Matthew Stevens wins final frame thriller against Fergal O’Brien – 2011 World Snooker Championship
Fergal O’Brien lost to Matthew Stevens by a frame score of 10-9 in the final qualifying round of 2011 World Snooker Championship held at English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, England.
Fergal O’Brien, who previously beat Paul Davidson comfortably by a frame score of 10-4, has lost in the final round after a cutthroat competition.
The two-time world championship finalist, Matthew Stevens, was pushed to the limits by the Irish, Fergal O’Brien, in one of the best matches played in the final round.
It was a fully stretched battle with the overall score line of 79-27, 62-14, 13-60, 8-63, 81-52, 79-0, 0-66, 99-42, 0-77, 89-9, 32-100, 88-1, 4-117, 76-30, 1-85, 65-71, 38-82, 129-0, and 69-59.
Stevens stormed into a 2-0 lead producing a superb break of 78 in the first and a couple of quick fires in the second 18, 12 and 19. O’Brien also clawed back and won the next two frames to level the things by 2-2 before the interval. The dominant breaks
from his side were 40 and 53.
After the interval, the first two frames were again dominated by the 33-year-old Stevens, with a couple of quick breaks, 36 and 37 in the fifth and 25 and 45 in the sixth.
O’Brien bounced back in the seventh with breaks of 33 and 32 to come within one frame by 4-3 but Stevens restored his two-frame lead once again by winning the scrappy eighth after a bout of safety play. However, Brien managed in winning the ninth frame by
firing up superb breaks of 46 and 31 to reduce the deficit by 5-4 before the end of first session.
In the evening session, it was Stevens who again dominated the first frame with breaks of 54 and 34 but this time the baby-faced assassin, O’Brien, responded with a mind boggling century break of 100. Similarly, the players traded the next two frames as
well and the scores were 7-6 in favour of Stevens before the mid-session break.
The Irish had trailed the Welshman all the way during the match but it was a different story after the mid-session.
Stevens took the first frame without doing anything outstanding before O’Brien bounced back, with a lot of zeal, energy and strength to clinch three frames in a row and turned the two-frame deficit into a one-frame advantage at 9-8.
He enjoyed marvellous 85 and 82 in the 15th and 17th respectively to leave his opponent one frame down with two to play.
It looked now as if O’Brien, with this confidence, is going to book his place at the Crucible Theatre.
However, any early nerves were removed by the Welsh Dragon, Stevens, who showed nerves of steel and fired up a spectacular match-highest break of 129 under pressure to force the decider.
First chance in the final deciding frame fell for O’Brien but he could not pull off the victory, breaking down on 42 and when the chance presented itself, Stevens slotted another classy break of 52 that was enough to secure him a place at the Crucible.
Matthew Stevens will now face the world number two Mark Williams in the last 32 of the 2011 World Snooker Championship.
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