Day 1 Masters Snooker Extra

Hello. Sunday was the opening day of the BGC Masters tournament. The

venue famous of the birthplace of broadcast television. Our

television cameras have recorded some top action today. Our first

match featured Ding Junhui up against four-time Masters champion

Ronnie O'Sullivan. In a repeat of their rather notorious 2007 final.

That was the day when Ronnie reduced Ding to tears and his

confidence suffered greatly over the next few seasons. He was a

teenager then. The fortunes of both men have changed greatly since then.

The best of 11 this first round match. And we'll join former

champions of the Masters Hendry and champions of the Masters Hendry and

Taylor in the commentary box. Ding Junhui hits the first snooker ball

ever at the Alexandra Palace. What an introduction there and what a

reception both players have. This would make a terrific final in any

tournament, wouldn't it, Stephen? The fact Ronnie has slipped down

the rankings a bit means Ding is a bit unfortunate to draw him so

early. The atmosphere is superb. Let's hope the snooker's the same.

There's a crowd here that used to pretty poor safety shot there. You

have to see if Ronnie can knock his first ball in now. The left corner

is the easier pot. Not a bad early opportunity this. This is also the

first snooker either of these players have played this year.

Neither were in the Munich competition earlier in January. It

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will be interesting to see how the Masters is a new venue now. It

looks to be pretty quick. Early bit nervous on an occasion like

this. Both these players are big occasion players. Won't take them

hasn't missed anything. As we show you that again, he normally knocks

those in. But the one I mentioned, the red next to the yellow is very

risky because of the one over the left corner pocket. That's why

Ronnie's looking at leaving the cue ball down near the cushion in such

a position that he covers the one over the left corner and covers the

20 minutes the place was full. It's free seating. First in gets the

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little cannon here or go in to them You can count on one hand how many

times Ronnie would do this in a could have been taking these and

the frame would have been over shortly. As it is, it's a terrific

qualified for the World Open in China? Yes. A slightly smaller

crowd than here - I think there was Internet and very few spectators

get to watch those. I think that's the reason you're seeing so many

maximum breaks. The players are playing so much snooker these days.

They made them in two consecutive days, and I presume it's never been

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go in to the corner. He's trying some top spin here. He will develop

the other two reds. It's just a matter of dropping the colour here.

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You'd expect him to finish on pink needs all three reds to win the

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the other red. He took his eye off the pot. Concentrated on the cannon

and the other red he wanted to quite crucial because both players

out when you're so close to the object ball. It's a key shot. This

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this frame early. Ebgz earlier. It should have -- earlier. That's too

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terrific at potting the balls in to middle pockets. Stephen Hendry is

pretty good in the middle pockets but they seem to have no problem

clear the path for the black. It's blocking the black at the moment.

That was a careless shot. It's the brand new cloth. It just grabs it a

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caused him a problem and now he's out of commission. Just playing the

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events anymore, that's why he's the cushion as possible, unless you

can get over to where the yellow is placed at the moment. He's going to

hit the blue. It just depends. He can't get through to the one that's

over the pocket. It might be too close to the pocket. The one near

the cushion would go off a bit easier than the one he's looking at

directly. The red over the pocket, if it was slightly to the left, it

guaranteed this. He might be trying to knock the red in. The double

think he played the shot and left the white was it was would have

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They played in 2005 as well. 6-1 Ronnie won. I don't think the

players will be thinking about it but that's what stats tell us.

have a lot of respect for each other's game. I think a brand new

venue, packed crowd. They'll both I'm sure both these players will

both settle down and give us a didn't miss enough to make you miss

them. That's where I went wrong, ahead. This is not a gimme either.

But what sort of angle will he finish on? If the green would go,

it would bow a better angle to get up to the -- be a better angle to

get up to the reds. He will have to hit these pretty hard to get those

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can't do any better than win the two opening frames. Ronnie

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goods, they'll get the respect from this crowd. Wonderful applause. You

can't cue the ball any better than that. They're going to give him the

confidence he needs to really down a bit he's been saying.

never seems to be happy with it but four is not bad. And this is

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obviously where it comes from bit early to be talking about a

possible showdown here. He's stuck least unlucky to not have at least

looking forward to refereeing the final. It will be his first for the

Masters. There will be plenty of century breaks I'm sure before next

this frame. Ronnie could do with a red or couple of reds close to a

cushion. Ding will want to keep them all in play. A big frame for

pocket. Not quite tight on the pocket there. Must have been the

white situated there. That's a pretty good effort. One red has

gone on the cushion which is a bit of a bonus for Ronnie. He almost

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have too much to do with the cue ball. Back off the cushion. As long

as he didn't have to cannon that other red, it would be nice to

right. It wasn't a problem. Only problem is the one we mentioned,

near the right side cushion. As Stephen mentioned, a big frame to

reds. And then play for the black. And then it's not so difficult to

will be interesting to see how Ding goes about it. Might even try and

move it off this next shot. Pot the red and try and maybe develop the

red on the side cushion. You'd think he would finish on a colour

if he didn't move it. Let's see what he decides to do. Has it

dropped right on the yellow? If he's on the brown, he might be able

to get up to the red. He was so close in bringing it in to play

there. Has it gone too far? I think it might have. I don't agree with

the shot to take the red off the cushion. It's a real pressure shot

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world champion. Six times Masters started off six reds and six blacks

and was unlucky to stick on a red and not have a pot. Meanwhile, Ding

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has given himself a slight problem Give him his first frame. There was

very little missed in that frame. A bit of sticking on the red there.

