:01:07. > :01:13.Good evening. Wales is a country that loves its sporting champion and
:01:14. > :01:19.for the past 20 years there has been no bigger name in Welsh snooker than
:01:20. > :01:25.Mark Williams. He was the last winner some 15 years ago and Welsh
:01:26. > :01:30.hopes rest on his shoulders again tonight. This evening he plays Marco
:01:31. > :01:34.Fu from Hong Kong in the quarterfinals on a busy day of
:01:35. > :01:39.fourth-round matches. 19-year-old Joe Walker put out the defending
:01:40. > :01:51.champion and number one seed Stephen Maguire by 4-3. I had a little bit
:01:52. > :01:56.of help from Stephen because he did not play particularly well. I played
:01:57. > :02:00.pretty solid. I missed a few balls under pressure and I am happy to get
:02:01. > :02:18.through. Mark Selby is safely through to the quarterfinals with a
:02:19. > :02:23.victory over Ali Carter. I am over the moon because he is one of the
:02:24. > :02:30.top-class players in the world so to get a 4-1 win over him, I am very
:02:31. > :02:35.happy. I could have played a bit more clinical. I started missing a
:02:36. > :02:39.few at the end, but he was not on his game today. Ronnie O'Sullivan
:02:40. > :02:47.blew away Ricky his game today. Ronnie O'Sullivan
:02:48. > :02:52.hour with a masterclass performance. It is the best I have felt or played
:02:53. > :02:58.in this tournament. I was cueing and I felt comfortable on the ball is
:02:59. > :03:03.and my accuracy was good and my safety was good. I felt really
:03:04. > :03:07.involved in the match. And three times Welsh open champion John
:03:08. > :03:11.Higgins won a classic contest against Judd Trump squeezing through
:03:12. > :03:19.in a final flat -- frame cliffhanger. Relief, because it was
:03:20. > :03:24.a topsy-turvy game. I was getting luck, he was getting loud, I was
:03:25. > :03:30.getting bad things happening and so was he. It must have been a good
:03:31. > :03:35.game to watch, put it that way. But I managed to catch the last to catch
:03:36. > :03:38.the last red and clear up. Six matches have been played already
:03:39. > :03:50.today, so the quarterfinal draw is taking shape.
:03:51. > :03:59.Joe Perry beat Stuart Bingham. John Higgins, the conqueror of Judd Trump
:04:00. > :04:07.against the reigning world champion, Ronnie O'Sullivan. But 1/4-final is
:04:08. > :04:11.still to be decided this evening. Our feature match is Mike Williams
:04:12. > :04:33.against Marco Fu. I am over the moon with that win,
:04:34. > :04:38.really. Playing the world number one, the best player in the world, I
:04:39. > :04:46.have not played him many times. To beat him in Wales is an excellent
:04:47. > :04:51.win for me. I like playing in Newport because it is home for me, I
:04:52. > :04:56.can travel back and forth. It is lovely when all your family and
:04:57. > :05:00.friends can watch it. Everybody wants a ticket. In Wales they are
:05:01. > :05:06.very stingy and they only give you four or five and you cannot get
:05:07. > :05:13.everybody in! It cannot get any harder when it is down to the last
:05:14. > :05:21.32. I can still play like that and hold myself together when I need to.
