Key events
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Williams 2-7 (21-7) Xintong Now then. Zhao tries sending one long to the yellow bag and doesn’t get close; Mark tidies, and if he can break the pack nicely, the frame will be there for him. In the meantime, though, he picks around the fringes.
Williams 2-7 (15-7) Xintong Zhao cues across one to left corner so Mark sinks to the same bag; if he can bin a nasty black along the rail, he’s in … and he plays it beautifully. This is much more like it, except, as I type, Mark misses a pink to middle, leaving an opener and other loose balls – though the black is tied up and so is the pink now it’s been potted
Williams 2-7 Xintong He cannot, but he won’t mind. He needed this frame and it’s his, but the same applies to the next.
Williams 1-7 Xintong (69-0) Mark makes the frame safe failing snookers, then eases a tight one to middle by way of insurance. Can he underline his renaissance by recording a ton?
Williams 1-7 Xintong (39-0) Good work from Mark, who carefully removes balls.
“One thing that’s always really annoyed me about snooker is players leaving the arena after almost every frame,” fumes Simon McMahon. “Why is this allowed? I guess given the length of some matches players might be entitled to the occasional comfort break, but there’s already an interval after every four frames. Aren’t sporting contests psychological as well as physical, and part of this is being made to stay in your seat having lost the last three frames without potting a ball as your opponent stares at you, rather than popping out to the ‘bathroom’ to gee yourself up in the mirror. I can’t think of many other sports where the players can just voluntarily leave the field of play when they feel like it, and everyone else will just wait until they’re ready. Anyway, great start from Zhao.”
Leaving or not leaving is part of the psychological contest, I’d say. And I guess it’s tricky to tell an adult that they can’t go to the toilet, given there’s little prospect of them sweating out any excess liquid. That said, I don’t recall Stefan Mazrocis being a regular offender, and he was draining beers.
Williams 1-7 Xintong (9-0) Mark goes at one left dangling following the break; he misses by a way, as does Zhao when sending long to the green bag. So Mark sinks a cut to middle, adds a gentle cut-back black, and this is better.
It’s once again time for Rob Walker. He introduces the players, the crowd go wild, and we’re almost ready to go.
Never mind this is a massive session coming up; this is a massive frame. If Zhao wins it, he’ll be at least level overnight and his momentum will feel inexorable; Mark isn’t a streaky player likely to peel off five or six on the spin; he’s more likely to win two of every three, even that would leave him behind overnight, and it also feels unlikely given Zhao’s break-building ability. I don’t really want to say I fear this is already over, but I need to be honest so you can all laugh at me later. As such, I fear this is already over.
We go again!
That, then, is us – for now. Join me again at 6.45pm BST for the evening sesh and, in the meantime, dig into these:
An incredible afternoon for Zhao – who, don’t forget, is officially an amateur until he’s back on the tour next term. He’s not played anywhere near his best but Mark, perhaps feeling a hangover from yesterday, hasn’t got going at all. He’ll need all his wiles to get back into this – even a 5-3 second session would leave him four behind – but if anyone can do it, he can.
Williams 1-7 Zhao A missed red with the red, down the side rail, means Zhao must settle for a mere 83. But he leads by a mighty six frames, and if he plays closer to his best tonight, Mark is seriously struggling.
Williams 1-6 Zhao (0-82) Zhao deserves every bit of this break for the glorious opener her conjured. A third ton of the afternoon is there for him.
Williams 1-6 Zhao (0-73) Zhao secures the frame. A good start tonight and he’ll be almost out of sight.
Williams 1-6 Zhao (0-43) Zhao builds, a lovely little cut-back keeping him going, and he is bang in charge of this final. You’d never know he’s not played in one of these before.
Williams 1-6 Zhao (0-16) Mark needs three goes to find a route back to baulk but gets there in the end. He really must find a way to win this frame, but Zhao is about to address a hopeful plant to left corner, the balls not that close to the bag nor dead-set … and have a look! That’s a brilliant effort! You don’t see many of those and I’d fancy him to make something significant off the back of that.
Williams 1-6 Zhao A 104, a five-frame lead, and Zhao hasn’t even played well yet. Mark’s in all sorts.