Ding has done what he's needed to corner. Possibly play the left-hand

side there of the two reds. Or the right of the two reds to back up

straight pots and the screw. think he was having a look to make

the pot slightly easier. Adds a bit more difficult. Screwing back is

what he's playing. He's finished OK. He has got it in the corner. He

would love to get on the red just above the black. It paved the way

for Rony taking the frame before the mid-session interval. Couldn't

get to it this time but no reason if he gets a good angle on the blue

off this next red than he can play up for the one that's closest to

finished, he has to be careful because of the red just of the left

of the pack there. He's playing for the one next to the pink, so it

obviously pots. This will help to himself. He could have cannoned

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sort of thing can happen when you're playing little cannons. The

about. He's perfect on the one next to the black. If he overhits it, he

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has the one behind the black and You would feel the way the balls

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the modern day players are pretty good with the opposite hand. Only a

control of this match. He's doing precious liltal wrong at the moment.

-- little wrong at the moment. first long one he potted was a

Amazing. Incredible what can happen at times. Slightly too much check

on the white ball there. It squared you've seen one. That wasn't an

the way the ball is situated. If he was able to get a snooker and get a

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place every single time. Such an important shot. He's a good long

potter. Just looking at this, there is a path round the back of the

black and reds. Can he cut it in. -- Ronnie can avoid the red to the

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left of the black. We'll soon find about it at the moment. It will be

the wrong side of the blue to do that. Unless he forces it all

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of the pink there. He will have to hit it thin so it didn't cannon in

to the black. A possible plant? Can you can see where he played the cue

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last shot was difficult positional I'm not sure if he can get past the

red and land on the green. That wouldn't be a bad choice. He's

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swerving just to play the yellow. cracking pot. He's missed very few

long pots for the first round match cue ball to come back there. It was

quite a distance between cue ball and object ball. The white stops,

then it grips. Without the cannon, the blue is perfect left-handed.

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in the balls. By far the best of on all occasions against him in the

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Masters. Ding has only won one sort of thing that can turns things

around. Could that be a slight turning point? He might be able to

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he narrows the gap. He is two under the cushion. It's always been

the same of the game. Some fantastic potters in the game

nowadays. We've seen most of them here, the top 16. A good tactical

game plays such a key part to success in the game of snooker. And

Ronnie has that element to his game. He can be as good a tactical player

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as anyone who has ever played the Has he done it again? We're talking

about millimetres. It looks as if he's landed on the red again. Look

at that, that's the end of break. Once again, fractions making all

the difference. I think he was hoping to just nudge that red or

maybe not hit it as hard. Why can't he get past the blue to that red on

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the other end of the table? Is was faced with. Suddenly this match

is turning very slightly. He can get past the reds to the cuing

there is a difference. It's just been a couple of fractions that

have caused the problems for Ronnie gets on a run. That's a nice shot

there to try and get it in to play. He would like to leave the black on.

The black may be tied up. It was a delicate little shot that he played

there. You're right. There are two might have given him a bit of a

moment there but just enough angle to get over for these reds. Having

to leave the black alone. Not easy to get on either of those reds.

That's why he's concentrated on the pink. Ding will be celebrating the

Chinese New Year at the end of this week. You went to China for one day.

You're heading back out again alt the end of the month, I -- at the

end of the month, I believe? It's become a huge sport in China. A lot

of that is down to this player came out to see him. It's a

beautiful part of the world they've taken the World Open to. It's the

Hawaii of China. It really is a delightful place to visit. Don't

know if you can reach around here. He might need the extension. Might

be able to leaf it. 50 points in front. All of a sudden, it's a

completely new ball game. You can didn't intend to cannon in to the

black. It wasn't what he was intending. He didn't want to have

looked where he was going to take the frame and came back to one

behind. Ronnie looked at the red but it's a very tough shot to cover

off the cushion. He's got a straight forward safety shot. He's

38 behind. It looks as though it's the safety shot he's playing here.

