Impresie. Albastru inefabil…

Daca semifinala Ronnie – Mark (Williams) a fost spectacol, finala dintre Ronnie – Mark Selby a fost memorabila: la 9-6, castigarea ultimului frame si a meciului de catre Ronnie parea sa fie o formalitate ; insa cum Ronnie este intotdeauna surprinzator, am avut parte de o amanare a finalului meciului pana in joc decisiv, castigat de… Mark Selby. A fost o finala intensa, asemenatoare finalelor de Masters dintre Ronnie si Paul Hunter, sau meciurilor dintre Ronnie si Stephen Maguire.

“That’s the best final I’ve ever been in. The atmosphere is great when Ronnie O’Sullivan plays. I just dug in and thought I would just scrap it out. I love the atmosphere and seem to thrive on it. Hopefully this will kick-start my season.”

(Mark Selby)

* Ronnie O’Sullivan 8-9 Mark Selby

(sursa foto: bbc.co.uk)

Prima semifinala a turneului a fost un meci-spectacol : in primul rand pentru ca nici unul dintre cei doi jucatori nu mai pierduse o semifinala de Masters – Ronnie castigase 8/8, iar Mark 3/3, apoi pentru ca a fost un meci terminat in joc decisiv (6-5 pt englez), si, in ultimul rand, pentru ca Ronnie a egalat recordul de 9 finale a lui Stephen Hendry ; in plus, pentru Ronnie este a sasea finala de Masters in sapte ani, si posibil al cincilea titlu, in timp ce Mark castigase doua finale din trei.

Meciul a inceput cu primele doua frame-uri castigate de galez, si egalate imediat de Ronnie, urmand apoi o serie de jocuri impartite in mod egal intre cei doi, pana in jocul decisiv, unde Mark a ratat o lovitura la o bila colorata – albastra mai precis, oprindu-se astfel din a ajunge si apoi depasi avantajul lui Ronnie care si-a si adjudecat frame-ul si meciul.

Declaratii de dupa meci:

“It felt alright to to involved in and I felt pleased that I made a bit of a game of it. When he started potting balls I thought this is going to be a right good hiding, I’m going to get absolutely smashed. I really just wanted to make a game of it. To feel as if I had a part to play in it because the atmosphere was so good.
A few balls started to go in and at 2-2 I felt the pressure was off a bit and gave him something to think about and not made a show of myself, so that was pleasing. Mark was the better player today, I think. He’s a different class to all the other players coming through who’ve won tournaments recently. We grew up together as juniors and I really respect his game.
I don’t know how I won that game. When I potted those last two reds when I fouled, I was gutted I thought what a way to lose, then I got a chance. On the brown I put everything into that shot. I apologized to Mark (for the fist pump) I hate that kind of thing and there is no need for it. I think it’s horrible but I couldn’t believe I had won. I was ultra relieved when the brown went in.
I said to Mark at the end, I don’t know how I beat him.”

(Ronnie O’Sullivan)

“I played well, I can’t grumble and say anything other than I played well, he played well. I made some great breaks but it all came down to the last frame and I missed a tricky red to the green pocket. I knew if I got it I couldn’t fail to win but if I missed I couldn’t fail to lose.
I couldn’t really play much better than that, I didn’t miss many pots and my safety was good.”

(Mark Williams)

Se pare noul presedinte al Snooker Association, Barry Hearn a remarcat in cursul acestei saptamai, ca Ronnie are o infatisare ‘nefericta’ la masa de joc. In acesta privinta, Ronnie a declarat:

“The reason I don’t like smiling is because I’m so unconfident when I go out there. I just don’t expect to play well these days.
I’m petrified going up the tunnel sometimes as I’m worried I’ll make a fool of myself and not give my opponent a game.
But once you get pushed about a bit by your opponent, your survival instinct kicks in. But I keep having to find something, and that is really hard.”

Cealalta finala s-a decis oarecum scurt: 6-3 pt Mark Selby; dupa un egal la 3, englezul castigand astfel al zecelea meci din 11, singurul pierdut fiind si cel mai important – finala de anul trecut, in fata – surpriza! – lui Ronnie O’Sullivan. Se anunta asadar o finala disputata…

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Avem semi-finalistii acestei editii de Masters: Mark Selby il va intalni pe Stephen Maguire, dupa meciuri cu o desfasurare opusa : Mark Selby a ajuns in joc decisiv in meciul cu Mark Allen (dupa ce a condus cu 3-0), iar Maguire l-a invins categoric pe Ryan Day cu scorul de 6-1, dupa un meci destul de plicticos. Cealalta semifinala se disputa intre Ronnie O’Sullivan si Mark Williams, ambii castigand cu scoruri apropiate, si cred ca Ronnie tocmai a devenit cel mai mare cosmar al lui Peter Ebdon.

