Semi-Final: Marco Fu v Ronnie O'Sullivan

:00:31. > :00:39.Good afternoon. What a week it's been here at Alexandra Palace. This

:00:40. > :00:43.Dafabet Masters has given us 20 centuries, four fabulous final frame

:00:44. > :00:47.deciders, startling one-sided matches as well, and it's also seen

:00:48. > :00:52.the exit of the world number one, Mark Selby. And with it, the chance

:00:53. > :00:57.of a Selby slam of snooker majors. But, what a weekend of sport it's

:00:58. > :01:04.left us with, with all eyes on these guys in the semi-finals.

:01:05. > :01:10.We are both under pressure in the semi-final of the Masters. I'm

:01:11. > :01:15.really looking forward to hopefully another great match. I played every

:01:16. > :01:21.ball as if it was so important to the end and see what the result is.

:01:22. > :01:26.It will be difficult playing a good friend. Sometimes it creates a

:01:27. > :01:31.scrappy game. Hopefully if I play well, it doesn't go scrappy. He

:01:32. > :01:35.hasn't got any weaknesses. Everyone knows how good he is. I'm going to

:01:36. > :01:40.try to be better than he is. It's going to be fantastic.

:01:41. > :01:45.Two cracking semi-finals Steve. Let's talk about the one this

:01:46. > :01:50.evening, Barry Hawkins against Joe Perry, what about their progress in

:01:51. > :01:54.the tournament? Barry is in Masters winning form. He did a job on Mark

:01:55. > :02:00.Selby. He said it was one of his best matches. He seems to be in

:02:01. > :02:04.great form. As for Joe Perry, he's come here with the, I'm not playing

:02:05. > :02:11.well attitude, two great results, in the semi-final? He's in Masters

:02:12. > :02:15.winning form. He's playing fantastic form, he must fancy the job, best

:02:16. > :02:21.form of his life. And this afternoon we've got a wonderful occasion,

:02:22. > :02:25.atmosphere. Marco Fu at 39 playing at his best in his career. He's in

:02:26. > :02:30.Masters winning form. LAUGHTER.

:02:31. > :02:35.Marco Fu is in the best form of his life! He put paid to Judd Trump,

:02:36. > :02:38.that was astonishing. The interesting thing is, all of a

:02:39. > :02:43.sudden, you've got three players in great form, but they are not tried

:02:44. > :02:47.and tested winners of major events. One of the players still left in the

:02:48. > :02:51.event, even though he may not be in the best form of his life, is a

:02:52. > :02:55.tried and tested winner and Thai got to beat the master in his backyard.

:02:56. > :02:58.Thank you very much for that, Steve. Hazel, all yours.

:02:59. > :03:03.The view looks good. By the way, you are in the form of your life today,

:03:04. > :03:08.Mr Davis, I must say! We've got Joe and we have got his

:03:09. > :03:13.best friend in the semi-final this evening. I think crowd loyalties

:03:14. > :03:17.will be rather split between these two Englishmen this evening. You can

:03:18. > :03:22.bet there are an awful lot of Ronnie fans in this afternoon that's for

:03:23. > :03:26.sure, they know the rocket is on a trajectory that could land him an

:03:27. > :03:33.outright record seventh Masters title. He owns the record at sixth

:03:34. > :03:42.with a certain Stephen Hendry. This is the snooker where he's been at

:03:43. > :03:46.his best. He was 19 in 1995. Ronnie is our defending champion

:03:47. > :03:50.this year of course. But he's also been runner-up five times as well.

:03:51. > :03:54.Today he's bidding for an extraordinary 12th final. The man

:03:55. > :03:58.who is aiming to knock him off course today is playing some of the

:03:59. > :04:04.best snooker of his career, Hong Kong's Marco Fu.

:04:05. > :04:11.I've been in semisin the Masters a couple of times in the past. It's

:04:12. > :04:18.nice to be able to do it again. I've played quite well since the UK

:04:19. > :04:22.Championships and have good form brought here with me. It's not going

:04:23. > :04:26.to be easy. It's nice to be able to play good snooker against the top

:04:27. > :04:31.eight. It's a great feeling that everything seems to be working

:04:32. > :04:34.together. I played Jimmy, Ronnie, in the past, in the Masters and

:04:35. > :04:39.everyone knows what the atmosphere will be like. He's under pressure as

:04:40. > :04:43.well from expectations from the crowd and I'm under pressure because

:04:44. > :04:47.I need to play the player and Mrs Play the crowd. We are under

:04:48. > :04:53.pressure. Doesn't get much bigger than that. I'm looking forward to

:04:54. > :04:57.hopefully a great match. Marco's won eight out of their 22 previous

:04:58. > :05:01.matches. It was only about five weeks ago that O'Sullivan and Fu

:05:02. > :05:06.faced each other in the semi-final of another of snooker's majors, the

:05:07. > :05:12.UK Championship in York. That went to a decider by the Englishman. The

:05:13. > :05:17.Hong Kong player has since embarked on a magnificent run, winning the

:05:18. > :05:21.Scottish Open and producing immaculate snooker here. He's the

:05:22. > :05:28.highest ranked player at number eight at Ali pale. This is worthy of

:05:29. > :05:34.a final itself. -- Ali Pally. Nice shirt, Denis, are

:05:35. > :05:39.you back on Strictly Come Dancing? ! Marco Fu is 39, playing the best

:05:40. > :05:43.snooker of his career. This is a magnificently big occasion today,

:05:44. > :05:46.will he cope with it? It is and this crowd have taken to the man from

:05:47. > :05:50.Hong Kong, especially the way he played against Judd Trump. That

:05:51. > :05:53.match was incredible. He made three century breaks and a string of other

:05:54. > :05:58.breaks. Judd played out of his skin and lost. He's got to produce that

:05:59. > :06:05.sort of form against Ronnie if he's going to have a chance. The thing

:06:06. > :06:08.with him is his demeanour's changed. His walking around with his chest

:06:09. > :06:13.back and looking confident in his own ability? He's working with Terry

:06:14. > :06:17.Griffith's son Wayne who's moved out to Hong Kong, they work together,

:06:18. > :06:20.and that's a big help to him. Always been a really nice lad but he isn't

:06:21. > :06:26.half producing some fabulous snooker. He'll have to do it against

:06:27. > :06:31.Ronnie O'Sullivan. Jealous, Stephen? Of playing here, absolutely! It will

:06:32. > :06:37.be interesting. If you go on form, Marco is favourite. But Ronnie's got

:06:38. > :06:42.previous in this tournament. What I've been impressed with with Ronnie

:06:43. > :06:48.is his will to win. He's not been at his best but every match he's trying

:06:49. > :06:51.his hardest. We talk about scoring, Ronnie's highest break was still

:06:52. > :06:56.only 68 so that's got to improve? Absolutely. We know he can turn it

:06:57. > :07:01.on at any stage. What better stage today to do it. OK boys, interesting

:07:02. > :07:08.to hear from you this afternoon. Rob Walker let's get it under way.

:07:09. > :07:13.Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Saturday's

:07:14. > :07:18.Snooker Masters, what an occasion and atmosphere here in this famous

:07:19. > :07:21.old arena. We are ready to rock'n'roll this afternoon Al

:07:22. > :07:23.Alexandra Palace. APPLAUSE.

:07:24. > :07:40.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. Please welcome a player who, after

:07:41. > :07:45.19 years as a pro is producing the best snooker of his career so far,

:07:46. > :07:50.beating Higgins last month to land the Scottish Open and this week he's

:07:51. > :07:53.beaten both Trump and Allen to earn a second Masters semi-final, will

:07:54. > :08:17.the magic come forth once again from the man from Hong Kong, Marco Fu!

:08:18. > :08:34.And his opponent, who first won this title in 1995. For more than two

:08:35. > :08:39.decades, he's been snooker's box office draw, six times a Masters

:08:40. > :08:41.champion, five times a champion of the world, the Rocket, Ronnie

:08:42. > :09:17.O'Sullivan! Marco Fu runner-up in the Masters

:09:18. > :09:20.event six years ago. Can he win? Can he earn his passport through to

:09:21. > :09:25.another final? He's going to have to cope with Ronnie and a partisan

:09:26. > :09:30.crowd today. This is Ronnie's 13th Masters final, only ever lost one

:09:31. > :09:35.before. Best of 11. To sort it all out, Stephen and Denis, we are

:09:36. > :09:41.waiting for you. Good afternoon! APPLAUSE.

:09:42. > :09:49.REFEREE: First frame, Ronnie O'Sullivan to break.

:09:50. > :09:53.Good afternoon to everyone watching. What a fabulous atmosphere and what

:09:54. > :10:00.a thrill it must be for both players to walk into the arena to that

:10:01. > :10:02.reception. It really was special. Can Marco start the match with a

:10:03. > :10:22.long pot? A couple of loose reds. And he is on

:10:23. > :10:25.a colour so an early chance. Can he continue playing in the form he

:10:26. > :10:34.showed us throughout the week, Stephen? Since the UK Championship

:10:35. > :10:42.when he was a green or brown with the rest away from beating Ronnie in

:10:43. > :10:51.the semi-final of that event, since then he's Been making a couple of

:10:52. > :10:56.tweaks. Slightly longer back swing than normal. He's starting to look

:10:57. > :11:00.the real deal when it comes to these big events, Denis? He's always been

:11:01. > :11:06.a fantastic player, everyone in snooker knows that, but he'd go

:11:07. > :11:11.maybe one or two months then disappear. If he keeps playing like

:11:12. > :11:18.this, he'll be competing at every big event. Nice, aggressive shot.

:11:19. > :11:25.Might just be OK, you know. Caught the pink half bull instead of pull

:11:26. > :11:34.bank but the red will go. I think the white might cannon into the pink

:11:35. > :11:36.here which wouldn't be a bad thing. This is much more difficult the one

:11:37. > :11:49.he's taking to stay on the black. I thought he might have taken the

:11:50. > :12:00.other one which was a slightly easier pot. Yes. This was a very

:12:01. > :12:02.aggressive red to take. Maybe that is his plan, take the game to

:12:03. > :12:24.Ronnie. APPLAUSE.

:12:25. > :12:29.Very good shot. The fact he's covered the red near the right

:12:30. > :12:37.corner and he had the yellow and blue to use as snookering balls.

:12:38. > :12:43.Played it well. Marco returned the compliment? No, he's playing dead

:12:44. > :13:08.weight. He's still covered that red near the pocket.

:13:09. > :13:15.APPLAUSE. Nicely picked out there. A bit of

:13:16. > :13:21.pressure on the next pot. Certainly opened the reds up. If

:13:22. > :13:34.this blue goes in, great chance. A bit of pressure on that early on

:13:35. > :13:42.in the match. Still expected Ronnie to knock that

:13:43. > :14:25.in, but it is the opening frame. This is a nice opportunity now for

:14:26. > :14:29.Marco Fu. Maybe taken just a few moments just to calm down. Such a

:14:30. > :14:33.massive entrance for both players in the semi-final. Plays at his own

:14:34. > :14:52.pace. Marco turned professional in 1997

:14:53. > :15:18.and based himself in Scotland. It's no longer there now in

:15:19. > :15:26.sterling. Used to have some professionals there. He's always

:15:27. > :15:28.been a big solo practiser. Doesn't practise a lot with others. Used to

:15:29. > :15:40.have the odd game. He'd never miss. In Canada, he was best out there for

:15:41. > :16:08.a while. He wants the black available to both

:16:09. > :16:14.corner pockets. Nice angle. The red directly above the black. You want

:16:15. > :16:25.to cannon that and play at a decent pace. There is a chance he could

:16:26. > :16:53.snooker himself. That is why he played it a bit harder.

:16:54. > :17:01.I've just got a feeling today that it will be a high-scoring match. So

:17:02. > :17:03.chances like this, taking them at your first opportunity, are going to

:17:04. > :17:19.be very important. O'Sullivan hasn't been in his best

:17:20. > :17:21.scoring form this week. You get the feeling it's going to come out

:17:22. > :17:30.sooner or later. I think it will have to today Denis

:17:31. > :17:37.for him to beat Marco. Absolutely. The fact he missed that medium

:17:38. > :17:46.length blue... Is an early worrying sign. Mar coast's going to take full

:17:47. > :17:54.advantage. He's had two chances in this frame. -- Marco.

:17:55. > :18:00.Hadronny knocked the long blue in - this is the blue - had he potted

:18:01. > :18:11.that, I'm sure he will have made a sizeable break. Normally, we are

:18:12. > :18:22.used to seeing O'Sullivan start so quickly.

:18:23. > :18:38.So the black is the first frame. Century in the first frame.

:18:39. > :19:29.He's on 31 centuries so far this season.

:19:30. > :19:45.We've had 20 centuries so far in this year's Masters. The

:19:46. > :19:50.We've had 20 centuries so far in this year's Masters. If you want to

:19:51. > :19:56.get a crowd on your side, I'll tell you what, this is the way to do it.

:19:57. > :20:07.Oh, he's missed it! He's missed it. Unlucky. Almost.

:20:08. > :20:12.APPLAUSE. Ronnie missed that blue and that was

:20:13. > :20:17.the end of the frame. Marco Fu leads 1-0.

:20:18. > :20:22.This heavy scoring has been the hallmark of mar coast' game of late.

