 | Welsh Open - Final - Men
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17/02/2008 | ||||||||
R.O'Sullivan
Comments
- 8-9 And Selby does it, clearing the table to cap a remarkable comeback.
- 8-8 BUT OH DEAR O'SULLIVAN BLOWS IT! His infamous mental frailty strikes again as the final red is missed and he pockets the white to boot! Oh dear, Selby's going to clean up...
- 8-8 O'Sullivan's back on track though, taking the penultimate and red, followed by the black, and now Selby's starting to sweat...
- 8-8 Selby is in the midst of some turnaround as he brings up the 50...
- 8-8 O'Sullivan breaks 24 but an uncharacteristic foul - brushing the blue with his sleeve while taking a shot - sees Selby given the chance and take it he does, potting a tricky red and setting himself up for a snooker on the blue...
- 8-8 And the crowd shrieks with delight as Selby levels the match! Well, he's certainly shown that he's no pushover as we enter what will be the final frame.
- 8-7 This is some comeback in this frame - and in the match - as Selby moves up to 49 with the last five colours left...
- 8-7 Selby stalls at 21 though, a very tense frame this is as both men take their turns with much caution...
- 8-7 O'Sullivan has given Selby a route back into this frame... 53-6 now as Selby looks to salvage the championship.
- 8-7 O'Sullivan senses blood after breaking, he's on a half-century now...
- 8-7 Things are getting interesting again as Selby leaves the table 62-22 up, O'Sullivan returns but can only attempt a snooker with just the one red left. And Selby clears the table to win the 15th frame 86-28. Game on again.
- 8-6 Well Selby will not be forced out of it that easily, winning that frame with his second break of 43. 8-6.
- 8-5 Selby starts brightly, handing over to O'Sullivan with a break of 25 and getting back to the table quickly to continue his attempt to claw something back from this match.
- 8-5 And he clears the table with aplomb to take it to 8-5, O'Sullivan one frame away from the championship now...
- 7-5 Things aren't looking good for Selby as O'Sullivan racks up a score of 58 on this break...
- 7-5 After a cautious opening, O'Sullivan pots the first red in what could be the penultimate frame...
- 7-5 O'Sullivan comes back to register 63, 35 ahead of Selby with 35 left on the table... but he misses a red and gives Selby a chance... he can't take it though and the luck goes O'Sullivans way, hitting the red against the pocket but it rebounds into the opposite pocket. He clears the table and goes 7-5 ahead.
- 6-5 Selby pulls away to 72 with most of the table clear, misses a brown and O'Sullivan nods, back to 6-5.
- 6-4 Selby's handed a route back in though, pulling away to 37-22 before taking his time over the next red to ensure the pink is set up....
- 6-4 13 minutes in O'Sullivan finally pots the first red...
- 6-4 A tense opening to the 11th frame, around ten minutes in and still 0-0 with half the reds still bunched as O'Sullivan tries to make it tough for Selby...
- 6-4 Selby looks on with his brow furrowed as O'Sullivan rattles up another tonne to take the tenth and move 6-4 ahead with a break of 135. The momentum is with Ronnie now.
- 5-4 O'Sullivan wins frame nine, dominating again as he finds his rhythm midway through this final...
- 4-4 Play resumes...
- - The second session is about to begin as the spectators take their seats again while O'Sullivan and Selby prepare to come out.
- - The break between sessions is underway.
- 4-4 O'Sullivan milks the applause after a break of 130. Four frames apiece.
- 3-4 O'Sullivan with a decent break, 53 thus far and showing no sign of letting up with the table nicely spread...
- 3-4 Selby with a break of 65 to take the seventh 139-0, not a sniff for O'Sullivan.
- 3-3 A lapse of concentration from O'Sullivan with a foul on potting a fairly straightforward red, following straight in to pocket the cue ball.
- 3-3 O'Sullivan gets his chance though, potting the brown and winning the frame.
- 2-3 Selby puts the cue ball between the blue and black, which requires O'Sullivan to get out of the snooker, which he does.
- 2-3 O'Sullivan takes it to 58-38, 22 ahead with 23 left on the table... he can't pot the brown so plays Selby into difficulty, forcing a shot that lines O'Sullivan up for the brown... but he rebounds it off the pocket, poor shot, and Selby breathes again...
- 2-3 Another tight opening as O'Sullivan edges 28-20 ahead before fouling, the cue ball popping back into the bottom left pocket after potting a pink...
- 2-3 And Selby does indeed win the frame, 3-2 now.
- 2-2 The fifth frame is a tight affair but Selby cruises away to 52-22 with only two reds left on the table... he makes it difficult for O'Sullivan, who plays an interesting shot that sees the cue ball far right and the two reds lined up with the black perpendicular. Selby touches off the first red and sends the cue right back to where it started...
- 2-2 A brief comeback from Selby in this frame is put to bed, he reached 38 but O'Sullivan works up an unassailable lead of 72 to level overall.
- 1-2 Similar pattern to this frame, O'Sullivam extending to 44-3...
- 1-2 Sullivan doesn't make the same mistake this time and clears the table to take the third frame.
- 0-2 O'Sullivan with a break of 50, but Selby has a chance to repeat his antics of the last frame... he's hemmed O'Sullivan in by a red by the bottom right pocket... O'Sullivan works his way out of it though.
- 0-2 Handing the initiative back to Selby has cost Ronnie dear as he clears the table to win the second frame 60-50. 2-0 to Selby.
- 0-1 O'Sullivan racks up a score of 50 as Selby returns to the table on 15 to put a tough red and set himself up as he tries to claw this second frame back...
- 0-1 Selby fouls on the pink so O''Sullivan back at the table, sharing a joke and a smile with the crowd before potting a red.
- 0-1 The first frame goes to Selby, 90-6 and comfortably so.
- - The final of the Welsh Open us underway!
- - There's a £350,000 prize on offer for the winner of the best-of 17 frames match today. O'Sullivan got through after beating Shaun Murphy 6-3, while Selby beat Stephen Hendry 6-4.
- - Hello and welcome to eurosport.yahoo.com's LIVE coverage of the Welsh Open final, featuring one of all-time snooker talents Ronnie O'Sullivan and in-form Mark Selby.