Shanghai Masters Day 3
Well if you wanted to know if the snooker season has started, look no further than the Shanghai Masters. Today presented us with a feast of snooker. My suspicions of David Gilbert rang true and he looked really good in his match against Judd Trump. However Gilbert hasn’t proved me wrong and continues to be a nearly man. Despite chances, he wasn’t able to seize the window of opportunity. To be fair to him, he did mount a comeback in the match and there was a period of nip and tuck in the match but in the end Trump still proved why he is at the number one spot and World Champion, sealing frame and match, 6-4. He has now won thirteen matches in a row.
Mark Allen faced Liang Wenbo and this turned out to be a bruising battle with Wenbo slapping Mark down every time he tried to come back but Allen is a fighter and like a dog with a bone, never gives up until a match is finally over. From 3-1 and 5-4 down in the match, Allen stuck to his guns and proved why he is nicknamed the “pistol”, he literally shoots from the hip. A great comeback to win the match 6-5 when on the ropes for most of the match.
Neil Robertson was drawn against Ding Junhui and I am afraid Ding hasn’t impressed me any further. My criticism of his character remains true and this player can’t get over the lines. Despite coming back late in the match and laying several great snookers when he needed them, Ding still sat in his chair looking forlorn and dejected. There wasn’t any fight in this Chinese star and Robertson sensed this. Robertson isn’t really an animated player but is clinical when he needs to be and gets the job done. With breaks of 72, 82, 101, 69, 79 and 71, Neil won the match convincingly, 6-2 and will play Barry Hawkins in the quarter-finals.
Barry Hawkins took on John Higgins and the match predictably went all the way with a decider. The last frame was a true scrap with both players causing headaches and heartaches for both sets of fans. This was a match that could have been watched from behind the sofa as it was highly tense and must have used up the energy and drained both players. In the end , Hawkins found the mental zone and cleared the balls required to win frame and match, 6-5. Barry has made a great recovery from his boating accident where he suffered a cracked rib and hopefully he will progress further.
Mark Allen faced Liang Wenbo and this turned out to be a bruising battle with Wenbo slapping Mark down every time he tried to come back but Allen is a fighter and like a dog with a bone, never gives up until a match is finally over. From 3-1 and 5-4 down in the match, Allen stuck to his guns and proved why he is nicknamed the “pistol”, he literally shoots from the hip. A great comeback to win the match 6-5 when on the ropes for most of the match.
Neil Robertson was drawn against Ding Junhui and I am afraid Ding hasn’t impressed me any further. My criticism of his character remains true and this player can’t get over the lines. Despite coming back late in the match and laying several great snookers when he needed them, Ding still sat in his chair looking forlorn and dejected. There wasn’t any fight in this Chinese star and Robertson sensed this. Robertson isn’t really an animated player but is clinical when he needs to be and gets the job done. With breaks of 72, 82, 101, 69, 79 and 71, Neil won the match convincingly, 6-2 and will play Barry Hawkins in the quarter-finals.
Barry Hawkins took on John Higgins and the match predictably went all the way with a decider. The last frame was a true scrap with both players causing headaches and heartaches for both sets of fans. This was a match that could have been watched from behind the sofa as it was highly tense and must have used up the energy and drained both players. In the end , Hawkins found the mental zone and cleared the balls required to win frame and match, 6-5. Barry has made a great recovery from his boating accident where he suffered a cracked rib and hopefully he will progress further.
Comments
Post a Comment