:20:23. > :20:25.I was totting it up, since the start of the Championship he's knocked in

:20:26. > :20:29.21 centuries in 17 matches on his way to winning the Scottish Open and

:20:30. > :20:32.he was on track there for a fifth century of the week. It's

:20:33. > :20:36.extraordinary the way he just is not missing a great deal at the moment.

:20:37. > :20:39.He's always been an excellent scorer as you saw there as well, but

:20:40. > :20:45.there's just something different about him. He has just Blossomed

:20:46. > :20:50.into a top, top class player ready to win majors. To beat John Higgins

:20:51. > :20:54.in his own backyard in Scotland is hugely impressive and he looks like

:20:55. > :20:57.he's full of confidence. When he's amongst the balls, he's looking like

:20:58. > :21:01.clearing up. You can't put a price on confidence. So many players down

:21:02. > :21:05.the years have been confidence players, John Higgins on a run is

:21:06. > :21:08.like that, there is no stopping him? Also your opponent knows you feel

:21:09. > :21:12.confidence as well, the reality check, who is the Ronnie O'Sullivan

:21:13. > :21:16.out there because all of a sudden Marco is getting on with it very

:21:17. > :21:19.quickly. When you are confident, you spend so little time thinking about

:21:20. > :21:23.the shot, you seem to be able to focus better on what shots to play.

:21:24. > :21:26.You are not double thinking yourself and that seems to grow confidence as

:21:27. > :21:30.well. It also puts more pressure on your

:21:31. > :21:34.opponent. The likes of the blue Ronnie missed, that will get

:21:35. > :21:44.magnified if Marco keeps making clearances. Back we go.

:21:45. > :21:50.A bit short of pace with the break off shot.

:21:51. > :21:58.Marco knocked a similar red in, slightly easier. Can Ronnie avoid

:21:59. > :22:00.the black? He's not taking the pot on. It's a safety shot. Don't blame

:22:01. > :22:14.him. He's one of the best tactical

:22:15. > :22:31.players in the game. That's certainly opened the reds up.

:22:32. > :22:46.Look at the length of the cue ball. Seem to open up nicely on the cloth.

:22:47. > :23:26.Playing beautifully all week. Incredible. So confident at the

:23:27. > :23:40.moment. There was no looking at the shot.

:23:41. > :23:49.Well, there is an example. Marco Fu was never blessed, whenever that was

:23:50. > :23:54.a power shot, that was his weakness. He's bringing the cue back a lot

:23:55. > :23:57.further than he used to. The power he got on that cue ball was

:23:58. > :24:14.phenomenal. If he dropped this red in, he could

:24:15. > :24:18.get the black back on to its spot. Clash The black is still going to be

:24:19. > :24:43.tied up because it's blocked into both corners.

:24:44. > :24:48.Might have finished awkward for him. He's hampered slightly with the

:24:49. > :24:54.black to force it up for the blue. Better to get up to the blue if he

:24:55. > :25:09.can. Maybe the black goes into the left

:25:10. > :25:10.corner because he was thinking about swerving around the black there,

:25:11. > :25:37.maybe it does pass that red. He had to power to get to the blue

:25:38. > :25:38.and the white. Jumped a few times which happens when you are striking

:25:39. > :26:10.down on the cue ball like that. APPLAUSE.

:26:11. > :26:15.Well, you can't beat a nice flick. Certainly got one there.

:26:16. > :26:23.Can make such a difference that. It was a good shot anyway. But to catch

:26:24. > :26:49.the yellow was a bonus. Caught the red before the pink. A

:26:50. > :26:52.little bit surprised. He went into those dead weight. Couldn't have

:26:53. > :27:08.left much. So he took a bit of a risk there, Marco Fu.

:27:09. > :27:38.APPLAUSE. That kept on rolling and rolling.

:27:39. > :28:27.APPLAUSE. He's got a decent chance.

:28:28. > :28:40.What an atmosphere, Denis. Here Al the Alexandra Palace, it's

:28:41. > :28:41.absolutely packed. The crowds have been fabulous all

:28:42. > :29:07.week. They are enjoying this. How many will Ronnie make here?

:29:08. > :29:13.Looks like a practise set up now, doesn't it. Virtually nothing to do

:29:14. > :29:20.with the cue ball. You shouldn't see the cue ball travel very far at all

:29:21. > :29:25.in-between shots. I think he's travelled a bit too far that time.

:29:26. > :29:30.Change of plan, it's the blue or pink now.

:29:31. > :29:38.Correct side of the blue. APPLAUSE.

:29:39. > :30:13.I mean once again he travelled too far. He played two or three little

:30:14. > :30:17.positional shots which is very unlike O'Sullivan and you can see

:30:18. > :30:21.the frustration. Normally, the cue ball is on a sting when he's around

:30:22. > :30:34.about the black. A couple of shots ago he had to go for the blue and

:30:35. > :30:38.there he missed a cannon. He won't play the shot like that. It will be

:30:39. > :30:47.a foul. You have got to have one toe on the floor. He gave that cushion a

:30:48. > :31:00.good old rap there. I remember was it Michael Holt did that and did he

:31:01. > :31:00.break his finger? He

:31:01. > :31:12.has got to be so careful going between those two reds. He is going

:31:13. > :31:16.to have to play the safety shot. He wanted really to push the boat out

:31:17. > :31:24.there. He was so frustrated with that positional shot. I think he has

:31:25. > :31:36.calmed down and he'll play the correct shot. Still fuming. And this

:31:37. > :31:41.is where he has been impressive in his first two matches, Dennis. I

:31:42. > :31:48.know he is fuming with that shot. His temperament has been excellent

:31:49. > :31:52.this week. Ronnie O'Sullivan 41.

:31:53. > :31:55.APPLAUSE It was as if he wanted to bite the

:31:56. > :32:11.tip-off there. I know that was got a gim heed that

:32:12. > :32:16.long putt from Marco Fu, it was a chance to really rub salt in the

:32:17. > :32:29.wound if he could get in and win this frame at that visit.

:32:30. > :32:57.I think he can get past the blue, you know, to the red to come back

:32:58. > :33:09.down the table. He's going the other side which is a little bit more

:33:10. > :33:18.risky. There is two reds to avoid. He might drop in behind the green.

:33:19. > :33:21.He was playing for the cushion. APPLAUSE

:33:22. > :33:25.It is not a snooker. He can see the one to the left, but if he takes

:33:26. > :33:28.this pot on and he'll have to do because there is no easy safety

:33:29. > :33:32.shot. We have seen him miss a blue in the opening frame which cost him

:33:33. > :33:43.that first frame. Can he knock this one in?

:33:44. > :33:53.No. I'll tell you what, Stephen said if Marco Fu can punish Ronnie, he'll

:33:54. > :33:56.still be thinking about that poor positional shot he played when it

:33:57. > :34:16.looked like he was going to make quite a big break. This wasn't easy.

:34:17. > :34:20.We're only in the second frail, but this is a massive visit to the table

:34:21. > :34:42.for Marco Fu. Such a psychological game, snooker,

:34:43. > :34:48.at the top level. You can put one on your opponent early on.

:34:49. > :34:56.This is where he just ran a little bit too far and was very annoyed

:34:57. > :35:08.with himself. Yeah, I think he was trying to play the cannon on the red

:35:09. > :35:11.to the right. Just cannon the red to the right there as the cue ball goes

:35:12. > :35:44.past it. Very unlike O'Sullivan. He needs the black back on its spot

:35:45. > :35:49.in a couple of shots time. The reason I say that is that red that's

:35:50. > :35:55.on the cushion, it will be a lot easier to get on to the black if it

:35:56. > :36:02.was sitting on its own spot. Yes, Dennis, it is so important not to

:36:03. > :36:06.leave that red until last. Because every chance if you don't get on it

:36:07. > :36:13.properly and then you would have to play safe. I would be playing for it

:36:14. > :36:22.now. Screw off the side cushion. Well, he is not done. He can play

:36:23. > :36:35.now this red he's playing now. Finish high on the black and play

:36:36. > :36:45.for the red on the cushion. It may have travelled too far. No. He's

:36:46. > :36:50.fine. So this is a shot for the frame, Dennis, you feel. Just has to

:36:51. > :37:00.drop it in dead weight and give the pocket a chance. We have seen a lot

:37:01. > :37:06.easier black than this. This is much tougher. So dead weight

:37:07. > :37:21.will give the pocket a chance and you've got the perfect picture

:37:22. > :37:27.there. No. No. Now that is quite a big turning point so early on in

:37:28. > :37:38.this match. Provided Ronnie goes on and takes the frame.

:37:39. > :37:45.Just a little awkward with the pink sitting on the yellow spot. So he

:37:46. > :38:05.might even play for the pink this time. A big opportunity missed

:38:06. > :38:08.though by Marco Fu. If you touch the cushion and you don't usually see

:38:09. > :38:10.any reaction from Marco, but he knew that was a big shot that he just

:38:11. > :38:39.missed there. Green, brown and blue will be

:38:40. > :38:44.enough. Yeah, what it has done by Marco missing that opportunity is

:38:45. > :38:49.given Ronnie O'Sullivan a chance to forget all about that frame because

:38:50. > :39:15.he has won it. If Marco wins it, then he still thinks about it.

:39:16. > :39:23.APPLAUSE Ronnie O'Sullivan just lost his cool

:39:24. > :39:27.momentarily and he got a chance and he took it.

:39:28. > :39:33.A A game of real tension already, you can really feel it, Steve. I

:39:34. > :39:38.don't mind Ronnie O'Sullivan showing anger. It shows he wants to win

:39:39. > :39:43.desperately and it was tense very early on. Both players making slight

:39:44. > :39:48.mistakes and the last mistake is always the one that costs you the

:39:49. > :39:54.frame and it was Marco's. Three bites at this. This is the mistake

:39:55. > :40:00.that Marco was stewing about. Stephen mentioned on commentary, the

:40:01. > :40:02.start of a match, those shots can be pivotal and it was one of those

:40:03. > :40:08.shots you could miss and unfortunately for Marco he has done.

:40:09. > :40:13.He had a long red in that frame, he nearly hit the wrong side of it.

:40:14. > :40:18.When Marco is scoring, he a long red and he nearly hit the wrong side of

:40:19. > :40:23.it and if he had gone 2-0 stewing in his chair, it might have made a

:40:24. > :40:26.difference. Ronnie has to live with the pressure of expectation all the

:40:27. > :40:29.time. Most of the time he is a favourite. Marco Fu doesn't have

:40:30. > :40:32.that on him until he wins the first frame and it looks like he can win

:40:33. > :40:39.the second and then he's under pressure. That's the fascination of

:40:40. > :40:43.the game of snooker. Ronnie said having beaten Neil Robertson, he

:40:44. > :40:47.said, "I have got to accept the fact that I'm not perhaps as clinical as

:40:48. > :40:54.I once was four or five years ago, but as a pierce competitor, that

:40:55. > :40:58.remains undimmed." It is difficult to square that your competitiveness

:40:59. > :41:03.is still as sharp and you know your form won't reach those great heights

:41:04. > :41:07.again? Especially if the thing that inspires you is playing wonderful

:41:08. > :41:10.snooker and that's the thing that drives you forward because the

:41:11. > :41:13.frustration of not playing to the levels that you think you want to be

:41:14. > :41:17.can be debilitating, but that's probably as you get older that's

:41:18. > :41:20.what you have got to suffer. There is one incident Stephen is talking

:41:21. > :41:25.about Ronnie's cue ball control when he had the three reds on. He could

:41:26. > :41:34.have played two or three shots and he was annoyed. Yes. He is coming

:41:35. > :41:39.back in. There is Marco's wife and little Belle. That might be the

:41:40. > :41:42.youngest of the Fu family with them. But they're here. They're always

:41:43. > :41:51.there supporting their man and Ronnie is back into the arena as we

:41:52. > :41:52.head into frame three. Thank you, frame three. Ronnie

:41:53. > :42:26.O'Sullivan. It has been a fascinating start to

:42:27. > :42:37.this semifinal. Oh, what was that Marco?

:42:38. > :42:42.A long way short. Well, maybe he can see enough of that red that's just

:42:43. > :42:46.to the right of the black to cut it in. The other red is preventing

:42:47. > :43:09.that. The red the left-side of the table

:43:10. > :43:14.is a little awkward for the safety shot. You have got to make sure you

:43:15. > :43:20.don't cannon into this. He may attempt that to get on to the black

:43:21. > :43:21.as a shot to nothing. No. Just the straightforward up and down safety

:43:22. > :43:50.shot. APPLAUSE

:43:51. > :44:08.An opportunity to drop this red in for the black.

:44:09. > :44:21.That's Marco's daughter there. Isn't she beautiful?

:44:22. > :44:27.That's your daddy out there playing. She has just seen herself on the

:44:28. > :45:38.screen. Yes! Yes, Marco smiling up at his family,

:45:39. > :45:50.but he has got to get his mind on the job. A semifinal of the Masters,

:45:51. > :45:57.1-1 against Ronnie O'Sullivan. APPLAUSE

:45:58. > :46:05.A little bit of a stalemate now that red has gone up the other end of the

:46:06. > :46:09.table. Not a lot for Ronnie to play. Only just roll into the reds and we

:46:10. > :46:32.might possibly get a re-rack. Well, what has he spotted here?

:46:33. > :46:37.Just a gap to get it back to the cushion and played it well.

