Shanghai Masters LIVE
Judd Trump – Mark Williams
Trump 3-1 Williams (23-0)
Now then. Judd smashes a plant into left corner, slots a tricky pink into left-centre, and there are points available for him, lots of them.
Trump 3-1 Williams (5-0)
Excellent red from Mark, who flicks in a lovely long starter only to go in-off. But Judd, left in a tricky situation, leaves one to left corner on black cush … which Mark can’t quite jab in from on top, overcutting to left corner; Judd, though, can capitalise only to the tune of one, so we’re back playing safety.
We go again…
On table one
Ding Junhui 1-1 Ali Carter
Trump 3-1 Williams
Mark can’t manage a fine cut to right corner, but he’ll settle for the frame. He’s back in the match as they go to the interval.
Trump 3-0 Williams (0-64)
Terrific shot from Mark, breaking the pack from underneath, and a gentle red to left corner opens everything, the maxi still possible. Er, or not. He’s low on the next one, so finds a cut trying to make it around the table to the black … and it’s there for him, just. But the frame remains live and much as he wants to take it on, he eventually disappoints the crowd by taking pink. Still,. there’s a 146 out there which’ll mean anyone wanting to relieve him of the highest break prize will need a maxi.
Trump 3-0 Williams (0-24)
A misjudgement from Judd, flicking black playing into the pack and leaving a starter; Mark sees it away and knows he needs to make this visit count. Three reds, three blacks…
On table one
Ding Junhui 0-1 Ali Carter
Trump 3-0 Williams
Judd is halfway there, doing nothing wild just pitting the balls he should.
Trump 2-0 Williams (67-1)
Floating a red from centre to corner, Judd secures the frame. Mark isn’t playing badly, exactly, more that he’s been punished for the errors he’s made, and if he can’t win the next there’s a strong chance he’s done for.
Trump 2-0 Williams (67-1)
Judd runs out of position so knocks a red safe; mark needs all the balls to win by one.
Trump 2-0 Williams (51-1)
With the white in the pack, Judd pokes a red to left corner and there’s no reason to think this won’t be another frame to him. Mark will be trying his best to forget the safety error that left him in this hole.
Trump 2-0 Williams (6-1)
Mark nails a lovely starter to left corner but an infelicitous cannon means end of break and a poor safety leaves Judd with a hand on the table and a long starter to left corner; he drains it superbly, and sudden;y, out of nothing, this is a decent chance.
On table one
Ding Junhui 0-1 Ali Carter
Trump 2-0 Williams
Long way to go, but Mark won’t want to lose another.
Trump 1-0 Williams (64-0)
Judd secures the frame and he’s playing nicely here.
Trump 1-0 Williams (49-0)
Judd continues accumulating while, in comms, they discuss that he’s been badly served by Mark, Ronnie and John still playing. When he broke through as a major force he might’ve expected they’d be gone by now and he’d be dominating. Er yeah, about that.
Trump 1-0 Williams (1-0)
With two reds in baulk, the players resort to tapping in and out of the cluster … until Mark leaves a red to right-middle. Judd drains it and there’s plenty out there for him.
On table one
Ding Junhui 0-0 Ali Carter
Trump 1-0 Williams
Judd wins his first frame of the season.
Trump 0-0 Williams (83-1)
Naughty snooker alert! Frame secure, Judd runs out of position … so nails a cross-double, white near top rail, red on side, and the crowd all over it.
Trump 0-0 Williams (42-1)
I join with Judd at the table, but he takes on a nasty blue to left-middle and misses; no matter. Mark sends down a red then loses the white so The Ace is back in business. And this is a big season for him, I think: he was great last, but didn’t do that well in the bigguns, and though his three tournaments won in a row is a fine effort, at the end of his career, no one will care how many Wuhan Opens he took. It’s time for him to start racking up triple crowns.
I tell a lie
Though it’s Carter v Ding on table one, we’ve got comms on table two, so iI’m afraid it’s my solemn duty to break the terrible news that we’ll be focusing on … Judd Trump v Mark J Williams. Oh no!
