Murphy Ends It For Ding
Ding Junhui was defeated by opponent Shaun Murphy at the Honghe Industrial 2008 World Snooker China Open.
The fourth day of the gripping tournament saw the hopes of China’s wonderkid dashed, as fans looked on and witnessed a nail-biting final frame.
The last few shots of the game produced a score of 42-61, with Ding behind. The crowd observed and watched Ding miss an opportunity with the brown, one which seemed to cost him the frame. Taking advantage of Junhui’s miss, Murphy pocketed the pink to secure himself a place in the quarter finals where he will next face Mark Allen.
It seemed that luck wasn’t on Ding’s side this time, especially as the young player has never beaten Murphy. Despite the loss, the support for Ding was enormous. He said,
‘I played ok but had some bad luck in the last frame. The pressure on me was huge; I will go back to the UK and prepare for the Crucible, because there is less attention on me there.’
Murphy, currently ranked number three was overjoyed with his victory,
I’m delighted; I made some nice breaks and played some good safety. I’m sure the match was great entertainment for anyone watching. It was a massive advantage for me that I’ve never lost to Ding, though he’s a great player and I’m sure he’ll beat me one day.’
In another crucial match, current World Champion John Higgins stormed his way to victory earning himself a spectacular 5-1 win over Mark King.
Early in the game there was a 1-1 tie until the Scottish superstar won four consecutive frames with impressive runs as 71, 162 and 116.
The World Champion commented on his hopes for the tournament,
‘I would love to win this tournament as I’ve only ever won one in the Far East which is not a good record… To win would give me confidence going to Sheffield so that I can defend my World title and play some good snooker.’
The tournament has only eight players left and will determine a winner on March 30th.
More recent results
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Ryan Day 5-3 Ken Doherty
Stephen Maguire 5-2 Barry Hawkins
Mark Williams 5-2 Peter Ebdon
Nigel Bond 5-1 Barry Pinches