:46:38. > :47:19.APPLAUSE It will just take a few shots to

:47:20. > :47:37.resolve this situation. Yes, as long as the cue ball keeps

:47:38. > :47:44.going up close to the cushion, there is not a lot you can do. If the cue

:47:45. > :47:48.ball is away from the cushion you bring the reds back, but even that

:47:49. > :47:52.shot you're sometimes frightened of knocking a red over one of the

:47:53. > :48:06.middle pockets. It could be a while here.

:48:07. > :48:16.It will never catch on this kind of snooker, will it Dennis? It wasn't

:48:17. > :48:23.your type of frame this. Sometimes they run like that and you get the

:48:24. > :48:28.balls up the other end of the table. But what does happen when a player

:48:29. > :48:39.gets in, there is going to be plenty of reds there to score from. Now

:48:40. > :48:49.that one to the left middle is quite a risky one, but he has had a quick

:48:50. > :48:55.look at it and he has decided definitely against taking it on, but

:48:56. > :49:00.that's a bit careless. He has made a complete hash of the safety there.

:49:01. > :49:04.OK, a little bit unlucky. You never know where the reds are going to

:49:05. > :49:06.finish, but he didn't get the white where he wanted and now the chance

:49:07. > :49:26.is there for Marco. Marco Fu has just put himself in a

:49:27. > :49:48.bit of trouble here. Do you know he might have to play a

:49:49. > :49:53.safety shot and go up to the black with the cue ball. A golden chance

:49:54. > :50:29.he let slip there. APPLAUSE

:50:30. > :50:37.That's what I was saying earlier, when you're bringing the cue ball

:50:38. > :50:40.back to the cushion, there is always a chance of potting them in the

:50:41. > :50:48.mid--le pockets. Again, no guarantee where the cue ball is going to end

:50:49. > :51:03.up. Just make sure they pot. Now, he'll settle for that.

:51:04. > :51:07.Dle pockets. Again, no guarantee where the cue ball is going to end

:51:08. > :51:12.up. Just make sure they pot. Now, he'll settle for that. It is not a

:51:13. > :51:21.gimme this blue, but get this in and an opportunity.

:51:22. > :51:29.He didn't cue that as smoothly as he did in the first frame. He didn't

:51:30. > :51:31.get correctly on the red that's why he's having to play this around the

:51:32. > :52:22.angles. Just overscrewed it slightly. You

:52:23. > :52:34.want it to be straighter on this brown. It shouldn't be a problem.

:52:35. > :52:44.He's going to have to pot an awful lot of balls here to get a sizeable

:52:45. > :53:18.number of points because they're all low valued colours.

:53:19. > :53:25.He has had a look just to see what's available there and he's way ahead

:53:26. > :53:30.of himself and he feels that maybe he can drop the blue and he's back

:53:31. > :53:45.looking at that red to the right of the pink and it looks as if it's on.

:53:46. > :53:52.That just shows you how far ahead the player is thinking. It is

:53:53. > :53:56.usually a couple of shots. Very rarely rumour than three shots ahead

:53:57. > :54:00.of yourself. Four shots. You're just playing the cue ball into an area

:54:01. > :54:04.each time, but you weigh up the table and you know that it's going

:54:05. > :54:21.to be there and he had looked at this red about three shots ago.

:54:22. > :54:36.Didn't get into the cue ball like he wanted. It will be much straighter.

:54:37. > :54:41.This is now awkward. If he's playing a cannon on the red above the blue,

:54:42. > :54:46.it will go wrong. No he has natural angle. So a little bit fortunate

:54:47. > :55:15.there to leave that natural angle. Well, they seem to be all covering

:55:16. > :55:21.each other the four reds around the pink. He potted seven reds, but he

:55:22. > :55:23.has only accumulated 34 points because he had to take lower valued

:55:24. > :55:46.colours. It must be a plant. Just going

:55:47. > :56:00.slightly to the left-side of the pocket, but he can make that.

:56:01. > :56:18.APPLAUSE I think it's important for Marco to,

:56:19. > :56:23.win this frame just to forget that red that he missed along the cushion

:56:24. > :56:26.that would have given him a 2-0 lead, but he has been blessed with a

:56:27. > :56:46.terrific temperament also. It was a little bit of an awkward

:56:47. > :56:54.frame at the start with the reds going up the other end of the table.

:56:55. > :56:58.And in the end, Ronnie getting back to the black. Well, he did do, but

:56:59. > :57:20.he left one in the middle. That's the frame now.

:57:21. > :57:32.The best of 11. The interval still after four frames.

:57:33. > :57:49.Daddy is clearing up. That's his wife Shirley that's there

:57:50. > :57:53.and their daughter. Almost made a century in the opening

:57:54. > :58:25.frame. He has got another chance here.

:58:26. > :58:34.I just noticed that Ronnie is looking at the tup of his cue there.

:58:35. > :58:45.I know he made a gesture as if he was going to bite the tip-off, but I

:58:46. > :58:49.think that was a bit of frustration. So normal play resumes you would

:58:50. > :58:58.have to say from Marco Fu. This is great stuff. Off, but I think that

:58:59. > :59:01.was a bit of frustration. So normal play resumes you would have to say

:59:02. > :59:02.from Marco Fu. This is great stuff. Yes, he is looking very composed

:59:03. > :59:19.again. APPLAUSE

:59:20. > :59:29.Absolutely terrific stuff from the man from Hong Kong.

:59:30. > :59:35.Marco leads by 2-1. Ronnie has left the arena. I'm just

:59:36. > :59:40.wondering if there is a problem with the tip.

:59:41. > :59:47.Ronnie's tip of the cue has indeed split and there is now talk about

:59:48. > :59:52.having to replace it. Paul Collier is on stand-by to do so. There was

:59:53. > :59:56.talk about trying to take the interval early, but we're not sure

:59:57. > :00:00.if that's going to happen. This is unfortunate from his prospective.

:00:01. > :00:05.Marco is leaving the arena and he has been told. You get a period of

:00:06. > :00:11.grace, how long, 15 minutes? I'm not sure. But it is a reasonable amount

:00:12. > :00:15.of time to put another tip on and repair it and have a couple of hits

:00:16. > :00:19.on the practise table, but the discussion seems to be around

:00:20. > :00:24.whether the interval is taken now from the crowd's prospective or you

:00:25. > :00:27.have one stop after three frames and then another stop after another

:00:28. > :00:38.frame. I don't know what's going to happen. Rob Walker is making an

:00:39. > :00:45.announcement and it looks like we are taking the break now. Has he

:00:46. > :00:49.brought an old tip with him? What's the implication?

:00:50. > :00:55.It's massive. It's difficult to play screw and stun shots with it. If you

:00:56. > :00:59.have one that's already been played on, taken off a cue and put on the

:01:00. > :01:03.end, it's basically like what you have taken off. That's the problem

:01:04. > :01:08.he's got with it. Hopefully he's been a bit experienced enough to get

:01:09. > :01:16.a few from the club and he'll be able to put one on. We are going to

:01:17. > :01:21.take the interval a frame early. And John, you've discussed this, we saw

:01:22. > :01:25.him slightly uneasy with his cue and you chatted with him? He said the

:01:26. > :01:30.tip was hard. He said he's not happy with it. It can happen. I've had

:01:31. > :01:33.tips on cues, you have played with them for ages and they haven't gone

:01:34. > :01:37.hard. Sometimes you don't know what you are going to get. This was a

:01:38. > :01:43.situation with Mark Williams at the Crucible last year. He got to the

:01:44. > :01:48.quarter-final and it was looking for all world like he was going to do

:01:49. > :01:52.some damage and the night before he played, the tip came off and he

:01:53. > :01:57.wasn't the same player, it had such a fundamental impact. For anybody

:01:58. > :02:01.that doesn't know, a tip is a piece of leather stuck on the end of cue

:02:02. > :02:07.and with the chalk it gives the grip to the ball, otherwise it would slip

:02:08. > :02:10.off. Leather seems to be the perfect thing, they've never invented

:02:11. > :02:14.anything better. It's possible that the sides are vulnerable to

:02:15. > :02:18.splitting, if you play a shot with a side spin, you are hitting the edge

:02:19. > :02:22.of the tip, they are put under severe pressure. So a lot of the

:02:23. > :02:25.American pool players are for ever polishing the sides of the tip to

:02:26. > :02:29.strengthen them up as much as possible. Most of the snooker

:02:30. > :02:44.players play with a brand of tip that's not so easy to buff up to

:02:45. > :02:47.such levels sostrengthen it up so they are always vulnerable. How does

:02:48. > :02:51.it impact your performance if you were to continue to play with it in

:02:52. > :02:56.that state? Possibly it doesn't but it's in the mind. I've played

:02:57. > :03:10.matches where I've gotten away with it, I've played where it's been near

:03:11. > :03:17.the end and certain shots haven't got any impact. I was taught a

:03:18. > :03:21.lesson when I had a broken tip here. Sometimes a small chunk will come

:03:22. > :03:25.out and it's the part where you will contact the tip when playing screw

:03:26. > :03:30.backs, so what you can do, if you are clump enough, you can take the

:03:31. > :03:36.tip off, turn it 180 degrees and put it back on again. But it's tough

:03:37. > :03:40.because the tip is the same size. Putting a new tip on, you are

:03:41. > :03:44.playing with an unknown quantity. You are fiendish, Mr Davis,

:03:45. > :03:48.fiendish! Ronnie has admitted he's ridden his luck here in the Masters

:03:49. > :03:55.so far because obviously survived that twitchy black in the pen

:03:56. > :04:00.ultimate frame. He had three massive slices of luck, flukes against Neil

:04:01. > :04:05.Robertson, came through that and, as he says, he's ridden his luck but

:04:06. > :04:07.he's such a fierce competitor. He joked about dragging everyone down

:04:08. > :04:16.to his level. That's hard to believe. But he's still punching and

:04:17. > :04:20.fighting and he's he'd a lot more to say to John Parrot earlier. You seem

:04:21. > :04:24.a lot more level headed about your own level of performances at the

:04:25. > :04:31.moment. It's easy for you to accept isn't it? Yes, I've worked hard on

:04:32. > :04:34.that in the last five years, if there was a weakness it was the

:04:35. > :04:38.mental side. I'm tough, I got down on myself a lot though and that's

:04:39. > :04:43.cost me a lot of tournaments over the years. Since working with Steve

:04:44. > :04:46.Peters, I've had to work on that and that's probably the most important

:04:47. > :04:50.thing for me to work on, the game when it comes easy to me is easy but

:04:51. > :04:55.I struggle like everyone else. You have to put the work in. Working on

:04:56. > :04:58.my mental skills has been the massive turnaround in why I've

:04:59. > :05:06.played so well in the last five years. You seem to have surrounded

:05:07. > :05:11.yourself with good people. I've had a few undesirables there, you know,

:05:12. > :05:15.but that's made me appreciate the really good friends that I've got

:05:16. > :05:19.and I used to think that I had loads of friends but maybe I think now I

:05:20. > :05:23.have about four. They're four proper, proper friends, I don't

:05:24. > :05:27.really want any more. I used to have a dressing room full in the Crucible

:05:28. > :05:32.because I wanted to please everybody but now I think, you know what, it

:05:33. > :05:37.ain't happening. So I feel better for it. It's nice that you can enjoy

:05:38. > :05:42.each other's company a bit more when it's intimate. I'm lucky. Are you

:05:43. > :05:45.happy in your home life as well reflecting in the way you are

:05:46. > :05:52.playing? I don't know, listen, I've just gotten so used to my life being

:05:53. > :05:58.all over the gaff since maybe 17, 18. I now just kind of, as long as

:05:59. > :06:03.I've got my cue, a shirt on my back and a bit of money on my debit card,

:06:04. > :06:08.I'm all right. I'm back at my mums, I have an empty flat up the road,

:06:09. > :06:14.there is all sorts of stuff the last ten years, but do you know what,

:06:15. > :06:20.it's made me realise that I don't get attached to things now, I

:06:21. > :06:23.just... It's sad in a way because I really should feel like I've got

:06:24. > :06:28.something to play or live for but I just don't, I think as long as I've

:06:29. > :06:33.got my cue, play snooker, go here and there, I'm a bit of a vagabond

:06:34. > :06:38.really. Happy with your lot though? As long as I'm healthy, go to the

:06:39. > :06:42.gym, keep fit, eat good food. I'm sure as long as I stay on the right

:06:43. > :06:46.path, someone will always take care of me and look after me until the

:06:47. > :06:52.day I drop dead. I hope that's not any time soon.

:06:53. > :06:55.It's the rocket, Ronnie O'Sullivan. This tournament going back to the

:06:56. > :06:58.Masters, must be a very special event with you being a local boy as

:06:59. > :07:04.well? Yes, it's a tough event. If you are playing well and you have

:07:05. > :07:10.the crowd behind you, it's amazing to feed off of them. You feel like

:07:11. > :07:16.you are letting them down if you don't win. They know I give my best

:07:17. > :07:20.and try my best. I'm appreciative of all the support I get, but

:07:21. > :07:23.especially here in London, they get behind you. You know what it was

:07:24. > :07:27.like for Jimmy when he was playing in his day. Yes. It's not easy to

:07:28. > :07:31.have that following and try to deliver every time. The big event,

:07:32. > :07:35.we talk about the Grand Slam, are you bothered more about your record

:07:36. > :07:40.now or not? You would still like to win, but you are not saying, I would

:07:41. > :07:44.like to have seven or eight? No, no, I would like to take any tournament

:07:45. > :07:50.to be honest but the big ones, you know, the UK, the world and Masters,

:07:51. > :07:56.they are like everybody wants their hands on those. I don't think I'm at

:07:57. > :08:01.the stage where I could be picky and choosy and put all the eggs in one

:08:02. > :08:06.basket. There are a few who could do that now in their prime but for me

:08:07. > :08:09.it's about competing. I love the events, being around the snooker

:08:10. > :08:13.crowd and the snooker family, if you like. In some ways, it's been

:08:14. > :08:16.disappointing because I like to do some stuff with the pun didry and I

:08:17. > :08:20.love hanging around the venue. I love to have something to do at the

:08:21. > :08:25.venue, so I haven't been able to do that this week so I'm trying to

:08:26. > :08:31.enjoy every day and appreciate that I'm still able to play a few

:08:32. > :08:34.matches. Final question - you can still win this can't you?

