Ding Junhui beats Kurt Maflin in the last 32: China Open 2011
Chinese sensation Ding Junhui beat Kurt Maflin by a frame score of 5-4 in the last 32 round of the Bank of Beijing China Open 2011 held at Beijing Students University Gymnasium in China on Wednesday.
Kurt Maflin was invincible throughout, as he started from the very first qualifying round and dominated every player, but he finally crashed out against the world number four, Junhui.
The Chinese on the other hand, showed nerves of steel and made one of the greatest comebacks to pull off the victory. The overall score-line between the players was 47-81, 65-29, 1-117, 30-68, 109-4, 4-137, 69-35, 57-56 and 16-72.
The first chance in the opening frame fell to Ding but he failed to clinch the frame, breaking down on 23. A bout of safety play was seen afterwards among the players until Maflin came out on the top to take a 1-0 lead.
Things however, turned around completely in the second frame. Maflin was the first one to be among the balls but he lost his concentration, breaking down on 30. After a safety battle Ding levelled the scores at 1-1 with a decisive break of 55. Maflin then
restored his one frame lead at 2-1, with a couple of quick fire breaks of 31 and 43 in the third.
The players were playing a slow game but managed to record magnificent back-to-back century breaks in the next four frames.
Maflin fired up a classy century beak of 103 in the fourth followed by another of 99 in the fifth to leave his opponent down by three frames with four to play.
The match was almost through at that point as Maflin needed just one more frame to secure a place in the next round. Even though his opponent was trailing by 1-4, the Chinese managed to turn the tables and staged one of the greatest comebacks in the game
by winning the next four frames.
He gave his opponent no chance and compiled stunning back-to-back century breaks of 133 and 117 in the sixth and seventh respectively to come within one frame at 3-4. Maflin had a chance in the eighth but lost his nerves, breaking down on 28 and Ding levelled
the scores at 4-4 with a couple of quick fire breaks of 52 and 51, to force the decider which he also took with superb breaks of 26 and 65.
Ding Junhui has now set up a potential clash against seven-time world champion, Stephen Hendry, in the last 16.
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