What a terrific day of snooker ! Two contrasting semi-finals, both closely contested and producing a final tomorrow to make the mouth water.
Judd Trump's triumph over Ding Junhui was an astonishing achievement for a young lad of 21. The final session produced snooker of immense quality and, as was said by one of the commentators, Ding didn't lose it, Trump won it. That this young man could produce such a mature performance says an awful lot about his temperament as well as his skill.
The second semi-final was a very different affair, played between two much older and more experienced men, John Higgins and Mark Williams. Williams held the whip-hand early on and Higgins struggled to stay in touch. Somehow, Higgins not only stayed in touch but slowly drew level and then moved ahead. The last few frames, in huge contrast to the Ding-Trump match, were nervous and strewn with errors as both players felt the tension. In the end, it was Mark Williams who missed one too many pots and John Higgins who emerged as the winner.
Tomorrow, we'll see Higgins, already 4 times a finalist and 3 times a champion, and Judd Trump, at 21 the second youngest finalist ever and whose only previous visit to the Crucible ended in a first round defeat at the hands of Shaun Murphy in 2007. The contrast could hardly be greater.
Who will win the best-of-35 frame final ? Logic says Higgins, though Trump will probably be the 'peoples' favourite'; the Final ought to be a cracker and either will be a worthy Champion.
No comments:
Post a Comment