:08:35. > :08:39.Absolutely. I think my form would have to improve but I've won enough

:08:40. > :08:48.tournaments where my game's up at a certain stage, something can click

:08:49. > :08:51.and you can be flying, so I always have the game being fickle and why

:08:52. > :08:58.shouldn't I be able to find form. I've had a great week, it would be

:08:59. > :09:03.great if I could lift up a bit of that Waterford Tony Martin crystal.

:09:04. > :09:14.He's going to need his patience and everything to cope with this

:09:15. > :09:19.situation. -- Waterford Crystal. We have taken the international

:09:20. > :09:24.early so Ronnie can get his tip fixed.

:09:25. > :09:28.Another two Englishmen, two of snooker's hardy annuals if you like,

:09:29. > :09:34.two best friends actually going toe-to-toe. Barry Hawkins, last

:09:35. > :09:39.year's runner up, he's going to play 42-year-old Joe Perry who has been

:09:40. > :09:43.in the game for 26 years and has at last made it through the last four

:09:44. > :09:45.in this event. Maybe the writing is on the wall for Joe or on the page

:09:46. > :09:59.for him this year. The writing here shows a good

:10:00. > :10:02.rhythm, rhythm is about reasonable consistency without monotony and

:10:03. > :10:07.people who have rhythm are usually able to cope in a crisis so if this

:10:08. > :10:10.person is up and pushed into a corner, they are most times able to

:10:11. > :10:16.cope. It's very large writing. The top of the writing to the bottom is

:10:17. > :10:19.about 15mm and that is a sign of somebody who definitely needs

:10:20. > :10:29.recognition. The middle zone, which is about the here and now, the

:10:30. > :10:37.social side, is 5mm and averages close to 3mm so again, a positive

:10:38. > :10:40.personality. You have somebody generally optimistic, friendly,

:10:41. > :10:43.reasonably strong will power. The difficulty them is that they can

:10:44. > :10:49.sometimes downgrade the likelihood of risk and difficulty that they are

:10:50. > :10:54.facing, so they have to be careful not to throw themselves into the

:10:55. > :10:59.game trusting themselves too much without assessing genuine chance of

:11:00. > :11:03.success. When you have writing which is relatively released like this, as

:11:04. > :11:07.opposed to tight and contracted, it's somebody who is prepared to

:11:08. > :11:11.have a go, have a bit of a risk. So it's very important that the other

:11:12. > :11:21.aspect of his writing comes into play, which is the close letters. If

:11:22. > :11:25.you look at the red ah arrows, they're close to the point of even

:11:26. > :11:29.touching. When you have close writing, it's somebody who is

:11:30. > :11:34.worried about making a mistake and slightly pulling themselves back.

:11:35. > :11:40.Look at this huge signature. 75mm. Absolutely vast. When you have a

:11:41. > :11:44.very large signature in comparison to the text, it's somebody who

:11:45. > :11:48.really does enjoy public life. So that idea of performing on public

:11:49. > :11:52.television, they want to overshadow the competition, no doubt, but the

:11:53. > :11:55.issue with a large signature like this is that their identity depends

:11:56. > :12:00.on the approval of other people. So the problem could be that they might

:12:01. > :12:05.lose their self-possession if they're criticised strongly. But

:12:06. > :12:09.what I do like about this writing is these pyramid structures. Look at

:12:10. > :12:13.how the letters are formed. There is a nice angled structure which is a

:12:14. > :12:15.sign of stubbornness. Here is somebody with all these issues can

:12:16. > :12:27.come through and fight their corner. Fascinating stuff. I think he's

:12:28. > :12:33.probably got Joe to a fairly large degree there. Positive personality.

:12:34. > :12:39.Willing to have a go. Dislikes criticism. Worried about a few

:12:40. > :12:42.mistakes. Just like any of us. Covers snooker players in general.

:12:43. > :12:46.Joe has a big match against Barry tonight. What will be fascinating is

:12:47. > :12:51.that it could be a very big weekend for the Griffiths family. Father and

:12:52. > :12:56.son might be pitted against one another in tomorrow's final because

:12:57. > :12:58.Joe playing Barry who is coached by Terry Griffiths, a 1979 world

:12:59. > :13:02.champion of course and Terry's son Wayne is the man who's been

:13:03. > :13:13.responsible for a real leap in performance of Marco Fu. He works

:13:14. > :13:17.out in Hong Kong with him and what a difference he's made to this man's

:13:18. > :13:21.game. A coach can help a player to have

:13:22. > :13:25.the best preparation for a match. When you are out playing in a match,

:13:26. > :13:28.you are on your own. The best coach can't help you any more. But

:13:29. > :13:34.behind-the-scenes, before you go into a match, you go through all the

:13:35. > :13:38.practise routines and the checklists technically. The coach can actually

:13:39. > :13:42.spot some of the things that you do right or wrong. Very, very tiny

:13:43. > :13:48.things, but very, very important things.

:13:49. > :13:52.We are very fortunate to have Wayne working in Hong Kong for us. He's

:13:53. > :13:56.done a lot of good for my snooker over the years. Most importantly,

:13:57. > :14:01.he's done a lot for snooker in Hong Kong as well. Ever since he came to

:14:02. > :14:06.Hong Kong and started working with the squad, the results have improved

:14:07. > :14:15.dramatically. Wayne helped me to play with more consistency. It's

:14:16. > :14:21.paid off. I was aiming wrong. My tip was off line. The cue action helped

:14:22. > :14:26.a lot as well. With the cue action, I used to struggle to play with any

:14:27. > :14:33.power, now I'm not the most powerful player on the circuit but still I

:14:34. > :14:36.can play with a little bit more freedom and shot selection-wise, I

:14:37. > :14:42.can have a lot more choices with the cue action that I have.

:14:43. > :14:45.Well, Marco mentioned there in that interview a few technical changes

:14:46. > :14:49.with Wayne. The first one we'll talk about is the fact that he thought

:14:50. > :14:54.perhaps or Wayne spotted his tip and the butt of the cue weren't on the

:14:55. > :14:57.line. Let's take the baulk line, a guiding line, put the white on the

:14:58. > :15:02.brown spot and OK, what Marco Fu is saying that when he lines up on the

:15:03. > :15:06.shot, the tip of the cue may be in the middle as far as he's concerned

:15:07. > :15:10.but this exaggerated it. The butt of the cue is not on the line of the

:15:11. > :15:14.shot. So how on earth would you try then to hit along the baulk line if

:15:15. > :15:20.this was the case? You would have to try and hook the shot or slice it

:15:21. > :15:24.one way. So how do you try to actually troubleshoot this yourself

:15:25. > :15:27.if you don't have a coach? An easy way really is, you have the baulk

:15:28. > :15:31.line, put the white ball on the brown spot, put the tip of the cue

:15:32. > :15:36.in line with the shot in the centre of the white ball, drop the cue down

:15:37. > :15:41.to the edge of the cushion then put two pieces of chalk either side

:15:42. > :15:45.tight in of the cue. Now all of a sudden get up, go back down again,

:15:46. > :15:49.drop into the position and check whether that cue is dropping down

:15:50. > :15:53.between those two pieces of chalk. So you can self-check whether you

:15:54. > :15:57.are actually getting on exactly the right line or not. The next phase of

:15:58. > :16:00.that would also be when you actually play the shot, can you deliver the

:16:01. > :16:04.cue in a straight line without nudging one of the pieces of chalk.

:16:05. > :16:10.That was the first thing they've been working on. The other thing.

:16:11. > :16:14.It's a bit unclear from what Marco was saying, he's got a bit more

:16:15. > :16:18.power. There is a few things, I'm not absolutely sure which one he's

:16:19. > :16:22.working on, Stephen said he's pulling the cue back further for the

:16:23. > :16:26.shot. If you have a short pull back to generate the power you have to

:16:27. > :16:30.explode through the ball. If you give yourself more of a bridge

:16:31. > :16:32.length and pull the cue back further, even though it's more

:16:33. > :16:36.difficult to get back to the centre of the ball, you have more time to

:16:37. > :16:40.accelerate through the ball. I think that's probably what Marco Fu's been

:16:41. > :16:44.working on. Slightly longer bridge length for the power shots, pull the

:16:45. > :16:46.cue back a bit further so he's got more time to ram the cue through

:16:47. > :16:55.like that. Thank you Steve. Marco was always

:16:56. > :17:00.the classic precision cherry-picker wasn't he? Yes. It was always a

:17:01. > :17:05.criticism levelled at him albeit it was a brilliant, precise score, he

:17:06. > :17:10.wasn't perhaps in the power mode. Do you see a difference in the way he's

:17:11. > :17:13.approaching the game now? There is obviously slightly more shots I've

:17:14. > :17:17.seen him play. He's potted and skewed back to the baulk area. It's

:17:18. > :17:23.a massive thing not to have in your game. A lot of players don't have

:17:24. > :17:26.power and, in some ways, they have to change shot selection to get

:17:27. > :17:31.around it. To have all the shots in your armoury, what's better than

:17:32. > :17:34.that. He's talked about the increased feeling of freedom he has.

:17:35. > :17:38.If you have that, it increases so many options for you? They also

:17:39. > :17:41.don't have to avoid some of the shots, simple as that. You see

:17:42. > :17:44.something coming up and think, I fancy this one, you are not

:17:45. > :17:48.thinking, I can't play this because I don't have the power, now he has.

:17:49. > :17:51.He's more aggressive, getting more confidence and through that run, he

:17:52. > :17:55.said at the Scottish Open, I'm slowly developing a winning habit.

:17:56. > :18:01.For me, John, he's always been an immaculate man in his dress, his

:18:02. > :18:04.manners and demeanour, but the quality of his play, shoulders back,

:18:05. > :18:09.he really looks like he believes in himself. I think his demeanour is

:18:10. > :18:15.one of the things I've noticed about him. Neil Robertson walks around

:18:16. > :18:18.like a peacock, Marco is exactly that, shoulders back, given off an

:18:19. > :18:22.aura of, I'm very confident and I'll play well. Don't worry, the other

:18:23. > :18:25.players will be seeing that. Ronnie is up against it at the moment, not

:18:26. > :18:29.just at the table, but with the equipment here. We are hearing that

:18:30. > :18:33.Ronnie is having to apply a brand-new tip to the cue. Now, that

:18:34. > :18:38.is what you thought he should be desperately trying to avoid at this

:18:39. > :18:43.point? If he'd have had any old ones he wouldn't be putting a new one on.

:18:44. > :18:47.He obviously hasn't. If he's good enough to new tip on and play to a

:18:48. > :18:53.standard good enough to beat Marco Fu, he truly is a genius. As strong

:18:54. > :18:58.as that? It's incredibly difficult to play. Let me clarify by saying,

:18:59. > :19:03.if there's anybody that could do it it's possibly him, but 99% of the

:19:04. > :19:08.others wouldn't be able to. Would Marco view this as a positive? He's

:19:09. > :19:13.got to blank it, you don't want to think about that and put pressure on

:19:14. > :19:17.yourself thinking, I'm playing against somebody who shouldn't be

:19:18. > :19:21.potting all the balls and playing with a tip. Blank it out. There is

:19:22. > :19:25.one fascinating thing this week, the possibility that still exists that a

:19:26. > :19:28.new chapter is about to be written in snooker history because, if you

:19:29. > :19:32.look at the three majors in snooker, there they are, you have got the UK

:19:33. > :19:36.Championship, the Masters and, of course, the World Championship. The

:19:37. > :19:41.last time there was a changing of the guard in the outright wins

:19:42. > :19:46.column of a snooker major was 1999 when a certain Stephen Hendry won a

:19:47. > :19:51.seventh world title to overtake Steve Davis and Ray Reardon. While

:19:52. > :19:56.Ronnie shares the honours with Stephen at six, it could be that an

:19:57. > :19:59.18-year-old wait for a total revision of the rule books could be

:20:00. > :20:02.upon us. That is a milestone that we could be looking at. Very

:20:03. > :20:11.significant for the sport? Very much so. Probably might not be seen again

:20:12. > :20:15.in the history of the sport. You are talking about legends. For Ronnie to

:20:16. > :20:19.be do it, incredible. Stephen who is in commentary won't be happy with

:20:20. > :20:22.it. Nevertheless, an amazing achievement from Ronnie who's been

:20:23. > :20:27.one of the best players, if not the best player I've ever seen. Albeit,

:20:28. > :20:30.we talked about this last week, he has other things on his mind now,

:20:31. > :20:36.but the overall picture here from a man who has been chasing the targets

:20:37. > :20:39.all of his career, to be within touching distance of owning outright

:20:40. > :20:46.the overall record in a major tournament in your sport, that's

:20:47. > :20:49.pretty special? Yes. He will play it down and say it's one of those

:20:50. > :20:53.things, but in the cold light of day he'll be very proud of it. When we

:20:54. > :20:57.consider what is about to happen when they come back out here, they

:20:58. > :21:00.are going to have to play, it's best of 11 and Ronnie coming out with

:21:01. > :21:05.seeds of doubt potentially in the back of his mind. He has no idea.