:05:22. > :05:24.Who knows what will happen? His opponent hails from Hong Kong, a
:05:25. > :05:30.former world amateur champion and the winner of two ranking titles,
:05:31. > :05:34.including last year's Australian open. He is currently nine places
:05:35. > :05:40.higher than Williams in the world rankings. I have been joined by
:05:41. > :05:45.Dominic Dale. Mark must be feeling so confident after beating Neal
:05:46. > :05:51.Robinson. Can he bring it into the match tonight? Definitely. There is
:05:52. > :05:56.nothing like coming out into a capacity audience and they will give
:05:57. > :06:02.him their full support. He must be full of confidence now. What role
:06:03. > :06:10.with the fantastic home crowd play here tonight? I will ask them. Will
:06:11. > :06:21.you give him your support? Yes! There is your answer. First, this
:06:22. > :06:26.man is seeded number 24 and is a former Asian tour winner. He is in
:06:27. > :06:29.absolutely superb form. He beat Shaun Murphy. Please welcome the
:06:30. > :06:51.Liang Wenbo. He is up against the number seven
:06:52. > :06:52.seed, the most improved player in the circuit, please welcome Barry
:06:53. > :07:16.Hawkins. Our next player is one of the most
:07:17. > :07:21.popular players on the circuit. He had a great season last year
:07:22. > :07:22.reaching the German Masters and the International Championships. From
:07:23. > :08:02.Hong Kong, please welcome Marco Fu. And he is up against an all-time
:08:03. > :08:07.legend in front of his home fans this evening. An absolutely packed
:08:08. > :08:11.audience for a man who has won 18 titles, including two world titles.
:08:12. > :08:48.Please welcome Mark Williams. It is wales' last man standing. Can
:08:49. > :08:52.he reach the quarterfinals in front of this partisan crowd this
:08:53. > :09:02.evening? In commentary, Willie Thorne and Darren Morgan.
:09:03. > :09:11.Thank you, we are in for a thrilling match tonight in this Welsh open.
:09:12. > :09:24.Both players are in fine form. Mark Williams had a fantastic win
:09:25. > :09:33.yesterday over Neil Robertson Robinson. Marco Fu has shown a lot
:09:34. > :09:38.of form this year so far. Amazingly enough they have played each other
:09:39. > :09:55.16 times and they are eight matches each.
:09:56. > :09:58.There was some great cheering from the crowd when Mark Williams walked
:09:59. > :10:49.on. He has got a couple of options. He
:10:50. > :10:54.can play into the cluster reds. He could move a couple here and stay on
:10:55. > :11:02.the red to the left corner and there might be some value in it. He did
:11:03. > :11:52.not quite get them thick enough. I think Mark thought he potted that
:11:53. > :11:56.the way he was off down the table. He will be glad he kissed the blue
:11:57. > :12:15.with the cue ball. It was not far away. What a buzz it must have been,
:12:16. > :12:22.the crowd erupted as he walked down. To his good friend's Tom Jones'
:12:23. > :12:27.music, Delilah. On many occasions we have heard Dominic Dale give us a
:12:28. > :12:35.rendition. Unfortunately, you do not sound quite as good! REFEREE: Can
:12:36. > :13:41.you turn your telephones down, please.
:13:42. > :13:49.That was a proverbial mile away. I don't think I have seen him miss one
:13:50. > :14:14.so far. It gives Mark Williams another chance.
:14:15. > :14:22.Well, I cannot believe he just missed that blue. Obviously there
:14:23. > :14:33.are going to be early nerves out there. I don't think Mark can quite
:14:34. > :14:41.believe it either. You missed it by a long way. Marco Fu has got the
:14:42. > :15:38.angle a few minutes ago Mark Williams had.
:15:39. > :15:56.Again it has not quite gone to plan. He has got the red to the left-hand
:15:57. > :16:05.corner. He is a bit thin on the black. So far, butterflies are
:16:06. > :16:49.grumbling. Another chance for Mark. This is a
:16:50. > :16:53.slow start this evening. Today there have been rumblings and grumblings
:16:54. > :16:55.and earlier I used the phrase sick as a parrot, so I am having a good
:16:56. > :17:21.day so far. At the minute Mark Williams is
:17:22. > :17:40.cueing very prudently. I am sure once this first frame is
:17:41. > :17:49.out the way, both players will settle down. He is having a look at
:17:50. > :17:59.a three ball plant. It is a bit of a risky one. He has not got away with
:18:00. > :18:38.it. That is a big risk. He had a massive pounds of that. It
:18:39. > :19:06.was huge. -- bounce. Well done. It is only for one point,
:19:07. > :19:46.though. He can get in behind the black if he
:19:47. > :19:51.hits this pink very thinly. A rise smile from Mark knowing that he has
:19:52. > :20:03.had four chances, but he is 21 in front.
