All four quarter finals were played yesterday in Shanghai, and three out of four produced one-sided matches whilst the last was as dramatic as it comes.

Here is the report by Worldsnooker

Thursday 12 Sep 2019 05:54PM

Ronnie O’Sullivan came from 5-1 down to beat Kyren Wilson 6-5 in a thrilling quarter-final at the Shanghai Masters.

Having won the event in 2017 and 2018, O’Sullivan has now notched up 13 consecutive match victories in the tournament.

O’Sullivan has now won his last four matches against Wilson, including last year’s Shanghai Masters semi-final which he won 10-6 and the Champion of Champions final where he emerged a 10-9 victor.

It had looked as if the five-time World Champion was down and out when breaks of 131, 67 and 57 helped Wilson to establish his seemingly unassailable 5-1 lead.

O’Sullivan summoned a comeback charge as breaks of 107, 51 and 124 helped him to get back into contention at 5-4.

In frame ten, O’Sullivan was in first with a break of 69, leaving his opponent needing snookers. However, a foul from O’Sullivan afforded Wilson a free ball and a chance to clear and win. It was an opportunity he spurned. Both players missed further chances and O’Sullivan was visibly showing his frustration, but he eventually got over the line to make it 5-5.

The decisive move was a break of 60 from O’Sullivan which helped him to take the final frame and secure a remarkable win.

“I’m really happy to finally get over the line. I am still a bit disappointed with how I started. I was making so many mistakes,” said 43-year-old O’Sullivan. “I never stopped believing and I never stopped trying to get into that place where I could play some brilliant snooker, but it just didn’t seem like that was there tonight.

“He is a tough player. He is young and hungry. He is the modern day player and pots a lot of good balls. I just wanted to give him a game. The last two frames I was on 60 or 70 and made silly mistakes and gave him the chance to win. It was a weird, weird game but I am pleased to get through.”

Up next O’Sullivan faces Australia’s Triple Crown winner Neil Robertson. The Thunder from Down Under has been in impressive form this week and that was on full display in a 6-2 defeat of Barry Hawkins this afternoon. Robertson composed breaks of 115, 73, 68 and 60 on his way to victory.

Mark Allen put on a ruthless display to thrash World Champion Judd Trump 6-1 to book his place in the last four.

The result sees 2018 Masters champion Allen reach the semi-finals for the second time this season in only his second appearance of the campaign. The Northern Irishman faced Shaun Murphy in the semis at the International Championship in Daqing last month and lost 9-6.

Defeat for world number one Trump ends an unbeaten streak of 13 consecutive matches on the World Snooker Tour. The run extends back to last season’s China Open in April, when he lost 6-5 to Robbie Williams in the last 64.

Allen took the first two frames with breaks of 63 and 62, then claimed a tightly contested third to open up a 3-0 advantage. Trump responded with a break of 109, but after the interval it was Allen who regained the momentum. Breaks of 55, 73 and 69 helped him seal the win and book his place in the last four.

He will now once again face close friend Murphy in the semi-finals. The Magician booked his place with an impressive 6-1 defeat of Jack Lisowski, highlighted by runs of 55, 60, 56 and 107.

You can read everything about Ronnie’s comeback here

That was utterly crazy, and stressful for his fans. One photographer however had a field day snapping faces at his press conference afterwards.

source: weibo

Mark Allen gave Judd Trump a hiding. Judd scored the only century of the match but was otherwise thoroughly outplayed. He was beaten 6-1 and, frankly, didn’t show anything even close to Ronnie’s fighting spirit.

Shaun Murphy similarly outscored Jack Lisowski. He won 6-1 in a match that wasn’t exactly outstanding from either player. Shaun was the one who, usually after countless mistakes and misjudgements on both parts, managed to make a telling break. It was a bit weird.

Neil Robertson again played really well before the MSI, to lead 4-0, only to let his level drop after the MSI, prompting a mini-comeback from Barry Hawkins. Barry should have won the last one really and, at 4-3, who knows what might have happened. But he didn’t, so it’s a pointless question.

