Welsh Open - Rd 2

Wednesday Morning

Featured Match (2) -

Report Written By Graeme Drayton from The 15 Red Podcast team 

Pang Junxu v Ding Junhui 4 – 2 

Highest Break 84 – Junxu (Frame 3)

Frame 1, Ding Junhui started off well with a break of 70 and should have had a century but missed a relatively easy red. Pang came to table needing one snooker + a free ball. During his break he potted the blue which meant he was 56 behind and needing more snookers. With the scores at 70 – 29 he potted the last red and tried to lay a snooker behind the yellow, ding escaped, Junxu potted the yellow and then tried to get a snooker in behind the brown on the green. Ding played a snooker behind the blue, Pang hit the brown and with the scores now 74 – 32, Pang was 42 behind with 25 on and needing 5 snookers. Ding failed to escape from one snooker, no free ball called. Ding laid yet another Snooker in attempt to close the frame out, but Pang hit the green. Eventually Ding potted green and Pang conceded.

Ding broke off Frame 2, and Pang missed a long red. From safety, Ding put the cue-ball behind the green. Pang failing to hit the red in three attempts, giving away 14 points. On the fourth shot he escaped and pushed the target red safe. Pang then missed a long red in the left bottom corner pocket but failed to pot the red along the bottom cushion. With the break on 56 it looked as though he had lost control of the cue-ball, but he recovered by potting a fantastic long red into the green pocket and made a sizeable 63 and played a snooker behind the brown. Ding escaped, and then it was Ding’s turn to play a snooker behind the yellow on all of the five remaining reds. Pang hit the pink on his first attempt, and successfully escaped the second time. Pang attempted a long red which he missed but overcut a red into the yellow pocket. Pang made a break of 18, Ding conceded.

Frame 3, Ding made a mistake with a safety shot, he caught the red too thick, but Pang missed the opportunity as he missed the red. Ding was on a break of 6 and broke down as he missed the black. With the black hanging over the left corner pocket, a long period of safety play followed, there was a possibly of a re-rack until Pang potted the black of a red but was fortunate to cover the red that was over the left corner, Ding tried a plant which went completely wrong, but Pang missed a black from the spot on a break of 7, Ding missed another red into the left corner. Pang went onto a make his highest break of the match with an 84 to lead 2 – 1. He could have had a century, but after potting the green the cue-ball around the angels in fell into the right centre pocket.

Frame 4, Pang failed to hit any reds from a snooker behind the green, hit one on his second attempt. Ding potted a good red, but after potting the brown played a safety from the next red. Ding was not looking sharp at all. Then Ding potted a long red, but the cue-ball finished in the pack but hit the black on his escape attempt. Pang played a brilliant shot getting the cue-ball in behind the brown and black (which was now in the baulk area). Ding fouled twice. Pang was left with a free ball and potted the brown and went on to make only a 10 break and then missed a red. Pang started to get a run of the balls and potted another long red, but he did exactly what Ding did as the cue-ball landed behind the pack. The scores were 19 – 10 to Pang, in order to escape the tricky situation, he nominated the yellow ball which he missed it once and on his second shot he changed his mind to brown on his but missed that, on the third attempt he hit the yellow and was close to leaving free ball for Ding, however Ding asked Pang to play again. After the referee had some deliberation with replacing the yellow and white, he missed the brown again. Even though he was getting closer, he had missed the target ball (the brown) for a sixth time. The points in fouls were rapidly mounting up, and he missed the brown for 7^th time. Shots 8 and 9 were also missed, but on his tenth attempt, he finally hit the brown but had given 27-points away. After a remarkable passage of play, Ding returned to the table the score stood at 46 – 19 in Ding’s favour but he was left in a snooker behind the brown. Ding hit the pink on the escape, and Pang was left with an easy red to try and win the frame, but after potting the blue he was unlucky to hit the jaw of the right middle pocket which sent the white into baulk but recovered with a cracking pot on the red closest to left side cushion, then he ran into trouble again after potting the black as the cue-ball landed in the pack to scupper his break of 28. Ding came back with the white touching two reds but played a good white back to the baulk area. The scores were now 46 – 47 to Pang, and some tactical play Pang caught a red to thick, nearly potting the black in the right centre. Back came Ding who had not potted a ball for 23 minutes of play and somehow missed an easy red along the cushion to which Phil Yates said in commentary ‘Oh Dear Me, Ding’s game has fallen apart’, it was fair to say that Ding was struggling somewhat because we know he has the quality, but apart from the 70 break in frame 1, he was not producing it today. Pang was in again and potted a mid-ranged red with the rest. During the break Pang potted a difficult red and cannoned through the two reds surrounding the black, one of the reds broke free and headed towards the bottom left corner pocket, nearly blocking the pocket. Another classic comment came from Mr. Phil Yates who said, ‘Now let us hope the black goes, it deserves to go after that bold shot,’ Pang managed to sneak the black in of the red near the cushion. Incredibly with the scores at 46 – 84 to Pang he needed the black for frame ball which he took with ease and ended the frame with 48 break. Ding conceded. In very topsy-turvy frame, after Pang had given away 27-points he somehow came out on top and took a two-frame lead to 3 – 1. Pang went one frame away from knocking out the world number 9.

Pang broke off frame 5 and left a red for Ding. Mr. Yates said, ‘That break off left a lot to be desired’. Ding cleared the red and begun trying to make something happen, but he really struggling with rhythm and shot timing. His break broke down on 22, then Pang with as the cue-ball dropped into the bottom left corner. Now Ding had a 26-point lead and potted the red, he went on to make a break of 48, Pang conceded.

Frame 6 began the same way frame 5 did, Ding’s break off shot was almost identical to Pang’s, the only difference was he got the cue-ball a bit tighter to the baulk cushion which Pang potted and then ran out of position as the white rolled a little too far onto the baulk line but potted a long blue into the right bottom corner and then a red into the same pocket in the same manner. Pang was holding himself together very well, showing no nerves with the finish line in sight as he gave himself a chance at taking the match as he powered in the black into the bottom right corner and managed to break away a couple of reds. The second spilt on the reds did not go as planned as the cue-ball glanced off the side of them and finished near the right middle pocket. Just as Mr. Yates said ’52 points in front, awkward balls are your friends,’ Pang decided to play safe and move the red off the left-hand side cushion closest to the baulk line. After a bit of safety, Pang took on a long red which he missed, the reds were spread everywhere and there were no excuses for Ding and just as looked as though he was going to level the match, he potted the blue and did not get the greatest position last red but potted it superbly into the yellow pocket. With the colours remaining, Ding was 4-points behind, needing up to pot yellow, green, brown, blue, and pink for the frame. The pink was in an awkward position on the right-side cushion, he had a good angle on the blue to get in behind the pink but did not hit it hard enough and left himself a tricky pink which he missed and left over the right bottom pocket. Pang cleared the pink and black to win by 65 points to 62 and provided the tournament with a massive shock. In all honesty it was a shocking performance from Ding. Pang Junxu who has the world ranking of 84 goes through to the last 16.