:20:04. > :20:25.That was a good safety shot, well played.
:20:26. > :20:38.He has left the red ball to the corner. That was a clever shot by
:20:39. > :20:45.Mark Williams. It was a shot to nothing with a double. But he is OK.
:20:46. > :20:58.It has been a nervous start for Marco Fu. If he plays the red to the
:20:59. > :21:01.right of the pink, he has two make sure he does not Cameron the yellow
:21:02. > :21:23.on the way down. That is a nice fluke. It is tough to
:21:24. > :21:54.hit one of these and get them safe. He will do well to not leave Mark
:21:55. > :22:11.Williams a pot of this shot. Mark is going to get a few points
:22:12. > :23:11.off this. I thought he might let him play from
:23:12. > :23:19.there. He is hoping that when he eventually hits the rate he will
:23:20. > :23:31.push it to the corner pocket. He has got to hit it soon because he is 36
:23:32. > :23:45.points behind. Only 39 on. He is trying to come off the two cushions.
:23:46. > :24:29.He has hit the wrong red and he has left mark a nice easy starter.
:24:30. > :24:39.It is not over yet. He might play the pink in the Balkan pocket. It is
:24:40. > :24:46.frame ball as far as snooker required is concerned. He will not
:24:47. > :25:16.be playing position on a red. He is taking a lot of time over
:25:17. > :26:05.this. Well played. There was value in going for that.
:26:06. > :26:11.It could have gone in. This has been a bit of a scrappy affair this first
:26:12. > :27:00.frame. Both players have had quite a few chances.
:27:01. > :27:07.That puts the frame beyond any doubt at all. A very slow start for Mark
:27:08. > :27:27.Williams, but he will have been delighted to get the opening frame.
:27:28. > :27:34.He tried to bring the yellow into play, but he does not have to worry
:27:35. > :27:45.about anything now, because he has crossed
:27:46. > :27:55.One of the very few who play shots like this and he is very good at it.
:27:56. > :27:58.But it was not to beat this time. It was not a great first frame, but
:27:59. > :28:08.Mark Williams will be feeling the better of the two. This is the head
:28:09. > :28:17.to head between these players. They are very evenly matched.
:28:18. > :28:23.Interestingly, Williams has won both of their previous matches at the
:28:24. > :28:27.Welsh open. Marco Fu won their last match in the European tour last
:28:28. > :28:35.year. It is interesting when you look at their careers, that Mark, a
:28:36. > :28:42.world champion, and Marco Fu, a young player, he is ninth in
:28:43. > :28:52.it is amazing for me, I did not realise they had played 16 times
:28:53. > :28:58.before. Eight wins apiece, it does not give as a guide as to who might
:28:59. > :29:02.win this match. Mark will settle down and he would have felt the
:29:03. > :29:09.butterflies early on, but he will have settled down now having won the
:29:10. > :29:13.first frame. Pressure for a home player to play in front of his home
:29:14. > :29:26.crowd, but he will be delighted to be in front.
:29:27. > :29:43.That was probably the worst break off he has played.
:29:44. > :30:23.He has played a good safety shot but has potted the black. That good shot
:30:24. > :30:42.has now put him in all kinds of trouble. Mark Williams asked if he
:30:43. > :30:48.was sure it was a free ball. He can pop the one on the left hand side
:30:49. > :30:53.but he can't play it hard because it will kiss the black. He has got to
:30:54. > :31:04.take a chance here. At the pace he was playing it, I
:31:05. > :31:14.thought he was At the pace he was playing it, I
:31:15. > :31:21.leave the white in the jaws. I agree with you. He might even be tempted
:31:22. > :31:28.to have a go at this red and come the other side of the black. He
:31:29. > :31:37.might risk the Finn won one more time.