Shaun Murphy is the only player left in the field not yet qualified for the Champion of Champions 2019. No doubt, Reanne Evans will be routing for his opponent(s). At the time of writing however he’s 6-3 up on Mark Allen in the first semi-final…

Ronnie beat Kyren Wilson by 6-5 from 5-1 down to book his place in the semi-finals. Hewill play Neil Robertson on Saturday

Ronnie was absolutely awful during the first part of the match. Nothing was right: his long potting was non-existent, he didn’t have the pace of the table therefore his safety was poor, and his concentration was wandering resulting in basic mistakes. Kyren Wilson, on the contrary, was playing very well. As usual, his positional play wasn’t the best but it didn’t matter much because he was potting everything from distance. He had a 131 in frame two.

After the MSI, there were signs of improvement. Ronnie should have won the fifth frame, but yet another basic mistake allowed Kyren to steal it. When, in the next frame, Ronnie failed to pot a ball, it looked like it would be all over very quickly. Ronnie was 5-1 down, Kyren needed just one more frame for victory.

But then, at the start of frame seven, Ronnie slotted a long red in and made a 107 from it. In the next, Kyren Wilson was first in and made 49, before fouling on the blue. From there Ronnie managed to win with a 51 break. A 124 from Ronnie in the next, and he was only one behind. Kyren was still ahead but appeared shaken. His long potting lost its accuracy, mistakes crept in. Ronnie dominated the last two, despite still not playing at his very best. The Chinese crowd was supporting him enthusiastically and was delighted to see him win. Kyren Wilson looked absolutely gutted – quite understandly.

Listen here to Ronnie’s reaction after the match:

Some great pictures by Tai Chengzhe – Thanks Tai! 

Here is the match

Shanghai Masters 2019 QF ROS v KyrenWilson

And the report by Worldsnooker (excerpt)

Thursday 12 Sep 2019 05:54PM

Ronnie O’Sullivan came from 5-1 down to beat Kyren Wilson 6-5 in a thrilling quarter-final at the Shanghai Masters.

….

The result means that O’Sullivan has narrowly managed to extend his remarkable winning streak in Shanghai. Having won the event in 2017 and 2018 he hasn’t lost in the city for three years and has notched up 13 consecutive match victories.

O’Sullivan has now won his last four matches with Wilson, including last year’s Shanghai Masters semi-final which he won 10-6 and the Champion of Champions final where he emerged a 10-9 victor.

It had looked as if the five-time World Champion was down and out when breaks of 131, 67 and 57 helped Wilson to establish his seemingly unassailable 5-1 lead.

43-year-old O’Sullivan wasn’t prepared to go down without a fight and summoned a comeback charge. Breaks of 107, 51 and 124 helped him to get back into contention at 5-4.

There was then a remarkable 10^th frame. O’Sullivan was in first with a break of 69. That left Wilson needing snookers. However, a foul from O’Sullivan afforded Wilson a free ball and presented a chance to clear and win. It was an opportunity he spurned. Both players missed further chances and O’Sullivan’s was visibly showing his frustration, but he eventually got over the line to force a decider.

The decisive move was a break of 60 from O’Sullivan which allowed him to take the final frame and secure a remarkable win.

“I’m really happy to finally get over the line. I am still a bit disappointed with how I started. I was making so many mistakes, “said O’Sullivan. “I never stopped believing and I never stopped trying to get into that place where I could play some brilliant snooker, but it just didn’t seem like that was there tonight.

“He is a tough player. He is young and hungry. He is the modern day player and pots a lot of good balls. I just wanted to give him a game. The last two frames I was on 60 or 70 and made silly mistakes and gave him the chance to win. It was a weird, weird game but I am pleased to get through”

….

 

Those are the results

Here is the report by Worldsnooker

Wednesday 11 Sep 2019 04:35PM

World Champion Judd Trump saw off a David Gilbert fightback to secure his place in the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters after a 6-4 win.

Trump is competing in his second event of the 2019/20 campaign. Last month he lifted silverware with victory at the International Championship in Daqing, where he thrashed Shaun Murphy 10-3 in the final.

