 | World Championship - 1st Round - Men
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24/04/2008 | ||||||||
R.O'Sullivan
C.LiuComments
- - Thanks for joining me this afternoon; make sure you stick around for all the latest news from this year's tournament...
- 10-5 ...a loose safety from Liu hands Ronnie a tough final red...which he takes...before going on to clear all the colours to seal the win...
- 9-5 Liu has fought back and holds a 12-point lead before snookering Ronnie on the final red...
- 9-5 Ronnie makes 40 after five reds and five blacks...a kick ends a second maximum bid in two frames...but he has a healthy lead as Liu comes to the table...
- 9-5 Ronnie gets another chance when Liu falters on a bad blue into the middle...he finishes it off with ease...just one more frame for the match now
- 8-5 ...the break ends at 56 as Ronnie attempts to get on the black with a deep-screw on a red into the corner...still, he has a big lead as Liu comes to the table...
- 8-5 Ronnie is immediately into a break with a run of 33...including all blacks and reds...
- 8-5 The players are back after their mid-session interval...
- 8-5 Liu needs a couple of snookers...after ten minutes of trying, he leaves the red over the corner, and concedes the frame...
- 7-5 O'Sullivan makes 65 before missing a simple frame-ball into the corner...67 remaining as Liu comes to the table...
- 7-5 ...which Liu wins with a nice cut into the corner...Ronnie can't get the snooker he needs on the pink...and the deficit is cut to just two frames...
- 7-4 Ronnie's break of 48 cuts Liu's lead to just nine points as a bout of safety begins on the blue...
- 7-4 Liu makes a good contribution of 53 before an unfortunate kiss off the pack leaves him a little out of position...Ronnie comes to the table with nothing easy on, though...
- 7-4 O'Sullivan makes 41 before running out of position playing left-handed off a red...but Liu's loose safety allows O'Sullivan back in, and he makes another clinical 48 before playing deliberately with both feet off the floor to concede the foul.
- 6-4 Ronnie is quickly amongst the balls in the second frame of the day...it's up to 22, and the split into the pack is very favourable...
- 6-4 ...but he can't get it, and Ronnie takes the first frame...he had to rely on a couple of mistakes from Liu, but he did enough...
- 5-4 Ronnie shows some delightfully subtle touches to make a 61 break that takes him 47 clear with 43 on...
- 5-4 Ronnie doesn't settle immediately, but Liu can't take advantage...Ronnie gets a third chance with the balls well set...
- 5-4 The players are out having been introduced to the crowd...and the action is underway...
- - Hello; welcome to the concluding session of this first-round match as Ronnie O'Sullivan attempts to hold off the challenge of young Chinese star Liu Chuang.
- - Thanks for joining me this afternoon; make sure you stick around for all the latest news and scores from this year's tournament - it is turning out to be a cracker...
- 5-4 ...but Ronnie fires home a long green before clearing the colours to ensure he does go in in front...fantastic session, though...great stuff.
- 4-4 Just as in the seventh frame, Ronnie responds to a fine start from Liu to step up and get back in it...although this time he fails with his clearance, missing the green...one point in it...
- 4-4 A nice plant from Liu, who is attacking this final frame before the end of the session with real verve...the balls just aren't running for him, though...
- 4-4 ...but Ronnie can't get the snooker, and he concedes after leaving the final red over the pocket...level again...
- 4-3 Another fine effort from the teenage star - 55 - puts him in the box seat in the eighth...but a missed black as he attempts to get on the penultimate red hands Ronnie an unexpected chance to get back into it...although he needs a snooker to tie...
- 4-3 ...but Ronnie steps up with a fine clearance of 57 to steal the frame from Liu and go back into the lead...he needed that one after Liu's comeback...
- 3-3 Liu makes a fine 52 before his attempt to go into the pack yields no available reds...but a good safety has Ronnie in a bit of trouble...
- 3-3 FINE FINISH! We have a game on! Liu squares the match with a fine finish on the back of some excellent safety...Ronnie was cruising at 3-3, but it's game-on now!
- 3-2 ....later on, after laying two fine snookers, Liu plays a super-fine cut to the corner to give himself every chance of levelling...
- 3-2 UNLUCKY! Ronnie is on a smooth 27 break before he unfortunately sends a red into the corner after going into the pack from the blue...the foul brings Lui to the table seven points down...
- 3-2 ...Liu hands Ronnie a free-ball when he fails to get out of a snooker...Ronnie looks set for the frame, but misses the pink - nominated as the brown - by a mile, and Liu steps up to clinch it.
- 3-1 Liu gets out of a tricky snooker at 43-42 down, but leaves the yellow over the corner...
- 3-1 Ronnie and Liu are back out after their cup of tea...
- 3-1 Liu wins his first frame at the world famous Crucible Theatre with a wonderful 92, although he falls just short of his seventh century this season...3-1 at the mid-session interval...
- 3-0 ...after a long, high-quality safety battle on the yellow, including a 10-minute spell without a potted ball, Liu's loose safety hands Ronnie a chance...which he takes...along with green, brown, blue and pink to clinch another frame.
- 2-0 Liu starts with 33 before missing a black into the same pocket as the one he missed in the first frame...Ronnie steps up, with a few reds in tricky spots...
- 2-0 A very fluid 87 from Ronnie takes him to the second frame, won in just eight minutes...
- 1-0 O'Sullivan splits the pack perfectly with a shot off the brown as he takes advantage of a slightly nervous-looking miss into the middle by Liu...
- 1-0 ...but a stunning reply from Ronnie, a fluent break of 76, sees him clinch a high-quality opener.
- 0-0 Very impressive start from the youngster, who fires in a long red before moving smoothly on to 32...before he misses a tricky black...
- 0-0 The players are out, the introductions are over with, and we're underway...
- - Hi there; welcome to our coverage of the first session of this match between two-time champ O'Sullivan and 17-year-old qualifier Liu...