And off we go
Our feature match
Is Ali Carter v Ding Junhui. And I will, of course, be updating you on Judd Trump v Mark J Williams.
The auditorium is ready
Just a bit of generic techno and we’ll be ready to go.
Result from earlier
Luca Brecel 2-6 Si Jiahui
We go again..
‘This table is like an ice rink’ – Zhou drops in fluke against O’Sullivan at Shanghai Masters
That’s us done for the first dig
Join us again at 12pm BST for two belting matches: Ali Carter v Ding Junhui and Judd Trump v Mark J Williams!
On table two
Zhou
Has talent. His potting is excellent, but he’s plenty to learn about the tactical side even if it’s a harsh day on which to judge him: Ronnie barely missed a ball when in.
Ronnie O’Sullivan beats Jinhao Zhou 6-1!
He meets Ali Carter or Ding Junhui next.
O’Sullivan 5-1 Zhou (60-13)
Ronnie secures the match then misses green to the yellow, so Zhou returns to the table needing two snookers. Good luck, old mate.
O’Sullivan 5-1 Zhou (29-13)
Zhou again gets in and out, missing a blue, and that might be curtains. There’s plenty for Ronnie to do still but Zhou, looking miserable in his seat, can be proud of the way he’s potted, even if he’s got plenty to learn abort the tactical side.
O’Sullivan 5-1 Zhou (0-13)
Ronnie hasn’t lost a match in this tournament since 2016, and though it took three years off during Covid, he’s won the last four. Zhou, though, isn’t going away, fluking a red then missing a black, leaving nothing, before a fine starter followed by a fine blue leaves him with a chance to score. But the pack will soon need breaking … except before he even has to, he misses with the rest, not for the first time today – though again, leaves nothing.
On table two
Luca Brecel 2-2 Si Jiahui
O’Sullivan 5-1 Zhou
Again, no ton for Ronnie, but another, this time 79, well above 50 – his fourth of the ilk. He’s one away from round three.
O’Sullivan 4-1 Zhou (45-26)
Ronnie loves winning in China and he’s looking good here, the pace of the table now saved in the supercomputer he calls a brain.
O’Sullivan 4-1 Zhou (2-26)
Oh, Zhou. He sinks a few difficult pots then misses a simple red to right corner, and that is going to cost him.
O’Sullivan 4-1 Zhou (1-16)
Zhou takes on a tight cut to left corner and can’t pot; Ronnie nicks it in but again lands in the pack. So a few shots later Zhou drills in a beauty, diagonally to right corner; can he exploit the opportunity?
On table two
Luca Brecel 2-2 Si Jiahui
O’Sullivan 4-1 Zhou
A run of 85 and Ronnie leads 4-1. Zhou pots nicely, but the game is about a lot more than that.
O’Sullivan 3-1 Zhou (49-4)
Ronnie accumulates, but after playing what looks like a nice shot, the white just keeps running – the baize is swift – and two fine recovery-pots are necessary to maintain the run. This is going to be 4-1.
O’Sullivan 3-1 Zhou (4-4)
Zhou receives the rare reward of a table tapped by the greatest to appreciate a shot of his … then Ronnie goes in-off. Zhou, though, misses a starter and leaves all sorts. He’s learning lessons today.
O’Sullivan 3-1 Zhou (0-0)
Zhou goes in-off, his fantastically fresh face looking momentarily sad. But he leaves nothing so we’re back playing safety off the cluster.
We go again…
On table two
Luca Brecel 2-1 Si Jiahui
O’Sullivan 3-1 Zhou
A lesson for Zhou there: don’t let a genius off the hook. Ronnie leads at the interval and we’ll be back in 15.
O’Sullivan 2-1 Zhou (78-0)
Ronnie misses a black, but the frame is his.
O’Sullivan 2-1 Zhou (39-0)
It’s Ronnie in at the start of frame four and I wonder if almost losing the third will get him going. He’ll like the way his opponent is playing but won’t want to make him, and after four red-blacks he breaks the pack from below, the maxi not out of mind. He loves playing in China so might want to go for one to please the people … but as I type, a pink zips to middle and the frame is at his mercy.
