:00:00. > :00:33.We're heading back to London's ally paly and the Master's Snooker.
:00:34. > :00:39.Hello, the masters is the second longest running snooker event in the
:00:40. > :00:44.calendar and always provides plenty of drammia. Now, this year, arguably
:00:45. > :00:48.we have the highest quality field ever because every single one of the
:00:49. > :00:54.players involved is the owner of at least one major world ranking title.
:00:55. > :00:59.Never happened in the past. But none of them has mastered this event more
:01:00. > :01:02.often than Ronnie O'Sullivan, a six-times champion and the defending
:01:03. > :01:06.champion here at Alexandra Palace here in North London. Today he's
:01:07. > :01:13.taking on Liang Wenbo who's in a breakthrough season with the first
:01:14. > :01:18.big tite in the English Open in Manchester last October. Matches
:01:19. > :01:23.between them, albeit Ronnie wins five-to-one, have generally be close
:01:24. > :01:29.of late. This one promised much. We're going to join the commentary
:01:30. > :01:30.from Dennis Taylor and a man who graced three finals, it's John
:01:31. > :01:42.Parrott. APPLAUSE
:01:43. > :01:50.Don't think he's covered the outside red here, this is a chance for
:01:51. > :02:05.Ronnie. Not easy, of course, first shot.
:02:06. > :02:22.It's very important to get a good start in any match, but particularly
:02:23. > :02:25.against Ronnie O'Sullivan. It's effectively his own back yard, he's
:02:26. > :02:31.got to score today, Liang, and heavily.
:02:32. > :02:38.I love watching Liang Wenbo play. He really is very exciting. A bit of a
:02:39. > :02:50.character as well. He's one of those players, John,
:02:51. > :02:54.that just loves the stage like here, packed house at Alexandra Palace. He
:02:55. > :02:59.plays his best snooker under these conditions. What conditions they
:03:00. > :03:06.are, look at this wonderful venue. 1500 in a couple of years ago, now
:03:07. > :03:15.it's 2,000 capacity. Very popular event here in London. Why not!
:03:16. > :03:24.Should be in for a real treat this week.
:03:25. > :03:34.The tournament that first started in 1974/75 season, won by the late
:03:35. > :03:40.great John Spencer. 9-8 in the final then, and kept going ever since. '79
:03:41. > :03:49.to 2006, it was in the conference centre, the next five years it went
:03:50. > :03:55.to the arena and for the last - this is has seaminglessly taken over of
:03:56. > :04:00.this wonderful event. And, of course, we mustn't forget the new
:04:01. > :04:05.London theatre in Drury Lane, it was played there, that was a terrific
:04:06. > :04:13.venue. Well-established now, as you say, John, always packed out here. I
:04:14. > :04:18.used to love playing in this event. There's a real buzz about it. It's
:04:19. > :04:23.your reward of being a top player for playing well through the year.
:04:24. > :04:29.You know full well you have got to be at it right from the get-go. No
:04:30. > :04:33.way to hide here. One table, and you got to bring your stuff with you, no
:04:34. > :04:38.good trying to find it because you won't win this event by doing that.
:04:39. > :04:47.You got to come here with your A-game, too many good players.
:04:48. > :04:56.That could be the end of break. He was just a little bit unlucky.
:04:57. > :05:02.Didn't quite get enough right side in potting that brown to go into the
:05:03. > :05:06.bunch. A little bit more side to hit the pink and red. He's be
:05:07. > :05:10.disappointed he had a big target there. It's his first proper visit
:05:11. > :05:12.on the table, but that was a big target for him to hit.
:05:13. > :05:28.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE Decided to have a go at the double
:05:29. > :05:33.and the only red he had to leave was the double and he left the chance
:05:34. > :05:39.for Ronnie to have that red. Can you put that camera away, please. He did
:05:40. > :05:44.mention no cameras please, but the referee just emphasising that.
:05:45. > :05:51.Lovely touch that. APPLAUSE
:05:52. > :05:55.I don't know whether he's - you see the red go in, whether he's got the
:05:56. > :06:05.angle to get into the pack like Liang did. Wow. His angle on that
:06:06. > :06:07.wasn't the same as Liang's. It was a bit more difficult shot that one,
:06:08. > :06:22.but couldn't quite get the side on. Yeah, so easy to go in off that last
:06:23. > :06:25.shot that Ronnie attempted. APPLAUSE
:06:26. > :06:29.That's the angle you have and you need to hit it on the right-hand
:06:30. > :06:38.side, avoid the middle pocket and he didn't quite manage that.
:06:39. > :06:51.Even though it's the best of 11, always nice to get off to a good
:06:52. > :06:56.start. He's had plenty of good starts in the Masters. Six times the
:06:57. > :07:10.Masters champion. I think some of Ronnie's best snooker ever has been
:07:11. > :07:12.played in this event. The demolition of Wi was astounding. He's played
:07:13. > :07:23.some great stuff here. Not particularly appetising for
:07:24. > :07:25.Liang, he's just got to be careful here. Probably try to drop in the
:07:26. > :07:59.back of the pack here. All this talk about Ronnie being the
:08:00. > :08:04.greatest break builder of all time but he's got a fabulous tactical and
:08:05. > :08:14.safety game. Which you have to have. You have to be able to mix it.
:08:15. > :08:21.Not the best safety this time from Ronnie. Liang Wenbo can have a g at
:08:22. > :08:25.this red and get himself on to the black and it's a bit of a free shot
:08:26. > :08:30.because once again the only ball he could leave would be the red he's
:08:31. > :08:33.having a go at but if he misses it, he could quite easily send it into
:08:34. > :08:35.the pack, but it's a half-chance this. He's pretty good at this type
:08:36. > :08:51.of pot. APPLAUSE
:08:52. > :08:55.Concentrated so hard on getting the pot which was difficult in itself.
:08:56. > :09:01.As you see, straight in the centre of the pocket but just lost the
:09:02. > :09:03.white. Stop there is. Now would have been perfect, but not much he can do
:09:04. > :09:20.here really. Just going back to the venues, John,
:09:21. > :09:26.the Wembley Conference Centre, he was so far away from the table. Here
:09:27. > :09:30.you're closer to the table. It used to be there was players and all
:09:31. > :09:34.sorts between you and the table, it was quite a long walk to get back to
:09:35. > :09:39.your seat, took a lot of getting used-to in that venue. But then
:09:40. > :09:48.you'd have 2,700 people there in the final. A long walk when you were
:09:49. > :09:52.getting... I know that. Players were tripping other over the plants in
:09:53. > :09:58.that place -- tripping over the plants in that place.
