Chinese sets up mouthwatering Final
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Ding Junhui (China) made short work of Stephen Lee (England) to set up a mouth-watering final against Ronnie O'Sullivan in the Northern Ireland Trophy.
The 19-year-old Chinese prodigy was in stunning form, romping to a 6-1 victory at the Waterfront Hall, a performance which again showed his tactical maturity as well as break-building prowess.
Breaks of 72, 45, 81, 67 and 73 were the catalyst for success, with a best-of-17 showdown with the Rocket the next obstacle in his charge to win a third ranking event title.
Were he to lift the trophy tomorrow, Ding would become only the second player, after John Higgins, to win three ranking titles before his 20th birthday.
Lee, last season's Welsh Open winner, struggled to find his feet as Ding raced into a 3-0 lead, before the Trowbridge potter eventually got on the board, pinching the fourth by potting a long pink under pressure.
The next frame was crucial as it came down to a battle on the blue. Ding was trapped in a tough snooker behind the black but enjoyed an outrageous fluke as he clipped the blue into a baulk corner. A tough pink sailed into a middle bag to put him 4-1 up.
The 2005 China Open and UK Championship winner then rattled in 67 and 73 to win the last two frames.
"That's the best I've played this week," said an elated Ding, officially ranked 27 but now pushing for a place among the top four of the rankings.
"I was lucky to fluke the blue in the fifth frame but I potted a good pink because there was a lot of pressure."
Having seen O'Sullivan romp to a record 53-minute whitewash of Dominic Dale, Ding knows he has to produce his best tomorrow.
"I like to play Ronnie. He's a great player," he added. "He is my hero in snooker but I have to forget that and just concentrate on the table.
"I want to play better in every match. I don't worry about the rankings."
O'Sullivan and Ding have only met twice before; in 2004 the Essex man won 6-2 at the Masters and last season they drew 3-3 in the Premier League.
Source
- www.worldsnooker.com
Date
Sun 08/20/06, 1:35 am EST
