Shanghai Surprise to Strike Again?
The Shanghai Masters remains on course to throw up a surprise winner for the third time in four years as Jamie Burnett roared into Sunday’s final following a comfortable 6-1 win over Jamie Cope in China.
Dominic Dale ended a 10-year drought between ranking event wins in 207, and Ricky Walden won his first and so far only ranking event the following year. Ronnie O’Sullivan did put a big name to the trophy in 2009 but if Burnett were to win on Sunday, the world number 44 would surprise even himself.
“I am probably the blackest horse ever to be in contention at this stage of a ranking event”, he told the Chinese media after recovering from 4-1 down to beat Mark Davis in his quarter final yesterday.
Cope looked severely out of sorts and recorded a highest break of just 36 in the seven frames of the match, despite numerous scoring chances.
Burnett reached the first final of his 18-year professional career through consistency rather than brilliance, making breaks of 54, 58, 52 and 52 on his way to a 5-0 lead.
The world number 17 from Stoke, avoided the dreaded whitewash in the sixth but seemed to have run out of steam and was unable to put up a fight.
The Scot, who has a nightmare couple of years with on-going allegations of match-fixing hanging over his head, made it through and will face either Mark Selby or Allister Carter for the title.