:09:59. > :10:11.APPLAUSE That's a terrific shot. I think he
:10:12. > :10:13.can take the brown because there is a red just to the right of the pink
:10:14. > :10:29.and the bunch that's available. Oh! He didn't see that coming. He
:10:30. > :10:41.was perfectly on the red. Well, second chance really for Liang here.
:10:42. > :10:46.Just caught the near jaw. Now, perfect position on the blue. And
:10:47. > :10:51.this is a lovely pack to go into. That red next to the pink is making
:10:52. > :10:54.it better. If he can hit that one full or red and pink together, this
:10:55. > :10:59.should open up lovely. Just got to be careful that the pink doesn't
:11:00. > :11:04.head towards left corner pocket when he counters into them.
:11:05. > :11:10.I thought he would have hit them a little harder than that. He had to
:11:11. > :11:15.go into them harder than that. He got a little bit lucky to finish
:11:16. > :11:24.there. They were begging to be hit hard. But he's on one.
:11:25. > :11:30.Tell you what, John, this table looks beautiful. I thought he was
:11:31. > :11:34.going to come up short on the blue, but it's very, very quick and the
:11:35. > :11:38.players like it that way. He's got a nice shot here. He pot this is blue
:11:39. > :11:44.and leaves himself low on the red, he can pop the red and splits the
:11:45. > :11:48.pack up if he wants to play it that way. This is the cue ball to go a
:11:49. > :11:51.bit more. If it does, that's what he's looking for - pot the red and
:11:52. > :11:56.counters into the reds, guaranteed to be on the pink and a few into
:11:57. > :12:04.play. Loved to have another couple of inches of row on that cue ball,
:12:05. > :12:09.it could have been perfect. 34-point advantage, he could win the frame if
:12:10. > :12:20.he could play the shot John suggested. Not a lot there.
:12:21. > :12:27.So change of plan and this time is he going to go far enough? He's
:12:28. > :12:30.going to have to take the pink if he's going to split the reds and
:12:31. > :12:35.straightaway, gets the rest out. It's a natural angle to pop the pink
:12:36. > :12:40.and split those Fyfe reds. When you think of this shot - both players
:12:41. > :12:44.are had a go on the brown and didn't get enough side on the cue ball to
:12:45. > :12:47.split the pack early in the frame. Sometimes on these new cloth and the
:12:48. > :12:49.cushions, they throw a little bit different. So got to judge this
:12:50. > :12:59.correctly. Missed the pack. And this is all
:13:00. > :13:05.come from that one shot off the blue. If he got the right angle on
:13:06. > :13:07.that bottom red, it was frame over. Not thrown as wide as he thought and
:13:08. > :13:21.missed the pack. He might have a 41-point lead here,
:13:22. > :13:26.this is a dangerous board, it really is. He opens the reds up here, only
:13:27. > :13:48.the brown in an awkward position, so got to be very careful.
:13:49. > :13:56.This require good cueing, you can only to see enough of this red. He
:13:57. > :14:06.had a couple of looks at that, but he's looking at an alternate.
:14:07. > :14:21.Just the safety shot. He needs a good cue ball here.
:14:22. > :14:30.Not bad, but there is a half-chance for Liang. He's a devastatingly long
:14:31. > :14:35.potter, Ronnie knows that. He practises enough for this, the
:14:36. > :14:41.Chinese player. This is not straightforward and he's got to find
:14:42. > :14:45.the gap back around the table. Much too thick. Now what damage has he
:14:46. > :14:50.done here? Mis-hit that completely. What a chance for Ronnie to get
:14:51. > :14:58.right back in this opening frame. Yes, not only the damage of missing
:14:59. > :15:04.it, you flip the red. Double whammy it. Misses it by a mile and brings
:15:05. > :15:11.that red into play. A good chance for a counter play or it should have
:15:12. > :15:23.been. And just nicked past the yellow enough to pop it in.
:15:24. > :15:45.Just a bit of a noise. A late-comer getting into a seat, but someone is
:15:46. > :15:49.making a bit of noise there. See if Paul has spotted. See if you can get
:15:50. > :15:54.the blue and the other one turned off, thank you. Just a couple of
:15:55. > :15:56.lights, I think, maybe in the line of sight which is a little
:15:57. > :16:08.off-putting. Just reflecting on to the railings
:16:09. > :16:18.there that are catching Ronnie's eye.
:16:19. > :16:25.He's going to wait until they get the light off. It is putting him off
:16:26. > :16:29.and he know this is is quite a good chance here to get himself right
:16:30. > :16:35.back into the frame. So we're going to find the switch that will get rid
:16:36. > :16:40.of that blue light. Two lights. Just one red that's safe here that could
:16:41. > :16:44.come to Liang Wenbo's rescue. The one near the cushion, as John
:16:45. > :16:52.mentioned, if he knocked the other red out into the open...
:16:53. > :16:59.APPLAUSE Frank Baker heading off there. The
:17:00. > :17:04.light is switched off. You mentioned that red on the top cushion, ideally
:17:05. > :17:09.Ronnie would like to get the black into place at least you only need to
:17:10. > :17:17.drop that red in. In a perfect world that's what he'd like to do. There
:17:18. > :17:25.we go, if we can get on the black now, pot it, stay on the red next to
:17:26. > :17:41.the pic, or just gone a bit too far? Change of plan. He did play on the
:17:42. > :17:50.black there. This is a lively cloth. This is a tricky little cutback now.
:17:51. > :17:55.Can he avoid the contact on the brown here, Dennis? He'll have to
:17:56. > :17:57.put a bit of juice on it, just a little bit to avoid that. Only just.
:17:58. > :18:06.Yep. APPLAUSE
:18:07. > :18:17.Haven't used that term before - little bit of juice. Another word
:18:18. > :18:21.for "a little bit of side." Mentioned earlier, looked like a
:18:22. > :18:27.dangerous position for Liang, even though he was a few points in front.
:18:28. > :18:30.All the balls in possible positions with maybe the exception of the
:18:31. > :18:35.brown. You can see Ronnie trying to work out the best way. Ideally, as I
:18:36. > :18:40.say, he'd like to drop the black in and play on the loose red. This has
:18:41. > :18:45.got counter-clearance written all over it. And Liang could kick
:18:46. > :18:52.himself with the chances he's had in this frame. Doing exactly as you
:18:53. > :18:56.predicted, John, getting the black back on the spot. And he doesn't
:18:57. > :19:00.want to be dead straight, though. APPLAUSE
:19:01. > :19:02.And that looks as if it's almost straight. So - well, not much of an
:19:03. > :19:14.angle. Yep, that could always happen. His
:19:15. > :19:21.alternate would be to make sure the pot and play the snooker in behind
:19:22. > :19:23.the black, but very little angle to work with there. In fact, the red
:19:24. > :19:50.jumped a few times. Not the best safety Liang Wenbo's
:19:51. > :19:56.ever played, but on the other hand, this is far from easy. Oh, what a
:19:57. > :20:06.pot! CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
:20:07. > :20:12.What a cracking pot that is! A Ronnie O'Sullivan special there! All
:20:13. > :20:28.about brown to blue now. That's going to be the key factor.