:21:06. > :21:08.Will he perhaps have gone for a quick knockabout in the practise

:21:09. > :21:12.room? Hopefully once the tip is ready to go, he'll give it a few

:21:13. > :21:16.brushes of chalk and give it a go in the practise room. We can't begin to

:21:17. > :21:21.tell you how difficulties to come and play with a new tip. He's

:21:22. > :21:28.probably one of the few people who could do it. Not many could put a

:21:29. > :21:34.tip on. Joe Swayle maybe he's another one he used to play with a

:21:35. > :21:41.soft tip. But to play well with a new tip would be some achievement.

:21:42. > :21:48.Talked about the 16 majors that Stephen Hendry's won, or 18

:21:49. > :21:53.Stephen's won and 16 for Ronnie. As for Marco Fu's strike rate in

:21:54. > :21:57.majors, he's been a runner-up in the Masters and the UK, twice been a

:21:58. > :22:01.semi-finalist at the World Championship. Is this the time that

:22:02. > :22:05.he can break out and finally become one of the key figures in this

:22:06. > :22:10.sport? He has always been an absolute top class professional.

:22:11. > :22:14.Always has been. He's had the game, he's a cherry-picker, takes the odd

:22:15. > :22:18.reds off. Break-building is phenomenal. Only nine people have

:22:19. > :22:24.made over 400 centuries in the sport, he's one of them. He's just

:22:25. > :22:27.been lacking the final ingredient to make the cake exactly what it should

:22:28. > :22:37.have been. I think confidence is it and he's never played better snooker

:22:38. > :22:41.than he is now at 39. 22 centuries is great. Since the start of the

:22:42. > :22:45.Championships, it's an extraordinary strike rate over the last few weeks?

:22:46. > :22:51.Heaviest scoring as anybody in the game. Nobody would have got as many

:22:52. > :22:55.as that. Even people winning tournaments. Obviously working with

:22:56. > :23:00.Wayne is helping him. He's got a very sound technique. The biggest

:23:01. > :23:07.fact of the lot is the level of confidence he's got. What a

:23:08. > :23:13.fascinating extra dimension this is to the major semi-final at the

:23:14. > :23:17.Dafabet Masters, Ronnie Sullivan coming in, brand-new Tipton cue,

:23:18. > :23:20.show that going to react, how is he going to react to this situation.

:23:21. > :23:29.Marco is one up. That is the question, how will he

:23:30. > :23:34.react to that new tip? I'm with John Parrot, if anyone can do it, Ronnie

:23:35. > :23:38.O'Sullivan can. He seems to be able to just put a new tip on and play

:23:39. > :23:42.straightaway. Not the sort of thing a player would want but he's pretty

:23:43. > :23:48.good at doing it, Stephen? Yes. There's been advances in the way

:23:49. > :23:52.they make tips these days to sort of 15-20 years ago, it used to take me

:23:53. > :23:59.two, three, four days to knock a tip in. They're made a lot firmer. You

:24:00. > :24:02.can get grades of how hard the tip is. I had a tip on my cue last year

:24:03. > :24:11.and could play with it straightaway, it's the way they are made now. Not

:24:12. > :24:14.quite the drama I think everyone is making out, but still in the

:24:15. > :24:44.semi-final of a major event, not ideal.

:24:45. > :24:51.Not going to be hard enough. Come up a little bit short. Difficult to

:24:52. > :24:59.judge at the best of times. A bit of pressure on whoever put the

:25:00. > :25:21.tip on! He thought he could take the double

:25:22. > :25:30.on and wouldn't leave anything, only the red he was trying to double and

:25:31. > :25:34.he has left it. A bit of a tester, a long pot. Let's see if he can knock

:25:35. > :25:38.this in and give himself a bit of confidence with the new tip.

:25:39. > :25:55.APPLAUSE. Judging by the sound that made, that

:25:56. > :26:16.sounds a little bit on the softer side.

:26:17. > :26:22.Came up a little bit short but can still plan the Kay none. -- play the

:26:23. > :26:30.cannon. APPLAUSE.

:26:31. > :26:35.If he wasn't happy with the tip that was on it, now he finds a tip he is

:26:36. > :26:40.happy with, he could see a different Ronnie O'Sullivan. He could have a

:26:41. > :26:50.massive boost of confidence. Just about OK. He can hold the red

:26:51. > :27:57.to the right of the blue. Surely he can't make a frame-winning

:27:58. > :28:36.break with a new tip on his cue! You wouldn't put it past him.

:28:37. > :28:41.That got a terrible contact there. He's still on the black but not as

:28:42. > :28:56.nicely as he would have been without the kick. Just watch this.

:28:57. > :29:25.He certainly looks a lot happier around the table, Stephen? No doubt,

:29:26. > :29:27.more comfortable with the tip that he has now than the one that was on

:29:28. > :29:38.previously. They mentioned in the studio A his

:29:39. > :29:44.last match that it was very hard, the tip that was on his cue. The tip

:29:45. > :29:50.is a little softer, then it gives you more of a feel. That's why a

:29:51. > :29:56.couple of his positional shots have been going awry.

:29:57. > :30:37.APPLAUSE Quite remarkable, it has to be said.

:30:38. > :30:45.Run a little bit too far here on the red, but you wouldn't see it being a

:30:46. > :30:59.problem. He only made one century so far in this year's Masters.

:31:00. > :31:04.It's not going to be easy to make a century, certainly with the red on

:31:05. > :31:18.the left side cushion. And this frame has only been going

:31:19. > :31:28.just over seven minutes. Everything is going.

:31:29. > :31:40.APPLAUSE Well, I don't know if he can square

:31:41. > :31:48.this up and play the double. No double. No century. With a brand-new

:31:49. > :31:53.tip on his cue he has come in and knocked in a 95.

:31:54. > :32:05.You just couldn't make it up. How would you like humble pie served?

:32:06. > :32:10.The boy is a freak! He's a freak of nature. Nobody can do that. That

:32:11. > :32:14.would have flattened many a lesser player that situation and yet he

:32:15. > :32:19.seems to almost thrived upon it. More comfortable now than before.

:32:20. > :32:22.Mentally and psychologically, it has all gone wrong. Stop that. But if it

:32:23. > :32:27.was in a club and you put a new tip on, you can do that, but you

:32:28. > :32:30.wouldn't expect it on one of our match tables under the conditions

:32:31. > :32:34.which we play, but what, as John said, Ronnie O'Sullivan is a

:32:35. > :32:38.marvellous talent. He adapts very quickly. Within a few shots he got

:32:39. > :32:43.the feel of the tip, but as Stephen said in comment free, if that tip

:32:44. > :32:49.beforehand was too hard, they are in my opinion, a too hard tip is worse

:32:50. > :32:52.than a too soft a tip. He has got more grip. The two of you were

:32:53. > :32:59.saying just listen to the sound of it. What were you hearing? It is

:33:00. > :33:04.totally soft. He lost position on the black slightly with the kick and

:33:05. > :33:09.there was a little shot. They are impossible with a new tip on. He

:33:10. > :33:13.just floated it in. What happens with a new tip, it hasn't

:33:14. > :33:20.compressed. It is like a concertino and you need to bang it in with a

:33:21. > :33:24.few frames until it is compressed enough like he will do for the rest

:33:25. > :33:28.of its life span. Great adjustment by Ronnie O'Sullivan. Frame five. It

:33:29. > :33:41.is 2-2. That's a pretty good break off as

:33:42. > :33:47.well. Can't really take this pot on and

:33:48. > :33:56.play for the black. It is just the wrong angle for that. He might still

:33:57. > :34:09.have a go at it. He did manage to get around the back. Good cue ball.

:34:10. > :34:14.APPLAUSE There is the tools of the trade for

:34:15. > :34:18.a snooker player. I'm not sure about the lighter what he's going to do

:34:19. > :34:22.with that! Just maybe burn a few of the fibres

:34:23. > :34:26.off. He was polishing the side of the tip

:34:27. > :35:01.so thaw don't see it when you're looking down the cue.

:35:02. > :35:11.Well, it looks as if he's taking this on.

:35:12. > :35:19.He may have just held for the pink there so it was worth the risk. OK,

:35:20. > :35:23.the red is near the pocket, but look at the cueing. He won't be potting

:35:24. > :35:29.that one, you wouldn't think, but he has to remove it from the pocket. If

:35:30. > :35:31.he bridges overall these reds, and knocks this in, it will be some

:35:32. > :36:09.shot. A very tough situation there. He

:36:10. > :36:15.might just have gotten away with it slightly. He wanted to hit it

:36:16. > :36:18.full-ball when he hit the cushion. There is a long one. And he can get

:36:19. > :37:08.on the black. Still a chance for Marco to get back

:37:09. > :37:12.to work. Obviously he had that interval after the third frame which

:37:13. > :37:17.wasn't planned. He sat and watched Ronnie win the last frame on one

:37:18. > :37:51.visit so we will see if that's interrupted Marco's rhythm.

:37:52. > :38:02.This has developed into quite a good opportunity here for Marco.

:38:03. > :38:12.Just overscrewed it slightly. He wanted to be straight around that

:38:13. > :38:27.red. It is closest to the pink. So there is a change of plan.

:38:28. > :38:33.That's OK with the cue ball there because he has got very little to do

:38:34. > :38:40.with it. Just drops the blue in and he has a choice of reds for the

:38:41. > :39:07.listened corner. The left-hand corner.

:39:08. > :39:14.Well, I think you said at the start of the match Stephen, you will see

:39:15. > :39:23.quite a few high breaks here. I think your predictions will come

:39:24. > :39:27.through here. He had a 95 in the previous frame. So it's building up

:39:28. > :39:58.very nicely this semifinal. It could be a cracker.

:39:59. > :40:05.He may have to play the second red. The one that is to the left of the

:40:06. > :40:06.two. I don't know if he's straight enough on the bottom one to fall

:40:07. > :40:22.through for the black. From that angle it looks like it's

:40:23. > :40:30.OK. He has followed through. Again, a

:40:31. > :40:38.couple inches further. He's going to have to cannon that end red. The red

:40:39. > :40:46.furthest to the right of the bunch. Yes, perfectly played.

:40:47. > :40:52.APPLAUSE That was the key shot to paving the

:40:53. > :41:29.way for making a frame-winning break here.

:41:30. > :41:38.He has judged a couple of those shots, Stephen, those little

:41:39. > :41:45.cannons, he played them perfectly. A lovely touch. Very economical style.

:41:46. > :41:47.He is starting to look like a machine when he gets in amongst the

:41:48. > :42:37.balls. He's in line for the high break

:42:38. > :42:47.prize. He made a break of 140. He has had five centuries so far this

:42:48. > :42:56.week. Yes, I think he made 11 or 12 and winning the Scottish Open before

:42:57. > :43:02.Christmas. He is just turning into a scoring machine. It is the biggest

:43:03. > :43:10.attribute you can have as a top snooker player to win frames like

:43:11. > :43:16.this on one visit on a regular basis. And from a psychological

:43:17. > :43:23.point of view after watching Ronnie winning the last frame on the 95

:43:24. > :43:27.break with a new tip, this is just what the doctor ordered for Marco

:43:28. > :43:31.Fu. And also how quickly is he playing? I know it helps when you're

:43:32. > :43:35.in perfect position every shot. Brilliant.

:43:36. > :43:42.APPLAUSE Absolutely superb from Marco Fu.

:43:43. > :44:01.That's the 22nd century so far this week.

:44:02. > :44:11.You see, look at that. It's not often you see a quicker time than

:44:12. > :44:19.ron reportings but again down to the fact that he has the cue ball on a

:44:20. > :44:27.string. Well, it is not down to his coach, originally he was with Wayne

:44:28. > :44:32.Griffiths. Then he was with Terry Griffiths. He

:44:33. > :44:35.didn't get that shot selection from Terry. He could beat his own high

:44:36. > :45:03.break by one point. What an effort. 134.

:45:04. > :45:09.Made absolutely sure. Marco Fu has just cleared the table with a mag

:45:10. > :45:20.nift icant break of 141 and he is back in the lead, 3-2.

:45:21. > :45:23.What a frame of snook thremplt Ronnie got in first. He finished

:45:24. > :45:27.very, very awkward and had to bridge over a red and just try the safety

:45:28. > :45:36.shot and mis-hit the safety shot and that was it. Yes, as well as other

:45:37. > :45:41.things that Marco Fu has got going for him is his temperament, the

:45:42. > :45:46.circus that went before, finishing a frame early for the interval to do

:45:47. > :45:52.with Ronnie's tip, Ronnie comes out and makes a 95 and he just calmly

:45:53. > :46:01.gets down and knocks 141 in, in how long? Seven minutes, eight minutes?

:46:02. > :46:04.Yes, I said, it was just what the doctor ordered from Marco Fu and I'm

:46:05. > :46:17.talking about doctors, there is a doctor in the house! That's doctor

:46:18. > :46:23.Miriam Stoppard. She is a delightful lady. I spent sometime with her. She

:46:24. > :46:31.was a delight to be with. She has got a lovely smile. Thank you, frame

:46:32. > :47:23.six. Marco Fu to break. A quality opening red here from

:47:24. > :47:27.Ronnie O'Sullivan. He had to aim down slightly on the cue ball to

:47:28. > :47:38.create that angle to get around the back of the black.

