Did you hear the one about...
the Englishman, the Scotsman, the Welshman and the Chinaman?
The semi-final line up of the 2011 Betfred.com world snooker championship was completed last night as three-times champion, John Higgins beating old rival Ronnie O’Sullivan by thirteen-frames-to-ten and set up another mouth-watering clash with Mark Williams.
Despite being tour veterans, Higgins and Williams now competing in their 19th season on the professional tour are playing some of the best snooker of their careers.
They currently occupy the two top spots in the world rankings and have won three of the last four major ranking titles between them.
Williams has made a potentially difficult draw look remarkably easy, accounting for Ryan Day, Jamie Cope and Mark Allen with the loss of just 13 frames to his 36 won.
Higgins beat Stephen Lee in round one before finally getting past Go-Slow Rory McLeod in the last 16.
Against O’Sullivan, he looked under pressure in the second of three session trailing the Rocket by 7-4 at one point.
Three-times champion Higgins escaped the session level at eight frames each and made O’Sulivan pay for letting him off the hook wrapping up victory in the 23rd frame.
Higgins and Williams provided a ‘classic’ in the final of the UK Championship at the end of last year and with both players peaking at just the right time, this could be again.
In the top-half of the draw, China’s Ding Junhui remained on course to become the first Asian player to win snooker’s biggest prize with a 13-10 win over Mark Selby.
Selby trailed throughout the match but in the final session made one of his characteristic comebacks.
The Jester won the opening four frames to wipe out his 10-6 deficit and after returning from the mid-session interval looked certain to lead for the first time.
He missed an easy red to leave Ding needing a snooker, choosing instead to play position on the black.
Criticised by the commentators, Selby’s decision shows the regard that the top players have for opponents, realising that one snooker required is no longer good enough, and with the chance to put the frame beyond Ding’s reach, the increased difficulty was worth the risk.
As it turned out, he would not win another frame. Ding clinched the last two frames to reach his first ever Crucible semi-final where he will face 21-year-old Judd Trump.
The Bristol Ace seems to have been around forever, and yet is still only 21.
Having won his maiden ranking title in China last month, the youngster is riding the crest of a wave, and full of confidence dispatched 2006 champion, Graeme Dott with relative ease in his quarter-final.
Up to number ten in the world rankings, Trump is likely to continue his uninhibited style of play which has thrilled fans over the past two weeks, earning him an army of fans that will be delighted to see him go all the way.