:20:29. > :20:39.I tell you what - it is lively this cloth, isn't it? Hardly touched
:20:40. > :20:46.that. Straight back. Perfect angle and what a red that was.
:20:47. > :20:50.Now, has he left himself a decent angle or is he a little bit
:20:51. > :21:02.straight? APPLAUSE
:21:03. > :21:08.He had that little bit of angle that John mentioned.
:21:09. > :21:14.Is that going to come up a little bit short? He only needs the pink,
:21:15. > :21:20.so no problem. Doesn't matter about getting on the black.
:21:21. > :21:25.APPLAUSE He's going to pot the black.
:21:26. > :21:33.APPLAUSE It has to be said, Liang Wenbo had a
:21:34. > :21:36.few chances there to take that opening frame, but he didn't and
:21:37. > :21:40.Ronnie O'Sullivan, with that cracking long red to get in there,
:21:41. > :22:33.takes the frame and he leads one frame to nil.
:22:34. > :22:43.That red covered the one that's near the pocket? I don't think so. Liang
:22:44. > :22:49.Wenbo can get through to cut this in and I think he'll avoid countering
:22:50. > :22:54.into the bunch of reds and the pink. If he did do it, it wouldn't be the
:22:55. > :22:57.worst thing in the world but it's all about making sure the pot and
:22:58. > :23:01.let the white take care of itself here. I was going to say, one of
:23:02. > :23:04.these shots to say the red is over the pocket, but it's difficult to
:23:05. > :23:10.get position, isn't it? APPLAUSE
:23:11. > :23:11.Except for that, it's gone through a gap which I didn't see. He's
:23:12. > :23:18.perfect. LAUGHS
:23:19. > :23:23.That's what he was looking at there - you can see. Wasn't absolutely
:23:24. > :23:29.certain about the cue ball but to find the gap was a bonus as we show
:23:30. > :23:37.you the shot again. Not the gap he played for but he'll take that. Just
:23:38. > :23:43.giving himself a little bit of extra time here to make sure that he gets
:23:44. > :23:47.this next shot correct because if he can get good position, he could give
:23:48. > :23:56.himself an early chance here in this third frame.
:23:57. > :24:03.I think the pink is out of commission, the black is a little
:24:04. > :24:09.bit awkward, a little bit like it was in the earlier frame. This is a
:24:10. > :24:17.much more difficult chance than the one he had in the second frame. The
:24:18. > :24:26.black is really awkward. I don't blame him taking his time a little
:24:27. > :24:32.bit. He is 2-0 down after all. If it's 3-0 down, I don't fancy him at
:24:33. > :24:35.all. And somehow he's got to get himself on the blue. He's just
:24:36. > :24:40.checking the pink if it could possibly go into the right middle
:24:41. > :24:42.pocket. Looks a bit tight - that. Find out shortly the way he plays
:24:43. > :24:56.this shot. But that's overhit by quite a way
:24:57. > :25:03.there. That's just a little bit of tension there.
:25:04. > :25:12.We mentioned how quick the cloth is. That's such a difficult shot to play
:25:13. > :25:21.on a really quick cloth. -- cloth - the side cushion. The yellow as
:25:22. > :25:28.well. May have left Ronnie a long red on the right-hand side, but have
:25:29. > :25:32.a look at the black. It's very, very tight if he was to leave it where he
:25:33. > :25:42.was cueing there. Well, maybe he can. He can get on that if he stuns
:25:43. > :25:47.it right through. A few inches. Oh, he had an angle to come on and off
:25:48. > :25:54.the cushion again on the black. Unexpected miss there from Ronnie
:25:55. > :25:58.and a chance for Liang Wenbo to -- Wenbo. To show you the miss again.
:25:59. > :26:02.Wenbo can believe that black after potting this red because we know
:26:03. > :26:08.it's available. Little bit straight, but looks as if he's going to miss
:26:09. > :26:10.it to the right of the pocket as we watch him cueing there, but safely
:26:11. > :26:46.and this will open the black up. Well played there. Just a little run
:26:47. > :26:50.through to land on this loose red. We keep harping on about it, but if
:26:51. > :26:52.you're going to have a future in this match, Liang, you got to score
:26:53. > :27:20.now. Need to keep going, that, because he
:27:21. > :27:24.wanted to have an angle on the blue to play for the red that's just to
:27:25. > :27:25.the left to have black. Looks a bit straight now. He'll have to power
:27:26. > :27:35.this through with lots of side. He's going to be a bit close to the
:27:36. > :27:40.cushion, but he's got the red that's near the right corner. It was quite
:27:41. > :27:45.cleverly played that shot, wasn't it, the way he did that? I don't
:27:46. > :27:49.often to say to people, "How do you make a break", we try to leave
:27:50. > :27:53.yourself in a position with a couple of options. He played well. If he
:27:54. > :27:59.didn't get the red on the black, he had this one.
:28:00. > :28:11.APPLAUSE Very controlled. A lot better shot.
:28:12. > :28:18.He's done that right across the face of the black. That was really well
:28:19. > :28:22.controlled. And you can sense already, Dennis, can't you, Liang
:28:23. > :28:26.knows how important this frame is. He knows how important the next shot
:28:27. > :28:30.is going to be when he leaves himself on the black to split the
:28:31. > :28:34.bunch of reds up. That's going to be key.
:28:35. > :28:42.This is the one that could pave the way. Pave the way to taking his
:28:43. > :28:46.first frame of the match. It's not the best pack of reds to go into. He
:28:47. > :28:52.needs to get plenty of action on this.
:28:53. > :29:12.Yep. That red is available to him and he'll just run through and leave
:29:13. > :29:16.himself on the pink or the black. Once again, he finds himself with a
:29:17. > :29:21.near 40-point lead and really there's no excuse from here.
:29:22. > :29:26.Somebody of his quality, this is an excellent chance. -- chance to take
:29:27. > :29:50.the frame. See Liang there taking a nice deep
:29:51. > :29:55.breath and he's walking around there. He knows this is the one
:29:56. > :30:03.chance. The referee respoted the ball. Deep breath and go again. And
:30:04. > :30:33.then that concentration level. This is what he's very good at -
:30:34. > :30:36.Liang - close cue ball control around the pink and black area. He
:30:37. > :30:46.scored very heavily and very quickly. A little of stun and screw
:30:47. > :30:54.shots. It racks up the points very quickly.