* Rezultatele sferturilor de finala:
Mark Selby 6-5 Mark Allen
Stephen Maguire 6-1 Ryan Day
Ronnie O’Sullivan 6-3 Peter Ebdon
Mark Williams 6-4 Shaun Murphy.

Meciurile notabile din prima runda ar fi infrangerea lui John Higgins (3-6 cu Mark Allen), a lui Ding Junhui – care a reusit un rusinos 6-1 cu Mark Selby si a lui Stephen Hendry (6-4 cu Shaun Murphy), precum si victoria lui Ryan Day, care l-a invins la 0 (zero) pe Joe Perry.

De remarcat ar mai fi declaratia lui Ronnie de dupa meciul cu Neil Robertson:

I’m not the player I was when I was 15 or 16. A lot of the time I’m playing sub-standard shots. Now and then I catch hold of one and play a killer shot.
The only time I play a pure shot is left-handed. The last time I played a good tournament was the (2003) European Open in Torquay and the Irish Masters a couple of weeks later.
I don’t want to have to rely on the occasion of being 3-0 down in front of a big crowd to salvage some pride. I can’t pot a ball in practice.
My attitude will be the same in my next match – I won’t be surprised if I win or lose. I didn’t panic. You can’t panic, that’s rule number one, because if you panic it’s a disaster.
I made just two out of 10 long pots, and I think Neil will be disappointed to have beaten someone making just two of 10 long pots. I’d give my long potting two out of 10. It’s hard to get excited.
To make two or three centuries in a match is not a big deal, that’s how the modern game is. I would have accepted winning or losing.”

si faptul ca prezenta lui Mark Williams a fost incerta, dat fiind faptul ca orasul sau – Cwm din Tara Galilor, era izolat de zapada; interventia unuia dintre spsonsorii turneului, care i-a pus la dispozitie un jeep 4×4 a facut posibila evolutia la acest eveniment a galezului. Si drumul pana la Londra se pare ca a fost cu peripetii, masina in care se afla acesta fiind implicata intr-un accident, iar Mark Williams alegandu-se ca urmare cu dureri de gat, care l-au tinut cateva zile.

* Asadar rezultatele primei runde:
Ronnie O’Sullivan 6-4 Neil Robertson
Marco Fu 2-6 Peter Ebdon
Allister Carter 3-6 Mark Williams
Shaun Murphy 6-4 Stephen Hendry
Stephen Maguire 6-3 Mark King
Ryan Day 6-0 Joe Perry
Mark Selby 6-1 Ding Junhui
John Higgins 3-6 Mark Allen.

Mai trebuie spus ca Jimmy White a primit un white-card din partea organizatorilor, care a starnit controverse in lumea snookerului la un momentul anuntarii, dat fiind faptul dupa evolutia din acest sezon Liang Wenbo ar fi fost o optiune evidenta; motivele organizatorilor au avut considerente publicitare si sentimentale, Jimmy fiind mereu preferat de publicul englez, iar acesta i-a recompensandu-i pe toti printr-o infrangere.

* In runda wild cardurilor s-au intalnit:
Mark King 6-2 Jimmy White
Mark Williams 6-2 Rory McLeod.

O inovatie la acest turneu, este prezentarea fiecarui jucator pe anumite teme muzicale, la alegere:
Jimmy White – Money for Nothing — Dire Straits
Mark King – You Can Do It (Put Your Back Into It) — Ice Cube
Mark Selby – Underdog — Kasabian
Ding Junhui – Eye of the Tiger — Survivor
Peter Ebdon – Can You Feel the Force? — The Real Thing
Marco Fu – I Gotta Feeling — Black Eyed Peas.

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Ding Junhui a castigat penru a doua oara in cariera trofeul Pukka Pies UK Champioship, invingandu-l pe John Higgins cu 10-8, dupa un meci echilibrat, precaut si extrem de lung. Pana la 7-7 nu s-a inregistrat o diferenta mai mare de un joc intre cei doi – destul de exasperant, tinand cont de faptul ca amandoi sunt jucatori oarecum lenti (un singur frame a durat ceva mai mult de 45 de minute) si niciunul nu parea ca grabeste sfarsitul meciului, care a si cam durat 7-8 ore ; pana in jocul 15, cand John a gresit lovitura la ultima bila maro, iar Ding a trebuit doar sa inchida masa pentru a prelua din nou, si dupa cum se va dovedi, decisiv conducerea.