The win in Daqing also saw him dislodge Ronnie O’Sullivan at the summit of the world rankings. Trump has now won 13 matches on the bounce, in a run which extends back to the last 64 of the China Open in April. On that occasion he lost out 6-5 against Robbie Williams.

Trump is also aiming to lift claim the Shanghai Masters title, and the £200,000 top prize that now goes with it, for the first time this week. He’s already come extremely close on two occasions, having lost 10-9 in the final twice. The first came against John Higgins in 2012 and the second in 2015 against Kyren Wilson.

This afternoon Trump had surged into a 4-1 advantage, before Gilbert clawed his way back into the tie. Breaks of 111 and 62 helped the Tamworth cueist to move within a frame at 4-3.

However, Gilbert then crucially failed to convert a chance to restore parity. He had required snookers in the eighth frame, but was presented an opportunity to clear with a free ball. He broke down and Trump moved one from victory.

Gilbert pulled a frame back, but Trump wasn’t to be denied. He ruthlessly capitalised on a touch of good fortune, making a superb break of 103 from a fluked red to seal the win. Trump will face Mark Allen next.

Trump said: “These periods of form don’t come around all of the time. There will be only a handful of times in your career that you win over ten matches in a row. You just have to enjoy it and practise even harder. At some point you will get beat, but you just have to keep the confidence going for as long as possible.

“It is always good to win any event. You want to try and tick off every tournament. This is one where I’ve reached the final a couple of times and just come short. Shanghai is a place where I’ve always had a big fanbase and it would be nice to win in front of them.”

Allen earned his quarter-final place with a hard fought 6-5 win over China’s Liang Wenbo.

The Pistol had trailed 3-1 and 5-4 and needed to dig deep to emerge with the result. He summoned an important break of 72 to force a decider. Both players had chances to win in the subsequent frame, but it was Allen who eventually came through.

Neil Robertson produced a tremendous display to down home favourite Ding Junhui 6-3. The Thunder from Down Under fired in breaks of 72, 82, 101, 69, 79 and 71 on his way to this evening’s victory.

He will face Barry Hawkins in the last eight. The Hawk got there with his second consecutive 6-5 victory after beating Yan Bingtao in round one. Hawkins pipped four-time World Champion John Higgins on the final ball tonight to emerge with the deciding frame victor

Judd Trump won his first match in this year Shanghai Masters but it wasn’t all plain sailing. Actually David Gilbert didn’t play at all as well as he can and still threatened to cause an upset. Judd was 3-1 up at the MSI, with 73 and 83, but didn’t have a break over 50 in any of the next five frames. Mistakes were creeping in both players’ game.

Judd’s next opponent, Mark Allen, didn’t play very well himself. Liang Wenbo was the better player for most of the match and, IMO, it’s only psychological hinders that prevented him to win.

I didn’t see the first mini-session of the Neil Robertson v Ding Junhui match. Going by the frames scores, and the commentary, Neil played outstanding during those four frames. Not so well though after the MSI; he seemed to have lost his rhythm a bit. Sometimes it’s hard to keep the same intensity when way in front. Ding, quite simply was poor. His body language suggested a lack of fire and motivation.

Neil will play Barry Hawkins who emerged the winner of a high quality match against John Higgins. Between them they had ten 50+ breaks including 107 and 138 by Higgins, 142 – the new tournament high break – by Barry. The last three frames were tense and close. Barry won the decider on the last black … just as he had done in round one against Yan Bingtao.

Here it is

Those results mean that there is no Chinese player left in the tournament, but we do have a quality line-up for the quarter finals

What’s your predictions? Hard he?

 

 

The second day in Shanghai saw the first round conclusion in the morning, and half of the last 16 played in the afternoon and evening.

Stuart Bingham miserable start of the season continues as he was beaten by Liang Wenbo in the first round, despite scoring more heavily than his opponent. Watching Liang Wenbo dominating the close scrappy frames was unexpected. But that’s what he did. I have the feeling that his game has matured. It’s obvious that he prepared himself well for this event.

David Gilbert whitewashed Cao Jin, a wildcard. Going by the frames scores, the first frames were close(ish), but as the match unfolded Gilbert became increasingly dominant.