:30:55. > :31:01.Yeah, he knocked in 30 last season, 18 this season, he let the white run
:31:02. > :31:06.a little further than he intended. So... Safely in.
:31:07. > :31:16.APPLAUSE You can see 67 ahead with 59
:31:17. > :31:21.remaining. He can relax a little bit.
:31:22. > :31:28.This is an excellent response. We said, Dennis, at the start of this
:31:29. > :31:33.frame, this is what he had to do to score. He had a little bit of help
:31:34. > :31:38.from Ronnie in this frame. It has to be said, I didn't expect Ronnie to
:31:39. > :31:45.miss, but nevertheless, he's taken these very well. With Ronnie's shot,
:31:46. > :31:49.we thought we'd drag that one in, but come up for the black, but that
:31:50. > :32:01.wasn't meant to be. Shows really good character here - Liang.
:32:02. > :32:08.He's got a lovely swagger with him around the table - a very confident
:32:09. > :32:12.swagger. He's a lovely lad, this Liang Wenbo - but he's got this way
:32:13. > :32:21.around the table and when he's playing well, you know, it's as if,
:32:22. > :32:23."I'm the boss, the big boss." You remember that, John - Bruce Lee, the
:32:24. > :32:45.big boss? No reason why he shouldn't go to
:32:46. > :32:51.make a century break, first one of this year's Masters, and his cue
:32:52. > :32:55.ball control has been exemplary. Funny feeling won't be the only one
:32:56. > :33:05.this week, Dennis. There'll be a few of them, John.
:33:06. > :33:10.APPLAUSE A magnificent century break from
:33:11. > :33:15.Liang Wenbo who's 185th century break of his career. Coming just at
:33:16. > :33:23.the right time for him and his supporters.
:33:24. > :33:29.That really sets this first round match-up. I mentioned after the two
:33:30. > :33:36.frames, in fireworks. Well, we had a few in this frame all coming from
:33:37. > :33:42.the Chinese player. Doesn't matter about the pink. He only had one
:33:43. > :33:44.chance and didn't he take it well. He made a century break, but he
:33:45. > :34:17.still trails 2-1. Liang Wenbo will be helping to
:34:18. > :34:18.continue where he left off. A decent break off shot.
:34:19. > :34:52.APPLAUSE I had a good chat with Ronnie at the
:34:53. > :34:56.interval. Had a cup of coffee with him. He's saying he's enjoying being
:34:57. > :35:01.out there. He seemed level-headed about it all. Did he mention
:35:02. > :35:05.anything about the tip because as I passed in the corridor, it was a bit
:35:06. > :35:10.of sand paper or something... He did give a bit of a surgery at the end
:35:11. > :35:12.of it, but it seems fine now, no great issues about that. He was in
:35:13. > :36:22.good spirits. Position play is difficult off this.
:36:23. > :36:28.You'll think he'll go for the blue. Can't really get on pink or black.
:36:29. > :36:34.Just have a look at which way the cue ball will go. Someone say no
:36:35. > :36:39.problem with the opening red, but what is he going to get on? Well, he
:36:40. > :36:43.thinks he can pop this. Go past the blue, come off the side cushion and
:36:44. > :36:48.try to get somewhere near that red he was looking at. To get on the
:36:49. > :37:02.black, this will be some shot. Seemed to have a little bit of
:37:03. > :37:06.movement on that shot. He just seemed to - he didn't cue that one
:37:07. > :37:09.as smoothly as he has been cueing the ones before the interval. I
:37:10. > :37:13.think they were shots that have a bit more pressure on them. You tend
:37:14. > :37:17.to see a malfunction in the cue action, don't you, with Liang
:37:18. > :37:21.occasionally. Seen a couple of times this afternoon already. What a
:37:22. > :37:22.chance he's left Ronnie O'Sullivan now.
:37:23. > :37:44.APPLAUSE He did have a 55 break in the second
:37:45. > :37:47.frame but the look at where the reds are situated here - all the colours
:37:48. > :37:59.are in open play. You're in the going to mention the M
:38:00. > :38:03.word earlier on, are you, Dennis? It's too soon for me, but as you can
:38:04. > :38:24.see, they're sitting nicely. Even though we're not mentioning it,
:38:25. > :38:33.I'm going to talk about it. You know all three of them, do you, Dennis? I
:38:34. > :38:40.know Stevens with the white suit had the first one. Jimmy White had one.
:38:41. > :38:54.I don't think it might be that, it's Ding. I thought Jimmy did. No, and
:38:55. > :38:55.the other one was Marco Fu. Jimmy was playing against the Canadian
:38:56. > :40:07.Kurt Stevens when he made his. John, we were obviously chatting
:40:08. > :40:14.away there, there's no chance of a maximum in this range, so. Highest
:40:15. > :40:18.break in itself is well worth winning, ?10,000 for the highest
:40:19. > :40:20.break here. Not to be sniffed at. Ronnie will be trying to put a
:40:21. > :41:09.marker down for that one. Taking these very well so far,
:41:10. > :41:14.Ronnie, but obviously the break was helped by Liang to get the start of
:41:15. > :41:23.it. Poor shot on the red here. Shouldn't really be missing those.
:41:24. > :41:27.Got himself with a foothold in this match certainly from 2 behind. Just
:41:28. > :41:41.thinking if he can get a good start and goes and misses a red like that!
:41:42. > :42:01.Looks like his concentration is back in order, Dennis? I think it came in
:42:02. > :42:06.at the right time, get himself a cup of tea, relax. But this is him
:42:07. > :42:36.showing all his experience. Frame safe. Concentrate on the
:42:37. > :42:44.possible century. 856 centuries he's made in his career.
:42:45. > :42:51.There is a strong possibility he'd go on to be a player that made 1,000
:42:52. > :43:00.century breaks in a career! APPLAUSE
:43:01. > :43:09.Just hit the wrong red there. That might have spoiled the century. Just
:43:10. > :43:14.countered the wrong red otherwise he may have cleared the table. Can he
:43:15. > :43:21.see that? No, it just had to try and fluke a red there. But well played.
:43:22. > :43:26.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE He's come out after the mid-session
:43:27. > :43:31.interval firing with all cylinders. That's enough to take the frame.
:43:32. > :43:47.Ronnie O'Sullivan back in front at 3-2 frames.