:47:39. > :47:44.He will have enjoyed watching that break from Marco Fu and also he'll

:47:45. > :47:56.enjoy the challenge of trying to get the better of it.

:47:57. > :48:03.Maybe enjoy is the wrong word, appreciate, you don't enjoy sitting

:48:04. > :48:04.in your chair watching an opponent clear up. He will have appreciated

:48:05. > :48:33.the skill of it. The match with Judd Trump that Marco

:48:34. > :48:37.had was quite extraordinary, but this is building up to a similar

:48:38. > :48:45.type of match. Judd had two centuries. A few other really high

:48:46. > :48:50.breaks, but Marco was awesome. He had three centuries in that match.

:48:51. > :48:58.He already had two in this. But Ronnie looks a different player, it

:48:59. > :49:30.has to be said. He certainly feels comfortable with his new tip.

:49:31. > :49:37.A tough bunch of reds to go into from this angle, but he is one of

:49:38. > :49:48.the best in the business at picking out the right cannon. It is so easy

:49:49. > :49:57.to stick on these. When you see that shot again, it is hit perfectly. He

:49:58. > :50:04.needs to hit the red, the third red, so it pushes it into the bunch. He

:50:05. > :50:07.could not hit that any better. The three reds above the black, that

:50:08. > :50:12.one, he has to hit on the right-hand side of it. Any other part of that

:50:13. > :50:23.red and they don't open. A fantastic shot.

:50:24. > :50:31.I'll tell you what, it is an absolute pleasure to be sitting and

:50:32. > :50:35.commentating on this sort of match. It really is fabulous to watch. Look

:50:36. > :50:59.at the pot success rate. Yes, he looks like he loves this new

:51:00. > :51:02.tip on the cue, but he will be enjoying this challenge that's up

:51:03. > :51:19.against him today. Playing a man at the top of his form, as Marco Fu is.

:51:20. > :51:30.These frames are not lasting very long, are they?

:51:31. > :51:55.Now, full concentration to see if he can respond with a century break.

:51:56. > :51:59.You can't beat the high break, that's for certain, but well even if

:52:00. > :52:05.he doesn't make a century, it doesn't really matter. But a great

:52:06. > :52:16.response this. Marco can't do anything about it. And this

:52:17. > :52:32.Alexander palace crowd they are being royally entertained here.

:52:33. > :52:36.APPLAUSE He might be able to pot the red

:52:37. > :52:54.that's closest to the black. If not, the cannon. No, it will go.

:52:55. > :53:15.Well, this is stunning. Absolutely stunning snooker.

:53:16. > :53:26.In between the yellow and brown. APPLAUSE

:53:27. > :53:37.A straightforward game. That's another century. Ronnie's

:53:38. > :53:47.first of the match. And he has made 858 centuries now in his career. Who

:53:48. > :53:52.is going to bet against him getting to that magical 1,000 centuries?

:53:53. > :54:06.Wouldn't that be something in a career?

:54:07. > :54:32.What a response from Ronnie O'Sullivan. Marco Fu made a break of

:54:33. > :54:34.141. The response was, that superb century, 1222. We're all square.

:54:35. > :54:43.3-3. I can't wait for more of this! I couldn't agree more. We are

:54:44. > :54:48.driving on towards what could be a record number of centuries. In the

:54:49. > :54:52.current format without a wildcard round, the biggest number is 28

:54:53. > :54:56.centuries made in 2015 and that's the 23rd of the week so far.

:54:57. > :55:02.Ronnie's second, but what stunning stuff from the two of them and that

:55:03. > :55:06.141 in the previous frame from Marco Fu beat his own high break of this

:55:07. > :55:11.week of 140. It just gets better and better. Loving this. I'm still in a

:55:12. > :55:18.state of shock that he can play with that tip because it is a

:55:19. > :55:21.manufacturer's tip. He got hold of the cue ball and it is in perfect

:55:22. > :55:25.position every time. What I would say, even though he is a genius,

:55:26. > :55:30.that proves that inn a way, a great match, but in a way, you could argue

:55:31. > :55:35.he has been a bit lucky to pick out of a box of the particular tip he's

:55:36. > :55:39.using which is an American made tip, which is a cheap and cheerful one,

:55:40. > :55:43.but most players preferred it and picked a good one out of the box as

:55:44. > :55:48.opposed to one that was another hard one or a very, very soft one! A

:55:49. > :55:52.little bit of experience by Paul or Ronnie. You test them and squeeze

:55:53. > :55:56.them to get a feeling if it is going to be a hard or soft one. You never

:55:57. > :56:01.really know until you cut down the sides and put it on. And as John was

:56:02. > :56:04.saying and Stephen were saying there are some tips around that are more

:56:05. > :56:11.expensive that are actually a lot more guaranteed that the pressure

:56:12. > :56:13.you're going to get on them. Tipgate aside, the fact that he's respond to

:56:14. > :56:18.go this challenge says so much about him. That's what sometimes he needs,

:56:19. > :56:22.isn't it? When you have got as much talent as he is got, some games

:56:23. > :56:25.comes easy, but he is playing somebody at the top of his game

:56:26. > :56:30.today and he's enjoying this. And Marco Fu is giving as good as he

:56:31. > :56:33.gets here. What a match. I open you're enjoying this semifinal of

:56:34. > :56:38.the Masters. We said this is where we have a final and so it is

:56:39. > :56:42.proving, one of them will be going through to tomorrow's final? Will it

:56:43. > :56:43.be Ronnie or the man who has been in the final before, only to be beaten

:56:44. > :57:01.six years ago, Marco Fu? Back we go. Ronnie O'Sullivan to break.

:57:02. > :57:06.I'll tell you what Stephen when Marco can go back into the arena

:57:07. > :57:15.there, he got a fabulous reception from this terrific crowd.

:57:16. > :57:19.How much quicker can these two players get? Ronnie O'Sullivan just

:57:20. > :57:23.equalled Marco down to the 16 seconds a shot.

:57:24. > :57:29.Marco played that red thinking it was the only one that he could leave

:57:30. > :57:42.possibly and missed it and how often does that happen?

:57:43. > :57:48.Well, one red, one black, Dennis, what do you think? You are naughty,

:57:49. > :58:22.Stephen! Well, in practise or in exhibition

:58:23. > :58:26.you play the right-hand side of those two reds and brush off the

:58:27. > :58:31.pack for the black. Still part of this shot. Yes, he has done.

:58:32. > :59:21.APPLAUSE Concentrating on the frame. Yes, the

:59:22. > :59:28.crowd... Thank you, let's have a lull, please. Ronnie, even Marco was

:59:29. > :59:35.smiling. Ronnie, as all players, the main concern is the frame. That's

:59:36. > :59:42.nice to see. Of course, he made that maximum

:59:43. > :00:00.break on 13 occasions, just overtook your record, Stephen, 12 you made.

:00:01. > :00:23.Never been in front in the semi-final. Time to take the lead?

:00:24. > :00:30.We didn't see that coming. It was just a little bit of a distraction

:00:31. > :00:36.with that red there having to bridge over it that caused my opinion to

:00:37. > :00:39.miss that. That's the only reason I can think of why he missed the

:00:40. > :01:06.black. Loose red to the right of the bunch.

:01:07. > :01:38.Big target if you wanted to go into them and really open things up.

:01:39. > :01:50.Another big moment in this match. So often a deciding factor in these

:01:51. > :01:53.matches are, not the frames that you should win, it's the frames that you

:01:54. > :01:58.shouldn't, the ones that you can pinch. Such a fine line between

:01:59. > :02:01.winning and losing when both players are playing so well.

:02:02. > :02:08.He's just finished a little awkward. He took the opportunity to open more

:02:09. > :02:26.of the reds up there. Just having to stretch quite a bit here.

:02:27. > :02:29.A little straighter on the black than he would have liked but that

:02:30. > :03:16.shouldn't be a problem. So important, this red. This clears

:03:17. > :03:19.everything. No excuses now not to win the frame at this visit from

:03:20. > :03:40.Marco Fu. He doesn't want to be playing a

:03:41. > :03:50.cannon because they are all available.

:03:51. > :04:07.Rather than forcing that in... Next to the pink.

:04:08. > :04:21.This would be quite a frame to pinch for Marco here.

:04:22. > :04:27.Caught Ronnie shaking his head there. He knows at this standard he

:04:28. > :04:40.can't afford any mistakes. We showed you the shot of Ronnie

:04:41. > :04:58.bridging over the red a little awkwardly. This was the one.

:04:59. > :05:06.You don't see him shake his head very often. But he knows Marco's not

:05:07. > :05:23.going to miss. He's thinking very clearly at the moment, is Marco Fu.

:05:24. > :06:11.So composed Marco Fu. Just blue to make absolutely certain and it's

:06:12. > :06:28.straightforward. You just can't make a mistake in

:06:29. > :06:40.this game the way these boys are playing. Another fabulous frame of

:06:41. > :06:45.snooker. Ronnie O'Sullivan after 47 finished a little bit, missed the

:06:46. > :06:50.black and that was the end of it. Marco Fu with that lead is back in

:06:51. > :06:53.with it. Such a calm, confident air about this man. This is really one

:06:54. > :06:58.of the great matches that we've seen isn't it? It is. The thing is, you

:06:59. > :07:03.expected Marco to clear up. I mean, I just felt that, you know, I wasn't

:07:04. > :07:08.looking for, where is he going to crack or feel he's under pressure.

:07:09. > :07:12.At the moment he seems impervious to the pressure. Earlier on when his

:07:13. > :07:15.wife and young daughter came in the room, he's confident enough and

:07:16. > :07:20.relaxed enough to just have a chat during the game. Can you imagine

:07:21. > :07:25.doing that? ! That is interesting. That is his elder daughter, Belle,

:07:26. > :07:30.Amelia is outside playing, I believe and Shirley just flew in from Hong

:07:31. > :07:36.Kong so he hasn't seen them for a while. So to be able to say hi, how

:07:37. > :07:40.are you doing, then to carry on is great, but a tough one for Ronnie

:07:41. > :07:45.1234 sn As Stephen said, it's winning the frames you shouldn't

:07:46. > :07:48.win. Ronnie had a difficult shot. Missed it there, but you can't

:07:49. > :08:01.always think all the balls are going to go after that. But Marco, I agree

:08:02. > :08:06.with Steve, will get the balls in. His composure to think clearly when

:08:07. > :08:10.the pressure is on? The cue ball doesn't move anywhere, he's so tight

:08:11. > :08:14.into the next ball! It's Fu back in the lead at 4-3.

:08:15. > :08:31.Both players are getting the breakoff pot and getting the white

:08:32. > :08:33.close to the cushion meaning it's a difficult pot. If you are away from

:08:34. > :08:55.the cushion, it's slightly easier. Looks quite a thin snick this, but

:08:56. > :09:11.maybe it's OK. A bit too pacy. So he's restricted

:09:12. > :09:21.now to what he can do with the cue ball. The red that's to the left of

:09:22. > :09:24.the bunch of reds, he'll have to angle that and cannon the blue, then

:09:25. > :09:26.he can concentrate on the pot and the position will take care of

:09:27. > :09:34.itself. Just hit the blue. A bit of movement

:09:35. > :09:42.in his body there in that shot. That wasn't his normal smooth

:09:43. > :10:54.playing style. A little bit of movement at that

:10:55. > :10:57.time. He normally does that. The fact he was tight on the cushion

:10:58. > :11:05.almost, that's slightly more difficult. Finishing short on this

:11:06. > :11:28.red so he could bring more reds into play when potting this.

:11:29. > :11:32.Missed a similar black in the previous frame but he was bridging

:11:33. > :12:38.over a red that time. Just managed to avoid cannoning the

:12:39. > :12:53.red there which could have spoiled things. Judged it to perfection.

:12:54. > :13:03.Three reds above the black, he could push through to the black one. That

:13:04. > :13:18.is what he played. Hasn't worked out though. When he hits

:13:19. > :13:24.Needs a special pot if he's going to continue here. Remember what

:13:25. > :13:33.happened in the previous frame, a 47 break wasn't enough. This is a very

:13:34. > :13:48.tough shot. Oh, what a shot! APPLAUSE.

:13:49. > :13:53.Through the gap, redthe pink. He was always going to finish low on this

:13:54. > :14:47.red. Just didn't quite judge it. When

:14:48. > :14:59.you're cannoning other reds, there's always a possibility you can finish

:15:00. > :15:03.on the cushion. Shouldn't be a problem covering that red. It's over

:15:04. > :15:06.the right corner pocket. Has to make sure he locks the path

:15:07. > :15:13.through to that. And the brown near the cushion for

:15:14. > :15:28.insurance. APPLAUSE.

:15:29. > :15:32.It's a very healthy lead, 54 points, but not a man in the form that Marco

:15:33. > :16:08.Fu is. Will he get a chance? Very clever indeed.

:16:09. > :16:12.APPLAUSE. Acknowledged by Ronnie tapping on

:16:13. > :16:14.the table. OK, there is a potable red into the left middle but look

:16:15. > :16:54.where the cue ball's tucked up. That last shot that Marco Fu played,

:16:55. > :16:56.shows how well he's thinking to just get down and play that safety shot.