Nu stiu cum ar fi decurs meciul daca si John ar fi avut o zi de pauza inainte de finala, dar ma bucur pentru Ding, a carui poveste ma impresioneaza de fiecare data. In plus a si castigat greutatea sa in placinte Pukka, din partea sponsorului turneului Pukka Pies, pe care le-a donat unei asociatii caritabile din Sheffield – oras in care s-a si stabilit de ceva vreme. Si cel mai important, l-am vazut zambind.

(sursa foto: uk.eurosport.yahoo.com)

“It’s been a crazy week; I can’t believe it. It’s brilliant. I am concentrating more. I had some bad shot selections but I was telling myself not to be angry. […]

I’ve lived in Sheffield for the past few years and I love the city. The least I can do is try to help some of those less fortunate than me at Christmas by donating these pies – hopefully there are enough to stop people going hungry. ” (Ding Junhui)

Un meci urmarit la rezultat pe worldsnooker, pare ca nu se compara ca traire cu un meci privit la televizor ; cu cateva exceptii : sa nu joace Ronnie o’Sullivan cu John Higgins, sa nu fie condus cu 8-2, si sa nu aiba reveniri spectaculoase ; pentru ca este exasperant sa vezi cum se misca o sagetica de un nume la altul si cum creste sau stagneaza punctajul, fara niciun comentariu, sau vreo imagine a mesei de joc. Deci nu am vazut meciul, dar l-am trait ca pe o finala de mondial intre Mark Williams si Ken Doherty, sau de masters intre Ronnie si Paul Hunter, sau ca pe jocurile de cosmar dintre acelasi Ronnie si Stephen Maguire. Un meci dupa care ai impresia stranie ca ai albit brusc si socant, din cauza emotiilor intense, a mainilor tremurande, a inimii pe care timp de o revenire nesperata ai simtit-o in stomac, a temerii de a spera nesperatul, de a indrazni apoi sa speri si de a fi dezamagit.

Declaratiile de dupa meci :

“I was sitting in my chair at 8-8 thinking ‘this is the usual for me’. It was amazing. If I’d lost it would have lived with me forever so it’s lucky I don’t have to go through that. When it got to 8-8 the pressure was back on Ronnie. In the last frame you go on to autopilot because the pressure is so great, that’s when all those hours of practice and your technique get you through.

I will be fine for the final tomorrow, because even though it was 9-8, it was free-flowing. Ding is back playing the way he can so it will be difficult. He’s started the season well so it will be a mammoth game.”

(John Higgins)

“John had chances from 8-2 up but he went off the boil, which was unlike him. To get to 8-8 flattered me and in the end it was the right result, a fair score would have been 9-4. I was hitting the balls too thick or too thin and couldn’t see the potting angle, I couldn’t even break off. I made a pact with myself at the start of this season not to get excited if I win or disappointed if I lose. Otherwise I’d get annoyed and frustrated and I don’t want to spend the rest of my career in that manner.”

(Ronnie O’Sullivan)

Cat despre ceea ce s-a intamplat in frame-ul 13, cand dupa o serie de lovituri ratate Ronnie a atins bila neagra provocand o noua ratare si cedand astfel randul lui John, cei doi au declarat:

“I didn’t foul the black intentionally. I couldn’t believe I took so many attempts to hit the yellow. I walked back to my chair and I expected John to be able to pot the red. I was a bit confused as it was a bizarre situation.” (Ronnie O’Sullivan)

“Never in a million years did Ronnie foul deliberately, he is one of the most genuine people in snooker. It’s probably never happened to Jan (Verhaas) before and it will probably never happen to him again, it was just a freaky position on the table. He was just applying the rules but maybe it should be left to him to have discretion” (John Higgins)

In semifinala de vineri, Ding Junhui l-a invins pe Stephen Maguire cu 9-5, calificandu-se astfel in a doua finala consecutive. Si pentru ca si Ding da declaratii, iata ce a spus dupa meciul in care a realizat si cel mai mare break de pana acum al turneului (134p) :

“At 5-5 there was a lot of pressure on me but I was lucky in the next frame, he potted the red and the white went in off and left me an easy chance. I just had to keep my concentration and make a big break which gave me a lot of confidence. It’s crazy, I’ve never done this before been in two finals in a row but the next match will be very hard. They are both good.”

Estimez o finala destul de stransa; Ding este un mic robotel, iar John va fi si mai motivat sa castige dupa semifinala cu Ronnie. In plus, Ding poate castiga trofeul pentru a doua oara in cariera, iar John poate fi al treilea jucator dupa Hendry si Steve Davis care poate castiga Campionatul Mondial si UK Championship in acelasi an.