:43:48. > :43:55.Not quite on the cushion with the cue ball. One of the shots that the
:43:56. > :44:01.players do practice a lot these days - this type of shot.
:44:02. > :44:14.APPLAUSE Cue ball needs to pull up. It just
:44:15. > :44:22.keeps rolling, all he can do is just nestle in behind the brown. Good
:44:23. > :44:26.opening pot, though. Had he dropped on a ball colour, it may have been
:44:27. > :44:44.an early chance. APPLAUSE
:44:45. > :44:55.Yeah, nice pot, but that fast cloth prevented him from stopping nicely
:44:56. > :45:05.on a ball colour. With lots of side to make the angle and he's failed
:45:06. > :45:11.that. He touched the brown there. He was trying to get a bit of swerve on
:45:12. > :45:21.it, but took it straight into the brown.
:45:22. > :45:28.I think Liang Wenbo had put the white so close to the brown, it made
:45:29. > :45:38.it quite difficult to get the angle to just nestle into those reds.
:45:39. > :45:46.Once again, the swerve shot. Loads of side.
:45:47. > :46:07.In the end, just a little bit too much on it, but wants the middle
:46:08. > :46:22.pocket. If he rolls this red into the left
:46:23. > :46:30.middle pocket, he won't be perfect on the black. He'd like to stun it
:46:31. > :46:37.in, but it make it is shot slightly more difficult. He's hampered
:46:38. > :46:40.slightly, I think. Not too bad. If he gets a bit of screw on it, it
:46:41. > :46:56.will get closer to the black. No. It's been interesting today with
:46:57. > :47:01.Liang Wenbo. There's been a bit extra pressure on the shot. His cue
:47:02. > :47:06.action isn't always as been reliable as when there isn't. Doesn't quite
:47:07. > :47:08.seem to cue as well when there's that little bit of added pressure.
:47:09. > :47:19.APPLAUSE The trouble is - when you got this
:47:20. > :47:24.fellow following you, you tend the pay for your mistakes.
:47:25. > :47:29.This is quite a good chance already with that loose red at the back of
:47:30. > :47:44.the pack. Ideally Ronnie would like to play
:47:45. > :47:49.this, leave the cue ball slightly low on the red, he would pot it and
:47:50. > :47:50.leave a few more into play and leave himself on the black. That's what
:47:51. > :48:05.he's played for. Just have to play the run through
:48:06. > :48:34.there, but once again promoted a red.
:48:35. > :48:41.Got a choice of shots here, where he could either move the pack out or
:48:42. > :48:42.screw and move the loose red away. That's the one he played on.
:48:43. > :48:57.APPLAUSE Ideally like to stun up into the
:48:58. > :49:07.pack here. Nice and firm. Oh, played the screw shot. Couldn't
:49:08. > :49:15.have come out any better. APPLAUSE
:49:16. > :49:21.Looks like he's going through the... He's one of the best in the business
:49:22. > :49:25.of that particular type of shot there where he gets so much action
:49:26. > :49:40.on the cue ball, it stops in the pack and then keeps on spinning.
:49:41. > :49:48.Last frame lasted under 10 minutes. A break of 89. This frame is not
:49:49. > :49:53.going to last very long by the look of things. No, not while he looks as
:49:54. > :49:56.focused as he does. I agree with you, Dennis - I think the interval
:49:57. > :50:30.has been very good. Simple little shot on to the loose
:50:31. > :50:32.red on the outside. Of course once he pots this, the red that's on the
:50:33. > :50:49.left of the three will be available. And the bottom one on the right is
:50:50. > :50:56.also available. So perfect position for him.
:50:57. > :51:08.He's taken these supremely well. Once again, Dennis, I think he's
:51:09. > :51:19.done well. Potting that red leaves the past for the other two in the
:51:20. > :51:27.right corner. You see the difference - 61. Once again, just a matter of
:51:28. > :51:34.whether he can make a century. Not going to be easy with the red tight
:51:35. > :51:43.on the side cushion. Almost got the century in the previous frame, just
:51:44. > :51:45.misjudged a little. All about winning frames, the centuries are
:51:46. > :51:52.nice, but... APPLAUSE
:51:53. > :51:56.Have to be a spectacular red down the cushion to keep this effort
:51:57. > :52:05.going. Long way, away, but he won't be too
:52:06. > :52:10.concerned about that. He just got the one chance and what did he do?
:52:11. > :52:15.He won the frame with that chance! And now Ronnie O'Sullivan opens up a
:52:16. > :52:49.two frame advantage. It's now 4-2 to the Rocket.
:52:50. > :52:59.Oh, there might be a gap through to that one. It's tight, but maybe the
:53:00. > :53:29.brown - no, he can't pot that. See, the red into the right corner
:53:30. > :53:47.is not very inviting because he can't get on a colour.
:53:48. > :53:51.Not often you see a player play a safety shot at this end of the
:53:52. > :54:32.table. That was the case there. Just looking to see where he can
:54:33. > :54:36.leave the cue ball off the side cushion when he plays off the side
:54:37. > :54:40.of the pack here. He's playing off the loose red at the back of the
:54:41. > :54:44.pack, but obviously wants to cover the red on the left-hand side so
:54:45. > :54:50.it's not easy for Liang to get back down to the baulk area off that
:54:51. > :54:55.loose red. But has he hit it just a little bit too hard? He may have
:54:56. > :55:42.left that red just to clip off past the yellow.
:55:43. > :56:50.That's just helped the situation, brought the pink into play.
:56:51. > :56:59.APPLAUSE Black is tied up at the moment. I
:57:00. > :57:03.think the black is tied up, I don't think it goes into the left corner.
:57:04. > :57:07.Yeah, Liang can play off the face of this up and down but he's got to be
:57:08. > :57:11.careful with the red itself going across and hitting the pack of reds,
:57:12. > :57:16.and maybe knocking something towards other corner. So even with a shot
:57:17. > :57:18.like this, you have to be a little bit of careful. Trans -- little bit
:57:19. > :57:44.careful. APPLAUSE
:57:45. > :57:45.Nicely shufflely hit that so the red didn't counter into anything else.
:57:46. > :58:08.Good touch. I think the brown is going to come
:58:09. > :58:13.to the rescue here, is it? APPLAUSE
:58:14. > :58:20.He's just covered it, or has he? I think he has. Can't see the potting
:58:21. > :58:26.angle of it. So it's imperative that he got a good cue ball there. I
:58:27. > :58:31.think Liang is just looking to see if he can move the cue ball near the
:58:32. > :58:36.top cushion, just hit that red maybe halfball and leave the cue ball at
:58:37. > :58:42.the top end because I don't think he can pot that, can he, Dennis? No, if
:58:43. > :58:47.he was away from the cushion he can play writ a little bit of a curve,
:58:48. > :58:52.but if it's away from the cushion it's not a shot that's available to
:58:53. > :58:55.him. If he come off the side cushion and play on to that red, but either
:58:56. > :58:58.way it looks like that's what he's going to do, a containment shot
:58:59. > :59:07.here. Unless he's got better eyesight than the both of us.
