Semi-final stages at the snooker world championship
Ronnie O’Sullivan’s exit last night leaves the snooker world championship wide open as the semi-final stages begin. O’Sullivan once again will probably dominate the headlines, as not for the first time he talks about retiring from the game. “I don't need snooker, no I don't. I love the game, it’s been great to me, I love the game. I will always be involved in the game, because it’s in my blood but I don't need it really, but it’s like a drug.
“I know I will miss it. I will always be thinking what if, but I've had seventeen years of trying and hoping thinking my game can turn around. But I know I've given it my best, I cannot give it anymore than I have done,” said O’Sullivan.
Taking O’Sullivan out of the equation, Mark Selby take on Graeme Dott and Ali Carter plays Neil Robertson in matches that will be completed over the best-of-33 frames. Selby was a 13-11 winner against Ronnie O’Sullivan last night, coming back from 11-9 down to take the next four frames and stun the three-time world champion.
The players were tied at 4-4 after the first session, where O’Sullivan managed to hold onto Selby, but in the second session The Rocket fired in breaks of 92, 89, 86, 117 and 52 to lead 9-5, but Selby came back with breaks of 75, 104 and 62 to make the score 9-8. O’Sullivan was on form, and he made a break of 75 to open up an 11-9 lead and looked to be heading to the last four. A strong characteristic of Selby is his ability to hang on and claw his way back, and once again he showed this by taking the next four frames to get through.
“For the majority of the match I don't think I scored well enough and I had to revert to plan B. I never give in which is my strategy anyway and I managed to keep grinding it out. It's not all about big breaks. I felt as though I had every chance, until they get to 13 which is the number required in the quarter-finals. He played well in the second session and probably deserved to be in front but there's a massive difference between 9-7 and 10-6. To win those last two frames was massive for me,” said Selby.
His match against Dott will begin tonight at 7pm.
Dott has shown a return to the form that took him to the 2006 world crown when he came back from 12-10 down to beat Mark Allen 13-12. In the first session, Allen was 4-0 up at the interval, rattling in breaks of 66, 58 and 54, but Dott came out and made a break of 76 as he took the next three frames. However, the Irishman made sure he had a lead at the end of the first session by making a century in the concluding frame.
In the second session, Allen, a semi-finalist last year, extended his lead to three, but Dott came back to take the next five frames, knocking in breaks of 74, 116, 85 and 67. Allen responded in the final frame of the session with his own break of 67.
Dott came out firing in the final session, and took a two-frame lead with breaks of 65 and 54, but Allen once again stayed in touch by making the score 10-9. Allen levelled the match again at 10-10 going into the mid-session interval. Allen took the 21st frame on the black after Dott had made a break of 53, and then took the next to go within one of a place in the semi-finals. Dott showed his fighting spirit and made a superb 115 after Allen missed a red to the left middle pocket. The Scot was cool and composed and took the match to a decider, and clinched the win to book a semi-final place, and regain his place in snooker's elite 16.
“It was a great game. I said to Mark when the referee was setting up the balls at 12-12 I knew it was going that way. The two of us played really well. That was the biggest match. That was the one that gets me back in the top 16, it was massive to get in after one year. If I had lost that match 13-12 it would have been hard. I'm over the moon,” said Dott.
Carter made it to the semi-final after beating Shaun Murphy in the final frame 13-12. Carter battled hard against the 2005 world champion, who had leads of 5-2 and 8-4. However, the 2008 runner-up at The Crucible rallied in five frames in a row, knocking in breaks of 87, 73, 64 and 122 to lead 9-8.
The match was swinging either way, and Murphy took the next two frames, making a break of 81 to lead 10-9, but Carter returned the compliment to lead 11-10, hitting a 61 on the way. Again, Murphy came back, and breaks of 90 and 61 saw him go one away from the semi-final. Determined not to throw in the towel, Carter took the match to a decider with a break of 59. In the final frame, Murphy had the first chance, but he missed the pink on a break of 40 and split all the reds, and that allowed Carter to make a counter break to get back in the frame. However, Carter missed the yellow into the top left pocket, but left Murphy snookered, and with no other option but to to swerve around the green. His attempt at the yellow wobbled in the jaws, and Carter was able to clear the colours and win the match.
“It was a great match to be involved in and an even better match for me as I ran out the winner. 8-4 down at the interval I felt awful but in a way that helped me as I let go and decided whatever happens. I started to hit a bit of form, took a bit of momentum into the rest of the match. You have to look hard at what you want, at least I did. Lots of things went through my head when I was potting the balls. I just thought of my son to be honest. Make it more purposeful not just for me but to do it for someone else,” said Carter.
Carter will play Robertson, who overcame legend Steve Davis 13-5 in the quarter-finals. Robertson, who came from the brink of defeat against Martin Gould in the last-16, surged to a 7-1 lead after the first session, and then extended his lead to 12-2. However, The Nugget managed to take the next three frames before Robertson clinched the match with a century to reach the semi-finals for the second year in a row. "I was very relieved to get through because I haven't played very well at all. I'm over the moon to get to the semis considering the way I've played so I'll have to improve a lot to get to the final,” said Robertson.
This match will begin at 2pm this afternoon.
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