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there. Still fancied him the way he's playing. That has handed the

frame to Ding now. It will be a relieved Ding Junhui that felt he

might have just missed the boat there. But Ronnie didn't take full

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advantage. Ronnie has remembered we 5-1 and all of a sudden there is

only one frame the difference. The opening day of the Masters. The

first match. It might go all the trophy that the eventual winner

will win. The original trophy. Stephen Hendry has it somewhere in

his house. It used to be in your club. They give you the gold cup

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his previous shot. Things like that can cause Ronnie to lose a little

his attitude seems to change slightly when he makes a few

mistakes. He's his own biggest critic. He expects so much and

we've seen so much from him. get irritated by little mistakes

you make. A little bit reckless. -- wreckless. Reckless. I think Ding

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has nothing but confidence seeing means just yet. It's quite awkward

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this. This will need a bit of pocket there. I think it's a bit

careless I was thinking. But now he's covered it. Ronnie is in a bit

of trouble here not to leave that red. I'm sure he didn't play to use

the red there. You wouldn't have thought so but it's turned out that

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way. It's made it rather awkward precision, can you just flick that

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without going in-off? That is an It's a chance for a pot for Ding.

You'd have to be a little bit careful with the cue ball. If he

plays with a touch aside, he might go with the pink and the red here.

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largest sneeze I've ever heard of all my years at the Masters. 1500

people in there but when you've got for a while from Ding but he's

controlled it quite nicely. He's matured quite well as a competitor.

He has become a much stronger person since he lost out to Ronnie

in the final. He was always guilty of throwing in the towel a bit. But

he's looking a more confident player now. Because he forced that,

he somehow managed to find the gap. It shows you how you can find the

gap like that. That's a bonus to knock the pink and black in there.

45 points in front. The frame can next shot works out, we can have a

lot of balls in play here. Have a As I said before, he should have

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gone 5-1 in front. He took the more across the table for an easier pink

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the top cushion. He's played it caused the problems and the fluke a

few frames back has made such a difference. It was the best of 11.

What a great comeback from Ding Junhui. He's back all square. It's

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correct shot to play. Tough when quite easily stick. Needs a bit of

sorting out here. Looking at the possibility of a pink here. It

could be straight on the black. Straight on the pink. There's very

little to do to get the one to the right there. It can be the only

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there. This is the key shot coming up. As long as he gets enough top

spin and he doesn't stick in the bunch. He's missed them cut plealy.

-- completely. It's amazing where the white has ended up. That's

purely with the top spin inside. Watch the white. It's like a trick

angle. If he plays this with a lot of screw, he can stop the white

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for Ronnie. 50 points in front. Just missed the cannon in to the

red. Otherwise the frame would have been his. He only needed a split

there. It's a thin cut if he takes it in to the middle. Maybe it's

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he could leave is the one he took lidant let the red run right up the

table. Very few players can hit that shot as soft as that and get

the required effect from the cue ball. Tremendous timing and cue

action. A bit of a free shot here. It would be an automatic safety

shot. But he'd like to see the reds disappear. That was a stunning pot

many long balls as this. It's been his Achilles' heel for the last

couple of seasons. Ronnie would be the first to tell you that his long

potting hasn't been up to scratch. just showing what he was made of

there. Ding has taken three in a row now. And the pressure is firmly

back on Ding's shoulders now. Ding will stay in his seat now. He

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needed that after losing three in a better chance. Ding now knows he

might be sitting there for a while. The reds are nicely placed. The

black is not tied up. It's available in to one corner pocket.

This is not a bad chance for Ronnie closing a match out when he's got a

sniff of it, as all the great to the black. He might even elect

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He's a past master at that type of greatest break-builder the game has

ever seen. The only person in front of him is the one sitting next to

me, Stephen Hendry. I think you were over 700, Stephen. How many

centuries have you made in your career? I think it's around about

760, something like that. This is a key shot coming up for Ronnie

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O'Sullivan here. He has to make We always knew Ronnie O'Sullivan

was capable of doing this. Won the last frame with a 51 break. He's

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well on his way now. He doesn't won this great title on four

this year's Masters. A great venue. And I'm sure we're in for a feast

this year's Masters for him. Looked like a walk in the park for Ronnie

O'Sullivan until that three-frame spell where Ding bought back in to

it. But in the end, Ronnie kept his concentration, focus and I know he

will probably be a bit down beat when we interview him but he has

cued well. He's done very little wrong after the two opening frames.

Wouldn't it be nice if he could go out with the first century made

here. Get in there, please. seem to do. Every shot is being

cheered now. That's not taking anything away from Ding. The crowd

have appreciated the way he played. It's nothing to be ashamed of and

like a true champion. Both players have given us a great opening match

at this year's Masters. Ronnie raises his hands to the superb

crowd here and he goes out a winner, finishing in style with 125 break.

He takes the match six frames to four. There is Ronnie Junior. The

holder and number one seed Ding Junhui is out and it's Ronnie who

rocks on through to the quarterfinals where he will meet