game last night but a break of 107 to open up today followed by a second frame to move 6-4 up appeared to be sending him on his way to a mid-session interval lead. Allen though responded well though with a century of his own before stealing frame 12 with a break of 70 which clearly meant a lot to him.
Ronnie has just come out and knocked in a run of 93 to lead again at 7-6 and it looks like this match is going to be a close one all the way to its conclusion tomorrow morning.
As you would expect between two such fluent players, the match is racing along and although O’Sullivan was in with the first chance, he was unfortunate not to get on a red early on and Mark Allen has stepped in with his third century of the match to level again at 7-7. Lovely break too containing a well-worked plant and an inch-perfect positional shot early on. Important frame for Mark too because it now means he will go into the final session at no worse than 7-9 down and from his point of view, hopefully even better off.
Well he won’t be leading, he had a chance in frame 15 but he missed a daring long-range effort and O’Sullivan clinically did enough to guarantee that he will be at least level overnight…
And Ronnie will lead as though both had a fluke in the frame, it was the defending champion who made the most of it and secured a 9-7 lead. Mark though is playing really well and would probably have beaten any other player today. Wouldn’t rule him out just yet though I just think that ultimately his inferior safety game to Ronnie is probably going to prove the difference.
Over on the other table meanwhile, Shaun currently leads Marco Fu 5-1, a big shock to me given how both played in their first round matches! Not sure whether Shaun has been exceptional or Marco really poor but Fu is going to have to win the last two frames I think to give himself a realistic chance tomorrow…and he’s lost the pair of them. 7-1 and already it’s looking like an impossible task for Marco to get that one back…
Evening Session
So here we are, Hendry and Ding are out for what promises to be a nail-biting end to what has already been a classic match. First chance for Ding…but Stephen has stolen it and gone some way to putting that final frame of this afternoon’s session out of his memory.
And he is motoring now, what a moment that is as not only does he take the 18th frame, but he does so with a total clearance of 140, equalling the high break prize and winning his 1,000th frame at the Crucible. Career century number 730 too.
He’s keeping up the pressure now and with another big break it is 11-8. Huge frame for Ding now before the mid-session interval, one that you feel he must win…and fair play to him, he produces one of the best 32 breaks you will ever see and keeps himself in the match. He really was quality that frame, gutsy stuff given how he has been prone to crumble during the last few seasons.
Stephen though is still playing well and has taken the first frame back after the interval to lead 12-9, needing just one more to reach his 18th Crucible quarter-final…
Ding has got one back to be two down with three to play, a long way to go but he’s still hanging on…
Oh wow, having looked set to make it 12-11 and really put the pressure on, Ding has missed and Stephen has stepped in with a chance to take the match. He’s run astray from yellow to green but he’s played a fabulous safet shot in behind the black. Ding has missed it…and now he’s hit the brown and it’s all over! Stephen is the first man through to the quarter-finals!
Well what a match that was! Without a shadow of a doubt the best of the tournament so far and a real classic that had everything. As a huge Hendry fan I am absolutely ecstatic that he managed to come through tonight, not only because he has done his ranking a lot of good and also reached his 18th quarter-final at the Crucible, but he did it playing some of the best snooker I have seen from him in years.
Having endured the worst season of his career, for long spells looking absolutely out of confidence and like a man who had little left to offer, just scraping through against Mark Williams due to his tip woes, he produced his finest performance at the Crucible in my opinion since the 2002 semi-final against Ronnie O’Sullivan. I had for the first time begun to doubt whether he was still capable of it but he has proved me wrong and I couldn’t be happier for him.
A word also for Ding Junhui though because this week he has proven something not just to snooker fans, but to himself I think. At 8-7 down against Liang Wenbo I had probably written him off, but he produced some gutsy snooker to come back the way he did and win a crucial match. Although he lost tonight too, he played a really good match himself, making several century breaks and hanging in there to win a couple of close frames. At 8-6 and 11-8 down he could easily have given in but he didn’t. I think that he can take a lot of positives from this week.