On table two
Luca Brecel 1-1 Si Jiahui
O’Sullivan 2-1 Zhou
Ronnie clears up and that’ll both sting and affirm Zhou: he ought to have gone in front, but he’s playing nicely.
O’Sullivan 1-1 Zhou (47-59)
No matter: he gets in next and he’s a lovely potter. Problem being,after two more fine shots he half-stuns the yellow when top-spin was required, snookers himself on the green, misses it, and leaves a free-ball that’ll cost him the frame.
O’Sullivan 1-1 Zhou (47-43)
Ronnie compiles then gets stuck behind the black, taking on a shot to nothing and that’s end of break. Zhou, though, then gets a thin contact that leaves one; Ronnie cleans up and tucks in behind the green; Zhou misses thrice but then nails a fantastic blue – I can’t believe he’s taken that on, corner to corner – with one just one red left, in the middle of black cush, the frame is in the balance … but he can’t get position so plays a poor safety.
O’Sullivan 1-1 Zhou (19-26)
Ach, going nicely, Zhou tries to pot black in a corner of a corner pocket, looking for position, but as Fouldsy notes, ultimately he’s missed a black of its spot and you’d expect due punishment to now be administered.
O’Sullivan 1-1 Zhou (12-15)
It’s Zhou in first in three but he leaves himself straight on the blue, unable to dig into the pack. No matter: when Ronnie tries exactly that he winds up stuck in the bunch – not something that happens to him often – so the defending champ plays safe … and Zhou sends a beauty long to the yellow bag! What can he make of this opportunity?
On table two
Luca Brecel 0-1 Si Jiahui
O’Sullivan 1-1 Zhou
Ronnie clears the table with an 85. We’re level.
O’Sullivan 0-1 Zhou (47-8)
Earlier today, by the way, Jin Cao beat Jak Jones 6-2 and Pang Junxu beat Gary Wilson 6-5. Anyroa, back in our match, Zhou takes on a nasty red to the side … and when he misses he leaves the world. This is going to be 1-1.
O’Sullivan 0-1 Zhou (31-0)
Time’s up? Ronnie won’t want to lose to a kid and when said kid misses a long red by plenty, the Rocket gets to work. But off a yellow, he has to get the rest out for the next red … and cuts home a nice one. It’ll need a few more shots to relocate prime position, though, and he can’t manage the next red.
On table two
Luca Brecel 0-1 Si Jiahui
O’Sullivan 0-1 Zhou
The 16-year-old hits the front!
O’Sullivan 0-0 Zhou (12-72)
Zhou runs out of position so lays a snooker, white behind brown, and though Ronnie hits his chosen red, he leaves a cut-back along the side rail; Zhou drops it in confidently, no worries about missing and leaving it, and from there he secures the frame!
O’Sullivan 0-0 Zhou (12-47)
He can’t, though, do much, quickly running out of position, and Zhou takes a starter off the side then keeps the run in progress by floating a narrow black to right-middle. He looked nervous at the start but he’s settling now, doing his thing against the greatest the ever was. He can clinch the frame at this visit.
O’Sullivan 0-0 Zhou (12-23)
Reds nicely spread, Zhou gets in and this time adds a black, knowing he’s a chance. That brings with it pressure – if he misses, he knows what’s likely to happen – but so far he’s doing alright. I say that, but asked to cut a brown with the rest, he misses by plenty and now Ronnie’s at the table potting balls.
O’Sullivan 0-0 Zhou (0-2)
This is an amazing opportunity for Zhou, who wriggled past Zhang Anda yesterday with the help of a colossal fluke. He rakes the first two reds but can’t find a colour with either.
And away we go
On table one, it’s Ronnie O’Sullivan v Jinhao Zhou, the 16-year-old – we’ll be focusing on that – while, on table two, it’s Luca Brecel v Si Jiahui reprising their legendary 2023 World Championship semi-final.
Hello there
And welcome to the Shanghai Masters 2024 – day two!
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