:59:08. > :59:26.Yeah, that was a better shot than the one I was looking at. He played
:59:27. > :59:30.the other red on the other side, he could have left that red he's just
:59:31. > :59:39.played off as a cutback. So much better choice of choice than mine.
:59:40. > :59:51.Boy, is that a test of your cueing. Well, here goes!
:59:52. > :00:09.He's been very measured, Ronnie O'Sullivan. He hasn't taken any
:00:10. > :00:17.undue risks. APPLAUSE
:00:18. > :00:24.He's what they call pnls at the moment. It's another good safety. He
:00:25. > :00:28.knows if he can get this frame under his belt, he'll only need one, Liang
:00:29. > :00:44.Wenbo would have to win three. Both played some excellent safety
:00:45. > :00:48.shots but that one is coming up a little bit shorter. Though at first
:00:49. > :00:53.glance it looks like everything is covering each other. Win
:00:54. > :01:24.He played that as a shot forking in, but this is pretty difficult to do,
:01:25. > :01:28.just to roll up that way to this. Seen plenty of players coming up
:01:29. > :19:30.Little shots like that that can get happens quite a lot that, Dennis,
:19:31. > :19:35.Little shots like that that can get Ronnie annoyed. He's 39 in front.
:19:36. > :19:43.Most of the time he'd go on and make enough toll secure the frame.
:19:44. > :19:50.-- to secure the frame. Not an easy chance by any means, but it's a
:19:51. > :19:56.chance that Liang Wenbo wasn't expecting. Yep, good for him to
:19:57. > :19:59.knock the black in and get that back up on its spot as well, that will
:20:00. > :20:11.help. Pink is out of commission. Once again, played that quite
:20:12. > :20:16.cleverly. Got a choice of shots, red next to the yellow or the one near
:20:17. > :20:25.the corner. That's the one he'll take. In the context of the level of
:20:26. > :20:32.snooker that we're playing at, this constitutes a chance. And a pretty
:20:33. > :20:36.big one at that. One or two cannons away here from making this a
:20:37. > :21:09.brilliant opportunity. Can he hold himself together?
:21:10. > :21:19.Just want to be straight on this. And he's not, so nice angle, come
:21:20. > :21:49.around for the loose red at the bottom. Played that nicely.
:21:50. > :21:58.Have to take the cue ball up the table now. A little bit more
:21:59. > :22:02.positional play. Those two reds that are both are red, he's going to pot,
:22:03. > :22:06.I don't think either of them pot in any pocket, so they'll have to be
:22:07. > :22:15.moved at some point through the break.
:22:16. > :22:31.It's an excellent chance, it's not totally straightforward.
:22:32. > :22:37.Play that cue ball into a position where he was going to have a choice
:22:38. > :22:55.of green, brown or blue, believe it or not!
:22:56. > :23:04.Interesting to see how he goes about this. As I say, no problem with the
:23:05. > :23:08.loose red that's there near the pink spot, but those other two, how is he
:23:09. > :23:12.going to open them up? Is he going to play on the red and on to the
:23:13. > :23:17.black and take a chance with the cannon? Or is he going to pot the
:23:18. > :23:21.blue and get the blue on the spot and play one? Interesting. The
:23:22. > :23:23.beauty of this game is all players see it differently, don't they,
:23:24. > :23:39.Dennis? Yeah, no problem getting on the red
:23:40. > :23:43.that's to the left of the pink spot. I thought he might have able to keep
:23:44. > :23:46.the blue and potted the blue and cannoned the two reds that would
:23:47. > :23:51.have left himself a few options. I mean, there's another way he could
:23:52. > :23:56.play it as well if he wants - he can drop the blue in and pot the red and
:23:57. > :24:03.flick the other one out off it F he wants to do that. But now it looks
:24:04. > :24:07.like he's just going to get good position off this and play the
:24:08. > :24:12.cannon off the black but this is the big part of the match here. Can he
:24:13. > :24:15.negotiate the cannon off the black, just put the two reds up? Pretty
:24:16. > :24:29.sure they don't pot. Has he gone just a little further
:24:30. > :24:34.than he wanted? He's got to play the cannon. He did have a look - I think
:24:35. > :24:38.he's just about OK. But you need plenty of screw on this to get the
:24:39. > :24:49.cannon. Yeah, not stick on it either. Mmm! That's a poor shot. I
:24:50. > :24:52.think that was just down to a little bit of tension there. He knew the
:24:53. > :24:55.importance of that one shot, he knew if he got that cannon right he could
:24:56. > :25:17.win the frame. The pink is certainly to Liang
:25:18. > :25:23.Wenbo's advantage being safe on the side cushion.
:25:24. > :25:31.This is not the best safety shot he's ever played. It's a nice 50
:25:32. > :25:37.break, though. APPLAUSE
:25:38. > :25:42.A good 50, but there's two poor shots on the end of it. Shouldn't
:25:43. > :25:45.have missed the cannon, but you don't do that, play a good safety,
:25:46. > :26:40.and that wasn't. He hasn't been punished for it.
:26:41. > :26:57.Where is this red going to finish? It was a tough one that he took on
:26:58. > :26:59.there. Certainly at this stage of proceedings, a lot of pressure on
:27:00. > :27:09.that attempt. Yeah, Liang is just looking to see
:27:10. > :27:13.whether he can avoid the cannon on the green if he pots this red. At
:27:14. > :27:17.this stage of the frame, is priority is to make sure you knock the object
:27:18. > :27:22.ball in, which is the red, of course. Make sure you get the pots,
:27:23. > :27:28.sometimes you have to just stand for position. He could avoid it. Good
:27:29. > :27:35.pot. APPLAUSE
:27:36. > :27:37.And now, if he's got the angle, has a little bit of pressure on this
:27:38. > :27:54.black to say the least. Oh!
:27:55. > :28:01.APPLAUSE Just the pace. Any harder that would
:28:02. > :28:04.have wobbled and stayed out. If he pots a red and black, he's going to
:28:05. > :28:13.need the yellow. Decided he was going the need the
:28:14. > :28:17.yellow even if he played the black. Much easier to get position when
:28:18. > :28:25.you're closer to the ball colours, so good thinking there from Liang
:28:26. > :28:32.Wenbo. Just means he's got to pot a few more balls.