In the afternoon, Shaun Murphy confirmed his return to form by beating Mark Williams, by 6-5. Both players scored heavily, they had ten 50+ breaks between them – five each – including two centuries by Shaun. Shaun currently holds the tournament high break – 136 – an honour he had to share with Ronnie who equalled it in the evening. Shaun clearly has made a few technical changes, his bridge is shorter than it used to be. He’s also better in tactical play. He credited Fergal O’Brien for the latter: now that Shaun lives in Ireland, they practice together and he finds himself in tricky situations every day…

Jack Lisowski beat Mark Selby quite comfortably. It seems to me that Jack was taking a bit more time on the shots as compared to previous seasons. Jack  was very happy with the win, but also said that he had luck on his side. I doubt that luck alone explains a three frames difference in the scores. What is happening to Mark Selby since the summer of 2017 is hard to explain really.

You can read my account of Ronnie’s win over Zhang Yi here

Finally Kyren Wilson eventually beat Xiao Guodong in a slow going match. Frame 6 was a kind of turning point in the match. Xiao looked the better player and Kyren’s body language was uneasy and “defensive”. Then Xiao lost frame 6, when he should have won it really, and Kyren, all of a sudden, became a lot more positive and assured.

Here is the report by Worldsnooker:

Tuesday 10 Sep 2019 05:34PM

Ronnie O’Sullivan got his season up and running with a 6-0 whitewash of amateur Zhang Yi at the Shanghai Masters.

The Rocket hasn’t lost in Shanghai for over three years after winning the title in 2017 and 2018. O’Sullivan pocketed £200,000 for his victory last year, when the event transitioned to the 24-player format which saw it become the most lucrative invitation event in snooker.

There were few signs of ring rust this evening as the five-time World Champion powered to victory with a top score of 136.

O’Sullivan recently lost his world number one spot to current Crucible king Judd Trump. However, he feels his longevity sets him apart from his rivals down the years.

O’Sullivan said: “I’ve been at the top of the game for 26 years. For the last nine or ten years I have been the leading player every season along with other players. Selby in the past, last year it was Trump. Other years it has been Higgins and Williams.

“My longevity has been pretty good. I wouldn’t say I am the best in all departments, but I am efficient in most. There are a lot of tournaments up for grabs this year, but also a lot of great players. It should be an exciting season.”

He will face Kyren Wilson in the last eight after the Kettering potter saw off the challenge of Xiao Guodong 6-4.

Wilson and O’Sullivan met in last year’s semi-finals, when O’Sullivan came out on top 9-6. They also faced off in the Champion of Champions final, where O’Sullivan again edged a thrilling match by a 10-9 scoreline.

Shaun Murphy continued his rich vein of form with a thrilling 6-5 win over 22-time ranking event winner Mark Williams.

The Magician had looked like he may not qualify for this event off the back of a poor 2018/19 campaign. However, he looked to be back to his best at his most recent outing at the International Championship, where he reached the final before losing out against Judd Trump.

Murphy had taken control of this encounter when century runs of 136 and 123 put him 3-1 up at the mid-session. However, three-time Crucible king Williams surged back into contention after the break.

The Welshman took four of the next five frames to lead 5-4 and had looked to be in for the win, before breaking down on 56. Murphy stepped up and fired in a sensational clearance of 70 to force a decider, which he won to clinch a quarter-final clash with Jack Lisowski who beat Mark Selby 6-3.

Murphy said: “I certainly had a lot of opportunities to learn from my mistakes last season. I must credit Fergal O’Brien. I have been practising with him since moving to Dublin and he has me in those sort of situations all of the time. The tactical frames towards the end were ones I perhaps couldn’t have won before moving to Ireland.”

Liang Wenbo overcame Stuart Bingham 6-4 in the opening session of the day. While on the other table David Gilbert beat Cao Jin in a 6-0 whitewash.

 

Ronnie played his first match of the season tonight in Shanghai (afternoon in Europe).

He beat Zhang Yi by 6-0, in one hour and thirthy-two seconds.

