Ding Too Strong For Allen
Ding Junhui gave China its second consecutive home ranking event finalist as he beat Mark Allen by six-frames-to-two in the semi final of the China Open in Beijing.
He will be looking to go one step further than compatriot, Liang Wenbo who lost to Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final of the Shanghai Masters earlier in the season and regain the title he won as a teenager in 2005.
Now, 23, Ding is the most consecutive player on the circuit this season reaching his third ranking final in four events.
The Chinese player was simply too strong for Allen, who was looking for his maiden appearance in a final.
He won the opening frame and before making a superb 137 in the next. He stretched his lead to 3-0 before Allen finally opened his account before the interval.
If there was a key moment in the match, it came in frame five when both players had chances in a scrappy affair lasting over thirty minutes. It was Ding who finally got the chance to clinch and open up an three frame gap.
They shared the next two before the Chinese number one, sealed victory with yet another century break.
In the final he will wait to play the winner of the match between England’ s Allister Carter and Mark Williams.
This is a repeat of the match at the Pokerstars.com Masters in January which Williams won despite having a car accident the night before.
There may be some needle in this and Carter will be looing for revenge after loosely suggesting in a television interview that there appeared to be nothing wrong with Mark.