:28:33. > :28:38.Yeah, good stuff from Liang. A couple of mistakes at the end of
:28:39. > :28:46.that 50 break, but didn't get punished by Ronnie and he's holding
:28:47. > :28:51.himself together very well here. And the tournament favour, he's going to
:28:52. > :28:53.do it the hard way, he's going to have to win the last two frames of
:28:54. > :29:05.the opening So the pattern has been broke. It
:29:06. > :29:06.was two for one player, two for another player, this will be three
:29:07. > :29:30.in a row for Liang Wenbo. It doesn't matter the fact that he's
:29:31. > :29:42.finished... It's not far away. It's not far away!
:29:43. > :29:49.What a gritty performance from this Chinese player. He has won the last
:29:50. > :29:51.three frames and he gets himself one ahead. He needs one for a famous
:29:52. > :30:05.victory, it has to be said. We have seen him on many occasions
:30:06. > :30:13.and sometimes that's when he produces his best. He is going to
:30:14. > :30:20.need it now against Liang Wenbo who is growing in confidence. We always
:30:21. > :30:24.say, the hardest frame to win is the one that gets you over the line, not
:30:25. > :30:28.so much for the players right at the top. Liang Wenbo is claiming a world
:30:29. > :31:13.ranking ladder -- climbing. Ronnie has had five wins. Had a
:31:14. > :31:15.close match in the Shanghai Masters not long ago. Ronnie one bat on a
:31:16. > :32:02.deciding frame 5-4. -- won that. That is a cracking shot if he has
:32:03. > :32:29.held that for the black. Pinpoint accuracy there.
:32:30. > :32:41.He can cut the scene, can't he? Not like that, he can't. -- he can cut
:32:42. > :33:04.this in. The blue may have come to his rescue. And it has. Not the
:33:05. > :33:11.worst for Ronnie. That is a poor shot from Liang Wenbo. Not
:33:12. > :33:27.straightforward to get good position.
:33:28. > :33:46.He has knocked the read write over the pocket. -- he has knocked them
:33:47. > :33:59.red right over the pocket. Not the best outcome. Liang Wenbo is having
:34:00. > :34:09.a look if the red will go over the left-hand pocket. The fact he
:34:10. > :34:15.couldn't see the one over the right, he couldn't fancy it either. Even if
:34:16. > :34:26.Ronnie hits this yellow, it might not be safe.
:34:27. > :34:31.Going back again because the blue has covered the one over the pocket.
:34:32. > :34:39.And nice situation for Liang Wenbo at the moment. It's just that red he
:34:40. > :34:43.had over the pocket, he wasn't sure what was going to happen to the cue
:34:44. > :34:49.balls. Third time lucky. APPLAUSE
:34:50. > :34:58.. Similar scenario for Liang Wenbo
:34:59. > :35:26.now. He has tried to drop it in. What a
:35:27. > :35:44.bit of a sharp on this blue. He needs one more frame. --A bit of
:35:45. > :35:49.pressure. He has just got to make sure he finishes his cue action, no
:35:50. > :36:10.movement. Big pressure. Nice and clean, right in the centre
:36:11. > :36:32.of the pocket. Not out of the woods yet as far as position is concerned.
:36:33. > :36:38.This is a great performance from the Chinese player when you think he has
:36:39. > :36:47.only played once before in the Masters. He lost 6-4 at this age
:36:48. > :36:57.last year. -- at this stage. Every match in the Masters is like a world
:36:58. > :37:00.final. Absolutely. It wasn't any doubt about Liang Wenbo's ability
:37:01. > :37:07.but his ability to handle the situation and the occasion. It is
:37:08. > :37:14.very intimidating playing Ronnie. There are 2000 people and 90% of
:37:15. > :37:28.them are probably supporting him. You have to have a certain mentality
:37:29. > :37:36.to be able to cope with all of that. That is pretty poor. A bit of
:37:37. > :37:44.tension in the arms and no man's land with the cue ball. To give
:37:45. > :37:53.yourself less of a chance of being on the pink... It could be tension.
:37:54. > :37:59.That was a very easy shot for him to make a mess.
:38:00. > :38:12.What about this for a shot he is taking on?
:38:13. > :38:23.Accent he was so disappointed with his previous positional shot. Surely
:38:24. > :38:29.that was the wrong choice under the circumstances. --I think he was so
:38:30. > :38:34.disappointed. A classic example of not happy with the position he
:38:35. > :38:44.played before. A better expression, he pushed the boat out. Will it be
:38:45. > :38:46.costly, though? Ronnie didn't play the right shot. He got the wrong
:38:47. > :38:53.side of the blue. APPLAUSE
:38:54. > :39:17.A pretty good recovery --! He wanted a full ball not half ball
:39:18. > :39:55.contact on that Canon. I think he might have been snookered
:39:56. > :40:06.on the black. Maybe it's one of the reasons the red didn't go in. Have a
:40:07. > :40:12.couple of shots he can play here. He could play off the one that is near
:40:13. > :40:20.the pink and go up behind the yellow or bring it back near the black.
:40:21. > :40:35.It's not going to be an attacking shot, that is for sure.
:40:36. > :40:43.He just needs to make sure he is covering that red that is near the
:40:44. > :40:58.green pocket. I don't think he has. There is an awful lot of distance
:40:59. > :41:02.between the cue ball and the object ball that there is a situation that
:41:03. > :41:16.faces Liang Wenbo, it's not dead straight. One would think you would
:41:17. > :41:22.come up for the blue. Test the cue. Well done.
:41:23. > :41:33.What a chance now for the Chinese player. I mean... Required terrific
:41:34. > :41:45.cueing. He couldn't have hit it any better.
:41:46. > :42:01.Wow... This is getting pretty tense. A big smile from Liang Wenbo. That
:42:02. > :42:08.is a stinker. He has got such an area that to hit to do that.
:42:09. > :42:10.Honestly, that chance was as close a frame in a match as you could have
:42:11. > :42:34.got. Wow. What a mistake. He could be on the ones in the
:42:35. > :42:47.middle. That was a really tough shot to take
:42:48. > :43:23.on. The red next to the brown is no
:43:24. > :43:37.problem. The four cannon next to the pink a not perfectly placed by any
:43:38. > :43:49.means. -- the four reds. The two reds that Liang tried to cannon. He
:43:50. > :43:55.can pot this and flick the other two a way from the pink. He is just
:43:56. > :43:57.thinking, maybe. Don't want to take the chants in case it goes slightly
:43:58. > :44:28.wrong. -- chance. Straightforward in the end but I
:44:29. > :44:30.think he was thinking he didn't want to risk any little cannons in the
:44:31. > :44:49.end but he played it well. Every chance now that we are going
:44:50. > :45:09.to have a deciding frame in our opening match.