-Williams 1-5 Zhao (0-92) Zhao cues beautifully to get rid of the final red and, when he tickles a blue to middle, it’s colours off their spots, a second ton inevitable.
Williams 1-5 Zhao (0-65) Zhao almost goes in-off, instead finishes on the next ball, and this is going to be 6-1.
Williams 1-5 Zhao (0-44) Zhao carefully and confidently removes balls. He knows how important this visit is, but so far is riding the pressure pretty well, opening the pack and freeing everything therein. We said it!
Williams 1-5 Zhao (0-23) The players prod in and out of the reds, prime re-rack territory, then a loose one from Zhao allows Mark to play a pot … except he can’t get it down, it stays over the bag, and this is a chance for the Chinese to take control of the match. If he can even split the last two frames, he’s flying, but there’s every chance he takes both. Ahahaha, but of course, as I type, he misses a dolly to middle … and so does Mark to corner! He just can’t get anything going and if he’s not careful, by the time he does, Zhao will be out of sight.
Williams 1-5 Zhao A real heel to the solar plexus for Mark. He daren’t lose either of the next two because, though it’s a long match, he’s playing an opponent likely to reel off a fair few frames in one visit.
Williams 1-4 Zhao (61-51) There are two reds just above black cush but Mark should be able to get on the higher of them. Instead, though, he develops the other, leaving himself a minging skinny cut-back to left corner … and to which he does not get close. Oh and he also leaves one! Gosh, these are big moments already, and when Zhao gets nicely on the last red, with colours on their spots the frame looks likely to be his.
Williams 1-4 Zhao (16-37) A strange shot-choice from Zhao, bumping pack off top rail instead of crashing into it like AJ Tracey, means it’s soon end of break. I’m surprised he was so conservative, but I guess he doesn’t want to take any chances with his lead. And, shonuff, his timidity is soon punished; perhaps smarting at his behaviour, he takes on a double and misses; Mark clips in a fine starter before building an important contribution.
Williams 1-4 Zhao (0-21) Both players leave the arena then Mark returns and immediately leaves a starter off the break; Zhao sends it down then gets to work.
Williams 1-4 Zhao If Zhao keeps winning the scrappy ones, Mark has a problem.
Williams 1-3 Zhao (49-72) Mark clears to the blue, so now only needs two snookers given the higher value of balls left … but he then leaves a pot.
Williams 1-3 Zhao (40-72) Sending blue to middle, Zhao gets too much on the white, making frame-ball red harder than necessary; he’s high above it and needs to cut from centre to right corner and cannot. However a good cue-ball means Mark then hits the pink so, with three snookers required, he clears a few, lays one Zhao escapes, then goes again soon after; that’s one.
Williams 1-3 Zhao (28-43) Clever from Zhao, sending a red on the right side towards left corner, where there’s another over the bag; down it goes. So Zhao narrows the gap, a nice red to middle keeping the run going, then another sent long to the yellow bag. That’s lovely, and one of the many things I like about how this boy plays is that he fully commits to his shots once he’s decided to take them on. This looks a lot like 4-1.
Williams 1-3 Zhao (28-5) They play in and out of the pack from near the top rail, then Zhao spots a three-ball plant to the yellow bag … and it’s there! But he’s on nowt! Perhaps out of disappointment, his next shot is poor, bringing the black back into play while leaving one to right corner, and that’s the creeping pressure Mark imposes. He’s into the match now, and increasingly it’s of the ilk he desires it to be. But as I type, he runs out of position, so we’re back playing safety.
Williams 1-3 Zhao (1-0) Mark wobbles a long starter into right corner but lands snookered on a colour; he jokes he’s going for yellow, completely inaccessible, and after much classic Crucible mirth, he plays safe off the black.
We go again…
Williams 1-3 Zhao (51-28) Zhao leaves a cut-back, Mark sends it home dead slow, and when asked to pot another ball to make sure, he strokes a beauty into left corner then doubles the blue to make sure. He needed that badly, and we’ll be back in 15. Both men look to be feeling it.
Williams 0-3 Zhao (51-28) Ooooh, but Zhao quickly finds on, white behind black with brown just off the baulk cushion; Mark hits well.