Se pare ca provocarea in UK Championship abia acum incepe pentru Ronnie O’Sullivan, care il va intalni in semifinala pe campionul mondial en-titre si no 1 mondial John Higgins, dupa ce l-a invins cu 9-3 pe Mark Selby – un scor care tinde sa devina recurent in evolutia lui Ronnie la acesta editie a competitiei, el incheind meciurile din rundele precedente cu acelasi scor (9-3 cu Matthew Stevens, Peter Ebdon, Mark Selby).

(sursa foto: bc.co.uk)

Desi meciul dintre cei doi englezi a inceput promitator, a devenit repede evident ca meciul se va incheia destul de in stilul lui Ronnie (rapid adica), chiar daca Mark Selby a dovedit de multe ori de-a lungul carierei ca poate reveni hotarator in joc; si Ronnie i-a oferit destul sanse de a face meciul mai palpitant.

“The scoreline flattered me; Mark had his chances but he didn’t take them. It’s a win I suppose, but it’s hard to be happy or filled with any joy. I could have been more clinical.”

Si meciul dintre John Higgins si Liang Wenbo s-a dovedit a fi destul de fad, poate cu exceptia celui de-al patrulea frame al partidei, cand o spargere ratata a ceea ce mai ramasese din manunchiul de bile rosii l-a oprit pe John Higgins din realizarea celui de-al 6-lea break maxim al carierei.

Ding Junhui in schimb, s-a aflat de doua ori la conducere in meciul cu Ali Carter: la inceputul celei de-a doua sesiuni 5-4, si in jocul decisiv la 9-8, in timp ce, cu ceva emotii, Stephen Maguire l-a invins pe Peter Lines cu 9-5, dupa ce acesta a reusit sa recupereze trei frame-uri consecutive in sesiunea a doua a meciului.

Semifinalele asadar:

Ding Junhui v Stephen Maguire (vineri)

Ronnie O’Sullivan v John Higgins (sambata).

Si rezultatele sferturilor de finala:

Ronnie O’Sullivan 9-3 Mark Selby

John Higgins 9-2 Liang Wenbo

Ding Junhui 9-8 Allister Carter

Peter Lines 5-9 Stephen Maguire.

In runda a doua a UK Championship, Ronnie O’Sullivan l-a invins pe Peter Ebdon cu 9-3 – un scor pe placul celor ca nu au uitat meciul din sfertul de finala a Campionatului mondial din 2005. Ca de-obicei Ronnie nu a fost deloc multumit de jocul sau :

“It was hard to get going. Every time I came to the table, the balls were in unusual positions and the colours were off the spots, so I was thinking ‘where do I start’? It felt like a war and I found it difficult to get any momentum. I’m not getting excited over winning or losing, I’m just staying in neutral. I’d rather be hitting form and getting excited.”

Din pacate Mark Williams a pierdut in fata nr 64 mondial in joc decisiv, dupa ce la un moment dat avea un avans de doua jocuri. Tot in joc decisiv a ajuns si meciul dintre John Higgins si Neil Robertson, incheiat cu victoria scotianului, iar detinatorul titlului, Shaun Murphy, a fost eliminat de Ding Junhui cu un scor categoric : 9-3.

Toate rezultatele rundei a II-a:

Peter Lines 9-8 Mark Williams

Ronnie O’Sullivan 9-3 Peter Ebdon

Shaun Murphy 3-9 Ding Junhui

Stephen Lee 5-9 Allister Carter

Neil Robertson 8-9 John Higgins

Mark Selby 9-5 Stephen Hendry

Stuart Bingham 3-9 Stephen Maguire

Liang Wenbo 9-2 Mark King.

Meciurile notabile din sferturile de finala se vor disputa joi :

Ronnie O’Sullivan v Mark Selby / Liang Wenbo v John Higgins, iar maine ne vom intalni cu: Ding Junhui v Allister Carter / Peter Lines v Stephen Maguire.

Va fi un meci strans intre Ronnie si Mark, dat fiind faptul ca ambele finale importante in care s-au intalnit s-au incheiat fie in meci decisiv (Welsh Open 2008 – 8-9 Selby), fie aproape de decisiv (Masters 2009, 8-10 Ronnie). Iar Wenbo are ceva polite de platiti si lui John (care l-a scos de la CM) si lui Ronnie (care, printre altele, l-a invins in finala Shanghai Masters din acest sezon). In plus, ceea ce va face si meciul dintre Ali Carter si Ding interesant, in campionatul chinez de snooker, Wenbo este clasat pe locul 2, chiar dupa Ding.