Quarter-finals stage at The Crucible
The last eight of the snooker world championship will begin tomorrow morning with Steve Davis taking on Neil Robertson, and Mark Allen playing Graeme Dott.
Steve Davis v Neil Robertson
No-one would have given Davis a chance of even winning one match, let alone playing in the last eight. The six-time world champion came through an epic encounter 13-11 to put the defending champion John Higgins out. Davis had led The Wizard of Wishaw throughout the whole match and was playing snooker that was very close to his old best.
“I knew I was playing good in the build up to the world championship. I fancied I was playing ok but you never know how you're going to do. I got off to such a good start against John but I suppose the inner belief got stronger as the match went on but then of course the nerves kicked in,” said Davis.
The 52-year-old has not lifted the Crucible crown since 1989, but he is not thinking about adding to the six he already has. “I am not looking there. It is one round at a time, one frame at a time, one ball at a time. It's just another match, that is the only way I can look at it. In one respect it is fantastic, but on the other hand, it is only the second round and there is a long way to go in the tournament. But for the time being, I will savour it,” said Davis.
Robertson, like Davis, was not expected to be here as well. The Australian produced one of the greatest comebacks in Crucible history to beat qualifier Martin Gould 13-12. The Grand Prix champion had found himself behind in the whole match, and only went in front when he clinched the win, having been 6-0, 11-5 and 12-10 down.
“I won a couple of close ranking tournaments, but to do that with the wall lifted up and the whole Crucible to yourself, and come back after Martin played so well throughout the whole match was definitely one of the best wins of my career.
“The first session when he went 6-0 up, if Higgins or Ronnie O'Sullivan had played like that I would have said they played so well but from Martin, who you guys haven't seen a lot of, I was scratching my head and wondering what was going on, has he nicked Ronnie's soul or something? He was going for everything and it was going in, even all the hard balls,” said Robertson.
The Thunder from Down Under lost an epic semi-final 17-14 to Shaun Murphy here last year, where he came back from 14-7 down to level at 14-14. This year however he clawed back the deficit again, but this time went through.
“Each of the matches I've lost at The Crucible I've always been a long way back so to get back into the match and win is great,” added Robertson.
Mark Allen v Graeme Dott
Allen was the first man to reach the last eight after he beat Mark Davis 13-5 in the previous round. Allen also made history in the match as he became the first player to make a 146 break at Sheffield. The Irishman was in total control of the tie, and is looking to build on his semi-final appearance here last year.
“I just enjoy playing here and if you can't enjoy playing in front of packed houses then you don’t want to play snooker.
“It's not just about winning matches, it's about kicking on in events. As the season has gone on my results have got better. The early part of the season my results weren't great but I've worked hard and the results have got better. My game in general is better. I've always been a good scorer but my all round game is starting to compete with the other top players and that's what you need at this level,” said Allen.
To reach the semi-final again, he will have to beat 2006 world champion Dott, who is showing the kind of form that took the Scotsman all the way that year. Dott came through a potential tough match against compatriot Stephen Maguire very easily with a 13-6 victory.
At one point in the match Dott had found himself 11-1 in front, so it was a matter of time before he sealed the win. He believes he could go on and win a second world crown. “I've got to be really pleased with the way I've performed, it's really encouraging. You're always under pressure here at The Crucible, you've just got to deal with it. I thought I could win this title before I came on - and my opinion's not changed,” said Dott.
Both players are wary of how well the other is playing. “Everytime I've switched onto interactive Mark's been on a 147. He's in probably the best form of anyone left in the competition,” Dott added.
“I think if you look at Graeme's results over the last couple of years, it says wonders for how tough mentally he is off the table. It's only been a couple of years since he was looking like provisionally being world No.1 but he's had a few problems off the table. It's good to see him back, he's a great player,” said Allen.
These matches will be played over three sessions, with the first beginning at 10am tomorrow morning.
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