As you can see, Ronnie scored heavily and finished with two centuries. He currently shares the tournament high break, 136, with Shaun Murphy.

Ronnie looked very sharp in the balls. He was very focused and didn’t take any liberties against his amateur opponent. The only slightly weaker aspect was his long potting. He left a few opportunities to his opponent but whenever Zhang missed or lost position, Ronnie took his chance and converted it in a telling break.

Zhang who had beaten Ali Carter yesterday adopted an all attacking approach, spreading the reds at first opportunity. The problem for him was that he couldn’t finish the job in one visit. Once Ronnie was in, it was basically frame over.

After the match Ronnie had a lot of time for the fans, staying in the arena and signing tickets and pictures. There was a big crowd for his match and they were treated with some very good snooker.

Here are some great pictures courtesy of Tai Chengzhe. Thanks Tai!

 

This is the report by Worldsnooker (excerpt)

Tuesday 10 Sep 2019 05:34PM

Ronnie O’Sullivan got his season up and running with a 6-0 whitewash of amateur Zhang Yi at the Shanghai Masters.

The Rocket hasn’t lost in Shanghai for over three years after winning the title in 2017 and 2018. O’Sullivan pocketed £200,000 for his victory last year, when the event transitioned to the 24-player format which saw it become the most lucrative invitation event in snooker.

There were few signs of ring rust this evening as the five-time World Champion powered to victory with a top score of 136.

O’Sullivan recently lost his world number one spot to current Crucible king Judd Trump. However, he feels his longevity sets him apart from his rivals down the years.

O’Sullivan said: “I’ve been at the top of the game for 26 years. For the last nine or ten years I have been the leading player every season along with other players. Selby in the past, last year it was Trump. Other years it has been Higgins and Williams.

“My longevity has been pretty good. I wouldn’t say I am the best in all departments, but I am efficient in most. There are a lot of tournaments up for grabs this year, but also a lot of great players. It should be an exciting season.”

He will face Kyren Wilson in the last eight after the Kettering potter saw off the challenge of Xiao Guodong 6-4.

Here is the match …

Ronnie OSullivan Vs Zhang Yi Full Match- Shanghai Masters 2019 Last 16 from Talya on Vimeo.

And Ronnie’s postmatch  reaction

 

Round 1 of the Shanghai Masters just concluded, with a couple of really unexpected results. So, here is a short update of my preview.

Ronnie will face Zhang Yi tonight in China after the Chinese wildcard beat Ali Carter. On paper, Ronnie should have a straightforward passage to the next round. “On paper” is never a guarantee though as his defeat to James Cahill last April proved. But I’m reasonably confident. Ronnie seems to be in a good place and Zhang Yi is likely to be a bit overawed by the circumstances.

Thanks to Mark, we can now watch the full “left-handed” practice…

Another factor is that Ronnie tends to get bored and homesick when away for a long time. But, if the first part of this video is anything to go by, that won’t happen this time. He might be a bit distracted though…

Kyren Wilson will face Xiao Guodong in the last 16. Xiao is a good player but he’s not  Stephen Maguire on form. Kyren has now a much better chance to progress to the quarter-final than I expected at the start of the tournament.

John Higgins will play Barry Hawkins, who was impressive. If Barry plays the way he did in the first round, he’s certainly capable to upset John Higgins. Both of them are excellent all-rounders.

I still stand by the other predictions. In particular, if Ding plays exhibition-style like he did against Zhao Jianbo, he is a risk to be completely outplayed by Neil Robertson who usually doesn’t need too many chances.

 

Those were my predictions. How did I do?

It all started rather as I expected. In the morning session, Shaun Murphy beat Lyu Haotian by 6-1 and Jack Lisowski beat Wu Yize by the same score. Actually both matches were more one-sided than I expected. Both Shaun and Jack scored heavily, both had four breaks over 50. Shaun’s 135 is currently the highest break of the tournament. Wu Yize actually had two 50+ breaks himself – a 57 and a 76 – yet he won only one frame. The 57 came in frame 2, a frame he lost 67-57, and losing that frame seemed to have a huge demoralising effect on the young Wu. Lyu Haotian appeared fragile out there. I wonder if he will ever recover from his disastrous first experience on the main tour.

