Selby Stays On Course
Masters champion, Mark Selby remained on course to take the second Player Tour Championship at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, with a tough four-frames-to-two win over Jimmy Robertson.
The world number nine lost the opening two frames against the in-form Sussex man despite making a break of 53 in the opener.
Leicester’s finest then settled making breaks of 75, a further 53 and 65, restricting his opponent to jus 34 points in the last four frames and set up an interesting semi final clash with Hong Kong’s Marco Fu.
Fu reached the last four of the first PTC event, and has consolidated his position on the Order of Merit in the chase for the top 24 spots and automatic entry into the Tour Finals next March.
Fu overcame Wales’ last remaining hope, Andrew Pagett by four-frames-to-two. Fu took the first three frames before Pagett fought back with breaks of 89 and 78 to reduce the deficit to just one with two to play.
Fu’s greater experience helped him to steady the ship and progress through in a tight sixth frame.
In the opposite half of the draw, Norwich’s Barry Pinches went one step further after losing in the quarter final of PTC 1 to eventual champion, Mark Williams.
Pinches beat Stuart Bingham 4-2 after trailing 1-2, allowing the Basildon player just 13 points in the last three frames.
The semi final line up was completed by Northern Ireland’s Gerard Greene who has quietly progressed through the bottom half of the draw.
He ended the hopes of Scottish teenager, Anthony McGill who continued to impress opening up a 3-1 lead including his fourth century of the tournament in frame four.
After missing a chance to clinch the match in the fifth which Greene took on the black, he was restricted to a role of virtual spectator as the world number 28 made breaks of 77 and 66 to book his semi final place.