:16:57. > :17:09.Seen it straightaway. Oh, brilliant shot. Look how

:17:10. > :17:16.confident he played that. Look what he's leaving. Should he have missed

:17:17. > :17:29.that red? Just floated it in. He's just seeing everything isn't he.

:17:30. > :17:49.Oh, decelerated on that. Chose to take the most difficult red.

:17:50. > :18:00.That's what happens when you decelerate, you miss the pot thin.

:18:01. > :18:05.Wow, that could have been a huge turning point had he pinched that

:18:06. > :18:40.frame after pinching the previous one.

:18:41. > :18:52.They are just so evenly matched now in this semi-final. First sign of

:18:53. > :18:56.weakness I've seen in Marco Fu for the first time in a long time, in

:18:57. > :19:10.this match. APPLAUSE.

:19:11. > :19:18.Would have been a strong favourite had he have taken the frame. But you

:19:19. > :19:22.just sense that this could go to a deciding frame. We have had some

:19:23. > :19:50.fabulous matches all week. Quite a few of them going the distance.

:19:51. > :20:03.Average frame time of 12 minutes. Just shows you the quality of

:20:04. > :20:10.snooker. Much safety play. It's been whoever gets in first here.

:20:11. > :20:50.Finished the frame off with a break of 63. Marco Fu did have a chance,

:20:51. > :20:57.missed that red, with the rest, and we are back all square again, 4-4.

:20:58. > :21:02.Marco had the chance for another steal as in the previous frame, but

:21:03. > :21:10.Ronnie on 55, was it the right shot that the rest have taken on? I think

:21:11. > :21:13.so. I think where he landed, where he finished, he knew full well, if

:21:14. > :21:17.he was perfect on the red, if he drops it in, it was a perfect

:21:18. > :21:20.position. He's just missed it. Interesting what Stephen said, I

:21:21. > :21:24.said virtually the same thing to you, is that the first sign of a

:21:25. > :21:26.little bit of pressure showing in the match, but nevertheless the

:21:27. > :21:31.right shot to take. You can't argue with it. On many occasions we say

:21:32. > :21:35.take the difficult ball earlier than the last ball because it may make

:21:36. > :21:39.the lest rest of the clearance easier. He's done that. That's not

:21:40. > :21:42.much different to taking the red along the top cushion when there are

:21:43. > :21:46.two left. That's what you would do. It put him under pressure, he's

:21:47. > :21:49.playing that with the rest and in a way, he's going, if I get this in,

:21:50. > :21:52.this could be frame ball. He's got to clear all the balls up. The

:21:53. > :21:56.argument against that is that he's playing it with the rest and it may

:21:57. > :22:00.have been a way of extricating that red from the side cushion in another

:22:01. > :22:03.way. Later on, yes. He's been playing so well. He must have

:22:04. > :22:08.fancied every ball he went for, but it was with the rest. He's been so

:22:09. > :22:12.cool. We talked about that in the last frame. Does your opponent feed

:22:13. > :22:16.on little signs like that, that perhaps you are under it? They have

:22:17. > :22:20.to because there's been no mistakes, it's been that good. True. Any

:22:21. > :22:23.little sign of weakness you can cling on to you are going to take.

:22:24. > :22:27.They are both absolutely at each other. Ronnie O'Sullivan banged the

:22:28. > :22:30.table earlier when he failed to get position of the ball. Marco Fu

:22:31. > :22:34.nearly banged the table. That's qieflt of Ronnie banging the table.

:22:35. > :22:39.Almost unheard of from his perspective. His expression actually

:22:40. > :22:42.changed! He's deliberately cultivated that level. It's a poker

:22:43. > :22:48.face he's done, not to show weakness so when it does crack, it takes you

:22:49. > :22:56.aback. He's got a fabulous temperament. We have been extolling

:22:57. > :23:02.his virtues this week and his temperament is to keep smiling.

:23:03. > :23:07.Ronnie giving a bit of attention to the equipment there. There's Belle

:23:08. > :23:11.with mum Shirley, just flown in from Hong Kong. Looking for her dad.

:23:12. > :23:14.She's a real live wire that one. A couple of years ago at the UK

:23:15. > :23:19.Championship, she was one of the stars of the show. Cheeky little

:23:20. > :23:22.smile. She's a real sweetheart and her dad is doing fantastic things

:23:23. > :23:27.here as he tries to go for a first major title. Best of three, Belle

:23:28. > :23:33.Shirley everybody else on tenterhooks to see how this is going

:23:34. > :23:36.and the pressure really on now guys? Yes, it is, what a fantastic match

:23:37. > :23:40.and tournament we have been treated to. Probably I've said many a time

:23:41. > :23:45.worthy of a final. They met in the semi-final. Two great players.

:23:46. > :23:51.Remains to be seen whether Marco can keep the form up and can Ronnie - I

:23:52. > :23:55.think he's got oaf the new tip - Ronnie is in a good mental state

:23:56. > :24:00.now. What percentage of increase in level that we have seen over the

:24:01. > :24:04.last couple of days from the match has he played against Liang and

:24:05. > :24:08.Robertson now? It's chalk and cheese. I think he's really enjoying

:24:09. > :24:12.the challenge today. He's playing against somebody at the peak of his

:24:13. > :24:19.form and he wants to get into the final. It's ban wonderful match,

:24:20. > :24:30.plenty more to come. 4-4, best of three, here we go.

:24:31. > :24:35.Once again, good pace with the break-off shot.

:24:36. > :24:41.APPLAUSE. If he's got a slight angle on this

:24:42. > :24:46.red, he might just be tempted because he could drop on the black,

:24:47. > :25:04.the only thing he could possibly leave would be the red. It's now

:25:05. > :25:09.down to the best of three. Just decided against risking that.

:25:10. > :25:14.APPLAUSE. APPLAUSE.

:25:15. > :25:18.The crowd have been fabulous throughout this match. We don't need

:25:19. > :25:20.a single one shouting out at the wrong time, it spoils it for both

:25:21. > :25:28.the players. The red that's closest to the cue

:25:29. > :25:33.ball, he could come off that the left hand side a bit thin leave the

:25:34. > :25:35.cue ball up by the yellow pocket and hopefully bring the black into play

:25:36. > :26:24.as well. That was a risky one to Nestle and

:26:25. > :26:30.you are trusting that the table's going to run perfectly through. You

:26:31. > :26:38.can always get a little deviation from the cloth and he didn't judge

:26:39. > :26:41.it as he intended. It was the first negative shot that Marco Fu's played

:26:42. > :26:46.in a long time because it could have gone thin and brought the cue ball

:26:47. > :26:58.back to where it was but he obviously thought that was the one

:26:59. > :27:04.he played was the easy one to play. REFEREE: Can you stop moving,

:27:05. > :27:07.please... Someone on the front row was moving around having a drink,

:27:08. > :27:16.probably brought some water in with him.

:27:17. > :27:22.He can come off the bunch and it's not that difficult a shot to take

:27:23. > :27:24.the cue ball back up to where he was playing from.

:27:25. > :27:51.Not the way he's been playing so far this afternoon, that shot.

:27:52. > :27:59.This was the one where you can see him dropping the cue. He knew it was

:28:00. > :28:02.a great chance. Meanwhile, he knows that Ronnie hasn't finished on the

:28:03. > :28:11.red as nicely as he would have liked. It's all about a cannon here

:28:12. > :28:16.when he hits the black. Can he avoid that? He could. Left handed as well.

:28:17. > :28:26.APPLAUSE. To get that sort of action on the

:28:27. > :28:28.cue ball with your opposite hand to avoid cannoning the black was

:28:29. > :29:14.excellent. Since the interthat will, and we had

:29:15. > :29:27.the interval after three frames, he made breaks of 95, 122, 47, 55 and

:29:28. > :29:32.63 in the previous frame. 141 and 83 breaks for Marco Fu.

:29:33. > :29:55.APPLAUSE. Gone too far. A smile there, but six

:29:56. > :30:25.inches further than he intended. This was the one he misjudged

:30:26. > :30:52.slightly. He knew it would be too hard.

:30:53. > :31:01.I think he can see enough of the red, but the brown is quite a

:31:02. > :31:03.distraction. The red just nearest the blue, but very awkward cueing

:31:04. > :31:47.along the side of the brown there. Managed to cover that red. That's a

:31:48. > :32:20.tricky situation he was faced with there.

:32:21. > :32:36.There is Nick Peanut Baines. He is a keyboard player with the Kaizer

:32:37. > :32:39.Chiefs. He loves his snooker. Well, this red, to the right of the table,

:32:40. > :33:03.there is pressure on this. If that red keeps running, he's safe

:33:04. > :33:12.for relatively safe. He got away with that one. There is

:33:13. > :33:23.only one pottable red. That's the one that just between the pink and

:33:24. > :33:30.black. That's the only possible red he could pot, but he may cannon into

:33:31. > :33:33.other reds. So it's very difficult. Just the safety shot. I don't blame

:33:34. > :34:04.him. Well, we've had everything in this

:34:05. > :34:12.match only bouts of safety and now we're getting that! There has been a

:34:13. > :34:23.string of breaks. It is nice to see the tactical side of the game also.

:34:24. > :34:29.Oh. He got a good cue ball, but if he

:34:30. > :34:34.can get tight up behind the colour, he will gain a good advantage. We

:34:35. > :34:42.will show you this fluke to plant. He doesn't want to get too cute and

:34:43. > :34:48.try and get too close to the brown. Oh, that cue ball ran off. That ran

:34:49. > :34:52.off a mile. It only moved the space of just about over a foot. Watch

:34:53. > :35:09.this cue ball go to the right. That's shocking.

:35:10. > :35:20.Well, nothing Marco Fu could have done about that. Sometimes you get

:35:21. > :35:23.it along the baulk line. But instead of being snookered, if this green

:35:24. > :35:33.goes in, it could be the end of frame, but it's not easy.

:35:34. > :35:57.A fabulous pot. You see what he's leaving.

:35:58. > :36:06.What a difference that would have made, Dennis. It would have stuck

:36:07. > :36:11.Ronnie up tight behind that brown ball. It is just a little awkward

:36:12. > :36:26.here for the good positional shot. He can't make his mind up.

:36:27. > :36:32.Yes, sometimes you're faced with a shot and you know it's not just a

:36:33. > :36:42.matter of potting the ball and getting nicely on the next colour.

:36:43. > :36:54.He still can't decide which way to play it.

:36:55. > :37:02.And in the end he made it look very, very easy with a very, very delicate

:37:03. > :37:09.screw shot. Yes, a puff of the cheeks.

:37:10. > :37:17.Always glad to get that one out of the way, but very unfortunate for

:37:18. > :37:21.Marco Fu. OK, he was a long way behind, but had he of got the

:37:22. > :37:30.snooker which he normally would have done without the ball drifting, as

:37:31. > :37:36.we show you it again, and suddenly little things are just going in

:37:37. > :37:42.Ronnie's favour. I mean, he has played fantastic stuff. I think that

:37:43. > :37:48.turning point in the previous frame when Marco missed the one with the

:37:49. > :37:58.rest that would have given him a 5-3 lead if he had of pinched that

:37:59. > :38:03.frame. It is like the first time in the match, the enormity of the

:38:04. > :38:43.occasion got to him and he the opportunity to go 5-3 ahead.

:38:44. > :38:54.He won the previous frame with breaks of 55 and 63.

:38:55. > :38:57.This is following a similar pattern. He has had breaks of 46 and now

:38:58. > :40:00.there are. -- this. Oh, what a shot that was.

:40:01. > :40:02.You don't see that very often. You don't see that shot played very

:40:03. > :40:16.often. And the black is on its way. A break

:40:17. > :40:21.of 46. He followed that up with that break of 82. The Rocket really has

:40:22. > :40:23.lifted off and now he's just one frame away from the place in the

:40:24. > :40:33.final. It is 5-4. A lot hinged on that roll off from

:40:34. > :40:38.Marco earlier on. This was a bad one. He is very unlucky there. I

:40:39. > :40:42.agree with Dennis, sometimes you get them along the slate line, but there

:40:43. > :40:47.is no slate line there. You could see it going right. OK, it is a

:40:48. > :40:51.little bit hard anyway, but to pull off like that is unlucky. Some

:40:52. > :40:57.cracking stuff from Ronnie O'Sullivan again. 46 and 82 in that

:40:58. > :41:07.frame and there was a lovely green to the middle pocket that we were

:41:08. > :41:11.oing and ahing about. Ronnie O'Sullivan, you know, he does know

:41:12. > :41:15.how to take a frame by the scruff of the neck and the sign of a great

:41:16. > :41:19.champion, when needed, he seemed to have upped the pace in the whole

:41:20. > :41:23.tournament. OK, we talk about form and playing your first round match

:41:24. > :41:27.and winning it easily, it is about how you end up the tournament, not

:41:28. > :41:31.how you start off. Ronnie O'Sullivan with a brand-new tip on, regardless

:41:32. > :41:35.of how fantastic that is, all of a sudden he looks like a champion. Do

:41:36. > :41:39.you detect any signs of tentativeness in Marco at this

:41:40. > :41:43.point? Can that be attributed this situation to him, or is this all

:41:44. > :41:48.about Ronnie? If he loses the match, people will look at the rest. It is

:41:49. > :41:50.so important. In the grand scheme of things, there is not a lot wrong he

:41:51. > :41:55.has done. Certainly not in this match. He has played as good as he

:41:56. > :41:57.can do, but he has got a fully focussed Ronnie O'Sullivan who is

:41:58. > :42:02.enjoying the challenge today and that's what the problem is. It has

:42:03. > :42:05.been a challenge that's been even more magnified by the equipment

:42:06. > :42:10.failure with the cue earlier, but somehow he has come back, he

:42:11. > :42:13.produced his best stuff of the whole week since that technical fault if

:42:14. > :42:17.you like at the end of frame three. He is one away from booking a place

:42:18. > :42:31.in yet another Masters final. Both players have been breaking off

:42:32. > :42:36.very well. They're finding that baulk cushion and they keep leaving

:42:37. > :42:42.a half chance, but because the white is so close to the cushion, it makes

:42:43. > :42:46.it very, very difficult. This will be interesting to see if

:42:47. > :42:49.Ronnie is tempted by this red to left corner to drop in the black and

:42:50. > :42:57.you can see if he misses it. He would have to be leaving Marco Fu a

:42:58. > :43:01.chance. Well, he might be refusing it. It looks like he will leave the

:43:02. > :43:16.cue ball on this top cushion. Or is he taking the pot on?