The afternoon session brought the first surprise of the day as Zhang Yi beat Ali Carter quite comfortably. Carter had looked strong at the start, scoring a 117 in the first frame. However it was 2-2 at the MSI. After the MSI Ali won only one frame, conceded a frame 36 behind with 35 on the table and in general looked disgrunted and bored. Zhang took advantage and all credit to him. In the other afternoon match, Barry Hawkins beat Yan Bingtao by 6-5 and this was an excellent match. Both players played well. They had nine breaks over 50 between them – six by Barry, three by Yan – including two centuries, one each.

Here is the decider between Barry and Yan. It went to the last balls:

Ahead of the evening session, there was the official “Opening Ceremony” attended by Chinese officials, Jason Ferguson, Yan Bingtao and Ronnie. Here are a few images shared on weibo:

The evening session brought another “surprise” when Xiao Guodong comprehensively beat Stephen Maguire by 6-2. Xiao played well and scored heavily: he had six breaks over 50, including a century to finish the match. He was helped by a rather apathic display from his opponent. I didn’t expect this, given the way Stephen had played in Bangkok. I should have known better. I completely forgot the “wild post victory celebrations aftermath” factor. 😉 Frankly Stephen looked like a man who had quite a few over the last couple of days and nights… The other match saw Ding Junhui beat his wildcard opponent, Zhao Jianbo, very easily. Ding was playing the way he would in an exhibition, taking spectacular shots, to the delight of the crowd. Zhao’s potting was decent, but he has a lot to learn in the tactical department, and he was probably a bit intimidated.

here is the report by Worldsnooker

Monday 9 Sep 2019 04:20PM

Shaun Murphy might have been feeling Goofy after injuring his leg while dancing with his son to Disney’s Greatest Hits, but he sill managed to score a 6-1 win over Lyu Haotian in the first round of the Shanghai Masters.

And this is no Micky Mouse event – it’s snooker’s most lucrative invitation tournament with total prize money of £751,000 up for grabs. Murphy is through to the last 16 to face Mark Williams on Tuesday.

Breaks of 79, 83, 135 and 55 helped world number 14 Murphy to an emphatic win over China’s Lyu. England’s Murphy enjoyed a return to form at last month’s International Championship, reaching the final before losing to Judd Trump, and still looks in fine shape despite his recent mishap.

“We were having Sunday dinner at home, me and (three-year-old) Harry were dancing around the lounge to Disney’s Great Hits,” explained Murphy. “I felt something go in my leg. I thought for a minute I had snapped my Achilles tendon, but the doctor later told me if I had done that I would have gone down like a sack of spuds.

“He said I might well have partially torn it and he advised me to rest it as much as possible, so I sat in the house for two weeks, doing my wife’s brain in! I had to pull out of the Paul Hunter Classic and I was relieved to be able to get back to the table last week for a few days. It’s not ideal preparation but I’m glad to be here and to get a win under my belt today.”

Barry Hawkins edged out Riga Masters champion Yan Bingtao 6-5 to earn a match with John Higgins. Hawkins came from 4-2 and 5-4 down to level at 5-5, setting up a tense deciding frame in which both players missed chances. It came down to the last five balls and last year’s runner-up Hawkins made a fine green-to-black clearance to snatch victory.

Wild card Zhang Yi, winner of the Amateur Shanghai Masters tournament, scored a surprise 6-3 win over Ali Carter to set up a meeting with defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan on Tuesday. It will be O’Sullivan’s first match since losing in the first round of the World Championship in April.

Stephen Maguire may have gone into this week’s event on a high having won the Six Red World Championship on Saturday, but he didn’t stay in it long as he went down 6-2 to Xiao Guodong, who fired runs of 50, 69, 88, 70, 57 and 100.

Home favourite Ding Junhui came from 1-0 down to beat Zhao Jianbo 6-2 with a top break of 71, while Jack Lisowski top scored with 81 in a 6-1 defeat of Wu Yize.

And Ronnie shared a short video of his “left handed practice session”