:45:10. > :45:23.Ronnie O'Sullivan looking good in this frame. Not just yet.
:45:24. > :45:40.Oh. That's an interesting shot he played there. Why did he just drop
:45:41. > :45:45.the pink in and secure the frame? I think his head went because of the
:45:46. > :45:51.previous shot he played. Yes, he is not thinking straight at the moment.
:45:52. > :45:56.If Liang hits this one in, it could be frame and match.
:45:57. > :46:07.APPLAUSE It wobbled its way into the pocket.
:46:08. > :46:15.Look at that. Very strange from Ronnie. He could pinch the match by
:46:16. > :46:35.just one point here. Wants to get absolutely plumb on the
:46:36. > :46:36.black to make its straightforward. Needs to bounce off the cushion.
:46:37. > :46:55.APPLAUSE A little bit of pressure on it, as
:46:56. > :47:11.you can imagine. No! Can you believe it? All he had to do was drop the
:47:12. > :47:17.black in. Ronnie O'Sullivan! Liang Wenbo, how did he miss just running
:47:18. > :47:22.the black in. It is five frames all. Look at the black again. He hit it a
:47:23. > :47:24.little bit harder than he needed, I think. It is all square, five frames
:47:25. > :47:49.each. ANNOUNCER: OK, thank you. Liang
:47:50. > :47:55.Wenbo to break. Not the best of break shots. It has covered that one
:47:56. > :48:02.but there is one for the right corner. A nice little touch, Liang
:48:03. > :48:12.just smiled and patted Robbie at the start of the frame.
:48:13. > :48:37.Oh, the cannon and the Black has come to his rescue there.
:48:38. > :48:59.Where -- we're in frame decider. Just drop it in the Jaws, gravity
:49:00. > :49:03.would have taken that one in. He will need to put that behind him to
:49:04. > :49:13.win the final frame. Should have been all over.
:49:14. > :49:35.this cuts into the little pocket. Wouldn't it be ironic if Liang Wenbo
:49:36. > :49:38.were to knock this in? If this goes in, he could open things up. What a
:49:39. > :49:54.big shot. He is very, very unlucky. He played
:49:55. > :50:14.a very positive shot. He opened the pink and reds up. That was a great
:50:15. > :50:16.opening red. You know what it is like when you miss your
:50:17. > :50:27.opportunities in this game. The snooker got don't forgive you, do
:50:28. > :50:38.they? He got one they're, that was an excellent pot.
:50:39. > :50:59.-- there. Bello that is probably the best pot of this match so far.
:51:00. > :52:12.I think the red a second closest to the black on the right-hand side is
:52:13. > :52:18.available. The cue ball was always going close to the pocket. This is
:52:19. > :52:23.not an easy pot. You saw the black that Liang Wenbo missed in the last
:52:24. > :52:37.frame, it is not easy. APPLAUSE
:52:38. > :52:46.It's all about experience and he has done it so many times. It's hard to
:52:47. > :52:47.believe this is his 23rd Masters. He has been runner-up in three
:52:48. > :53:04.occasions and champion. He has seen everything there is to
:53:05. > :53:07.see in the game of snooker. Giving us a little bit of tension, slightly
:53:08. > :53:22.awkward here. Just decided to hold for the black.
:53:23. > :53:33.He didn't fancy playing through the gap for the blue. Whoever wins this
:53:34. > :53:43.deciding frame won't play again until Thursday. You say whoever wins
:53:44. > :53:54.this game, I think it's all over. He has been given a lifeline and a
:53:55. > :53:58.massive one at that. Like all the great champions, if you ever get a
:53:59. > :54:08.second bite of the cherry, you are never going to let it go begging.
:54:09. > :54:16.How many times did we see them do it, start with a match-winning
:54:17. > :54:22.break. Just taking a bit of time here to make sure he doesn't play an
:54:23. > :54:30.unnecessary cannon to get out of position. Try to do it without
:54:31. > :54:43.having to play a cannon and get the risk out of it. He was worried about
:54:44. > :54:53.snookering himself. Like all great champions, he can smell blood. A
:54:54. > :55:01.match he should have lost. This will be a very sore one for Liang Wenbo.
:55:02. > :55:10.He will be thinking about that black for a long, long time. Yeah, a black
:55:11. > :55:16.that would have knocked out the defending champion. Just a few more
:55:17. > :55:27.pots away from keeping himself in this Masters.
:55:28. > :55:34.I think you can get used to the idea there will be many more of them in
:55:35. > :55:42.this year's event. APPLAUSE
:55:43. > :55:47.You have got to feel a bit sorry for Liang Wenbo. He played so well, lost
:55:48. > :55:49.the two opening frames, came back and then won three frames in a row
:55:50. > :56:09.and it was just that one pot. How well has he taken these, Dennis?
:56:10. > :56:19.He has waltzed around the table like he in the club.
:56:20. > :56:24.This is him at his best in the final frame, when it matters most.
:56:25. > :56:39.Top-class performance in the final frame. Tricky.
:56:40. > :56:57.Might just finish with that. What a time to make your highest break of
:56:58. > :57:01.the match. In a frame that takes you into the next round.
:57:02. > :57:20.APPLAUSE .
:57:21. > :57:26.There will be quite a few players that will be gutted he has made it
:57:27. > :57:29.through. APPLAUSE
:57:30. > :57:41.. I think he is just going to be
:57:42. > :57:45.tapping all the way through, they might as well keep clapping.
:57:46. > :57:53.APPLAUSE . You can't take it away from the
:57:54. > :58:00.defending champion, Ronnie O'Sullivan. Liang Wenbo was just one
:58:01. > :58:04.pot away from knocking out the favourite, the defending champion,
:58:05. > :58:09.but in the end, he did it, as great champions always do, he did it in
:58:10. > :58:17.style with that magnificent break of 121 and he is through to the next
:58:18. > :58:27.round, beating Liang Wenbo six frames to five. That missed black
:58:28. > :58:31.will go down. It will take Liang Wenbo a while to get over that. The
:58:32. > :58:36.defending champion marches on to the second round but he will play Andy
:58:37. > :58:40.Carter or Neil Robinson. We're back on air at one o'clock on BBC Two. I
:58:41. > :58:50.hope you can spend your Monday afternoon with us because we have a
:58:51. > :58:58.cracking match in store. It is John Higgins. Get some sleep before it
:58:59. > :59:00.all kicks off again. Good night.