:43:17. > :43:21.APPLAUSE What a fantastic pot, but that

:43:22. > :43:29.always looked like the natural angle for the cue ball to go. A tremendous

:43:30. > :43:31.pot. Yes, he also slid off the side of

:43:32. > :43:58.the pack and finished on the black. He might have left a red to the

:43:59. > :44:05.right middle pocket. I think he was playing to just land on that red.

:44:06. > :44:12.Yeah. He has left a possible pot. But no easy colour available if he

:44:13. > :44:17.takes that on. Yeah, it was quite clever really. It's going to take

:44:18. > :44:24.some shot for Marco to get on the black. That was always the danger.

:44:25. > :45:46.An element of safety as well. You can see where the cue ball is.

:45:47. > :46:03.That's a little bit on the thick side, but I think the pace of the

:46:04. > :46:16.table will still take him behind the yellow. He would have been trying to

:46:17. > :46:18.get the cue ball tight on the baulk cushion, but that will do very

:46:19. > :46:36.nicely. There is no easy route back to the

:46:37. > :47:03.safety zone from that position. APPLAUSE

:47:04. > :47:09.I think this Alexandra Palace crowd have taken to Marco Fu. I think the

:47:10. > :47:15.snooker he has produced this week has been scintillating especially

:47:16. > :47:21.against Judd Trump and when you knock the balls in and you play

:47:22. > :47:25.great snooker, you'll get the support of the crowd. Just look at

:47:26. > :47:33.that crowd. What an atmosphere these two players have had to play in this

:47:34. > :47:37.afternoon. 2,000 people in the Ally Pally. Noise when it's needed.

:47:38. > :48:12.Silence when the players are at the table.

:48:13. > :48:21.Where is the cue ball going? It's OK.

:48:22. > :48:26.APPLAUSE And have a look at the reds. That is

:48:27. > :48:48.what you call an attacking safety shot.

:48:49. > :48:57.Certainly no easy escape back down the table from that position.

:48:58. > :49:06.You would have to be very accurate, indeed.

:49:07. > :49:15.The white is tight on the cushion to the left of the black, he'd cover

:49:16. > :49:17.that red that's on for the right corner, but he thought of quite a

:49:18. > :49:33.few options. It is not often Ronnie thinks about

:49:34. > :50:01.a shot this length of time, but it is very understandable here.

:50:02. > :50:07.It was worth waiting on. I said he'd do well to find a path down the

:50:08. > :50:13.table. He found a pot and he found a way back down the table and he's on

:50:14. > :50:19.the brown to get back up to the reds. He spotted something on the

:50:20. > :50:27.cue ball, but that is the shot, probably of the tournament, from

:50:28. > :50:40.that position. To pot that and to fin the gap. -- find the gap.

:50:41. > :50:49.Dennis is talking about the whole tournament. It could have been so

:50:50. > :50:53.different in Wen had potted that black in the first round. This man

:50:54. > :51:01.at the table was within a black ball of being knocked out. Now, he looks

:51:02. > :51:12.odds on to be making tomorrow's final. And going for a record

:51:13. > :51:31.seventh Masters title to overtake Stephen's six Masters.

:51:32. > :51:43.Still at 97%. Someone in his line of sight there, "Come on, mate."

:51:44. > :51:52.He's doing the right thing. Thank you, that's enough. He's settling

:51:53. > :51:54.himself. He knows the importance of this visit. He really is fired up

:51:55. > :52:48.here. He has just asked someone to keep

:52:49. > :53:23.still. It must be a photographer. It has to be.

:53:24. > :53:31.Well, Marco Fu has just got to sit there and hope that something can go

:53:32. > :53:33.wrong here for Ronnie, but he looks very, very focussed does Ronnie

:53:34. > :54:33.O'Sullivan. It has been an absolutely fabulous

:54:34. > :54:45.semifinal match this between two players at the top of their form.

:54:46. > :54:50.Very few mistakes have been made. The odd error that was costly

:54:51. > :55:04.because of the way either player are playing. A little bit of misfortune

:55:05. > :55:14.misfortune with that ball rolling off.

:55:15. > :55:18.APPLAUSE I don't think I have ever seen

:55:19. > :55:25.Ronnie O'Sullivan as animated as he is today. It seems every shot has

:55:26. > :55:30.got a different facial expression. The will to win is ferocious to get

:55:31. > :55:56.into that final. Well, this is going to finish a

:55:57. > :55:58.little awkward. 51 in front. He is not many pots away from securing a

:55:59. > :56:07.place in the final. It's there. He is going to play it left-handed

:56:08. > :56:54.if he can reach it. Why not? And that is a lovely gesture from

:56:55. > :56:59.Marco Fu there. It has been a fabulous semifinal as I mentioned.

:57:00. > :57:07.We said Marco Fu had to play at the top of his game. He did that. He's

:57:08. > :57:13.still applauding. That's the type of character that Marco is, but they've

:57:14. > :57:16.treated this Alexandra Palace audience to some brilliant,

:57:17. > :57:25.brilliant snooker. It doesn't matter.

:57:26. > :57:29.That was lovely to see both players. It has been a fabulous semifinal. It

:57:30. > :57:35.would have been a great final. In the end Ronnie O'Sullivan was just

:57:36. > :57:36.brilliant and he goes on to beat Marco Fu which 6-4. He's in the

:57:37. > :57:47.final! This Ally Pally crowd is on its

:57:48. > :57:52.feet. That was truly awesome, gentlemen. Fabulous afternoon of

:57:53. > :57:55.snooker. Two players at their best. I feel sorry for Marco because

:57:56. > :58:02.nobody else but that man would have beaten him today. You see his face

:58:03. > :58:09.when he won there? He was euphoric. We saw the fist pump and we saw

:58:10. > :58:13.Marco applauding him. That's all you can do particularly in the final

:58:14. > :58:18.frame when he picked the red out and got on to the brown. You can only be

:58:19. > :58:22.admiring of that and we have seen Ronnie O'Sullivan on many occasions

:58:23. > :58:26.produce something special, but from the add verity of having to change

:58:27. > :58:30.his tip half-way through and being up against it against a player that

:58:31. > :58:33.was playing so well, that was one magnificent performance. He should

:58:34. > :58:39.be very proud of himself. Well, he is through into a 12th final.

:58:40. > :58:46.Ronnie, fantastic. May I say, that's how you break a tip in!

:58:47. > :58:50.Against all that adversity, how did you cope because at that point in

:58:51. > :58:54.the match you're down. Go through that for us? It's crazy. I was

:58:55. > :58:58.cueing really well and I just thought, I was on the practise table

:58:59. > :59:02.and I kept getting out of position and I thought this ain't me! If I

:59:03. > :59:10.had of been cueing bad. I've tried that. No, I knew it wasn't me. It

:59:11. > :59:14.wasn't me. I just said to my mate, we was steaming it. I had my cue tip

:59:15. > :59:18.over a kettle because that's meant to soften it up and it didn't have

:59:19. > :59:24.no effect. I just went out there and I just couldn't play any shots. I

:59:25. > :59:28.had no touch, no feel and I'm a touch and player and if I haven't

:59:29. > :59:33.got that, I might as well go home. I need something, so hi to put a new

:59:34. > :59:54.tip on and it was a decent tip. How do you play with a new tip? I'm not

:59:55. > :59:59.a bad player. The tip was split though. It was completely gone. It

:00:00. > :00:07.couldn't take no chalk. I miscued five or six times. It was chalking a

:00:08. > :00:16.bit of slate. I said to my friend, it is like a bit of slate. I was

:00:17. > :00:20.going to wait for the interval, but it was so gone and they said you can

:00:21. > :00:22.take the interval now. I was like sweet.

:00:23. > :00:24.slightly. He knew it would be too hard.

:00:25. > :00:29.How risky going for a new tip? No risk at all, I would never have won

:00:30. > :00:33.that. I knew that unless I raised a gear, I was going home, mate, he

:00:34. > :00:37.would have knocked me out. It was the only decision to make. OK, 95

:00:38. > :00:41.immediately when you came back into the arena then you throw in a 122,

:00:42. > :00:44.but there was a moment in frame 8 where he missed with the rest when

:00:45. > :00:49.he was up here and if he cleared that, you were on 55 weren't you.

:00:50. > :00:56.Yes. It was at that point we maybe saw a bit of frailty and that was a

:00:57. > :00:59.turning point? It's the Masters, 2,000 people, 50-odd behind, we are

:01:00. > :01:04.capable of missing anything. He's got no problem with bottle, he's a

:01:05. > :01:07.tournament winner, but anyone in the world in the history of the game

:01:08. > :01:12.could have missed that. They'll tell you that. It's not easy. If he had

:01:13. > :01:18.his hand on the table, I fancied clearing up. All of a sudden he

:01:19. > :01:22.played the roll up, it seemed to perhaps hit a finger mark. Strange

:01:23. > :01:25.situation? I don't know what happened there, I can't remember.

:01:26. > :01:29.Listen, I mean, at the end of the day, if you don't play well, the

:01:30. > :01:35.other guy can have luck. If you play well the other guy can have luck and

:01:36. > :01:38.gets bits of this, but if you play well you can overcome it. I had a

:01:39. > :01:46.lot of luck but he should have still beat me because I weren't very good.

:01:47. > :01:52.We were discussing the level you played at today, comparing it to

:01:53. > :01:55.your previous games. I said three years ago, I'm never taking another

:01:56. > :01:59.tip off and I stuck with this tip and it was a terrible tip. I stuck

:02:00. > :02:04.with it and stuck with it and I was like, you know what, it's coming

:02:05. > :02:08.off, but that's sometimes what you have to do, make an instinctive

:02:09. > :02:12.decision. Everyone around me was, what the hell are you doing and you

:02:13. > :02:19.have to live by the sword, die by the sword. You looked like you

:02:20. > :02:24.enjoyed that match? Probably one of the best I've won. I fancied the job

:02:25. > :02:28.even with a new tip. I thought if I can get a feel of it, I'm playing

:02:29. > :02:32.well enough to counteract that. If you are playing well, you can get

:02:33. > :02:39.away with a new tip. If you are playing bad, you get a new tip on

:02:40. > :02:45.and it's Overmars. You are into your 12th final. Only won six, not a very

:02:46. > :02:50.good strike rate. You could still take this record on your own. I

:02:51. > :02:55.wonder who you fancy tonight, Joe or Barry? I don't care, to me I've had

:02:56. > :02:58.a Saturday afternoon out, what else would I be doing on a Saturday

:02:59. > :03:01.afternoon, 2,000 people, unbelievable, lucky, luck you boy

:03:02. > :03:05.and I'm lucky I have all day tomorrow. A great week so far. Last

:03:06. > :03:09.year, I was really under pressure because I done my back in and I was

:03:10. > :03:15.doing interviews and you thought I was losing the plot, you lot.

:03:16. > :03:18.Nothing personal. I never thought I would play properly again because I

:03:19. > :03:23.done my back in so bad. This year I'm so relaxed because I think, I

:03:24. > :03:27.have perspective and Steve said, don't tell anyone you are playing

:03:28. > :03:32.better. I've come through a lot and I feel that everything's a bonus.

:03:33. > :03:36.I'm still twitching out there and I still want to win, don't get me

:03:37. > :03:41.wrong. We saw the fist pump, it meant a lot to you? It meant a lot

:03:42. > :03:44.to me. Marco is such a lovely guy but I just felt all the way through

:03:45. > :03:49.that match, I can win this but I know I've got to play well and I

:03:50. > :03:53.can't make many mistakes. I the new tip, a little shot was missable and

:03:54. > :03:58.I thought, it's up against me but I can do this. When I done it I was so

:03:59. > :04:02.relieved because I have another day to get used to the tip so I'll be

:04:03. > :04:07.quiet now. You don't have to be quiet. Another semi-final tonight.

:04:08. > :04:10.You will enjoy that. What an awesome performance. It's been an absolute

:04:11. > :04:15.pleasure. Thank you, thank you so much. We are back at serve tonne see

:04:16. > :04:18.which Englishman, the Hawk or the Gentleman, that Ronnie will be

:04:19. > :04:20.playing. Hope you can join us then, but what an afternoon. Thanks for

:04:21. > :04:41.your company. Bye for now. I bet he can rub his belly

:04:42. > :04:47.and pat his head.