:31:38. > :31:47.He took your choice and what a choice it was. When you pot a ball
:31:48. > :31:52.like that, you deserve a good case. -- kiss. Mark Williams is in full
:31:53. > :32:13.flight. That cushion bounce did not make
:32:14. > :33:00.that much difference. He is starting to look very good. It
:33:01. > :33:09.is amazing the difference a day makes. A fantastic win yesterday
:33:10. > :33:14.over Neil Robertson. Neil Robertson had three frames pinched from him.
:33:15. > :33:26.It looked as if he was going through but somehow Mark Williams scraped
:33:27. > :33:28.over the line. That is all you need for your confidence. A couple of
:33:29. > :34:05.little things to go your way. He is one of the few players who has
:34:06. > :34:16.made over 300 competitive centuries. He is disappointed at the way it has
:34:17. > :34:57.come of the Cushing. -- cushion. That is a good shot.
:34:58. > :35:08.It is amazing. It seems the older you get, you throw a little loose
:35:09. > :35:23.one in. His long game is not what it was. He only needed two more raids
:35:24. > :35:28.and two colours. -- two more reds. If Marco Fu does get this right, he
:35:29. > :35:38.has an excellent chance of pinching this frame. It is his to win now.
:35:39. > :35:43.Everything is nicely in the open. This would be a blow for Mark
:35:44. > :35:47.Williams. He was a couple shots away from securing this frame. He was
:35:48. > :36:32.starting to look very good. Marco Fu is very proficient in what
:36:33. > :36:48.he does. He Marco Fu is very proficient in what
:36:49. > :36:53.action. He stays down. He probably has a longer cue action now than he
:36:54. > :37:00.has had for years. He has obviously been working on something. He stays
:37:01. > :37:15.down a long time after he has played his shot.
:37:16. > :37:24.He is only 16 points behind and this is the most difficult read to get
:37:25. > :37:48.onto. They next two reds should not be too much of a problem.
:37:49. > :37:55.Marco Fu is a charming gentleman. Married now with a child. He spends
:37:56. > :38:42.a lot of time in Hong Kong. This is the key shot. He is two
:38:43. > :38:57.points behind. He will probably play for the blue of this red to make it
:38:58. > :39:04.easier to get on the yellow. Mark Williams was perfectly in the ball
:39:05. > :39:11.and this was a bad miss. It is a bad shot because he knows they should be
:39:12. > :39:19.in the third frame now and he should be two up. Unless Marco Fu makes
:39:20. > :39:26.some kind of blunder, it is going to be all square. He has taken these
:39:27. > :40:14.very well. That is frame ball. It is very hard
:40:15. > :40:19.to sit in your chair when you realise you have made an elementary
:40:20. > :40:29.mistake. Sometimes you get away with it but this time, he did not. Mark
:40:30. > :40:37.Williams made a fabulous break of 52 and missed an easy read. Marco Fu
:40:38. > :40:41.clears to level the match. Let's have another look at this red in the
:40:42. > :40:50.middle. Mark must have changed his mind on the shop. I think he was in
:40:51. > :40:55.two minds whether to screw back for the black or stunt for the pink. He
:40:56. > :41:05.is under no pressure really. It was that easy. He never thought he was
:41:06. > :41:14.going to miss that especially after the way he conscripted the break. In
:41:15. > :41:22.the first frame he needed for chance to -- for chances to win it. It is
:41:23. > :41:28.hard now sitting in your chair and to get that out of your mind,
:41:29. > :41:40.missing such an easy ball, is difficult. He will have to forget
:41:41. > :41:45.about it quickly. It was a great 52 Breaky had to start off. He potted a
:41:46. > :41:50.great really long read. Breaky had to start off. He potted a
:41:51. > :41:53.hard work. The first 50 Breaky had to start off. He potted a
:41:54. > :42:02.is hard and the last 50 points is easy because there is more room to
:42:03. > :42:06.manoeuvre the white around. The balls were set perfectly. There was
:42:07. > :42:12.nothing difficult he had to do. Or the had to do was keep in position.
:42:13. > :42:18.-- all he had to do. Marco Fu took them well. Here we go, the third
:42:19. > :42:43.frame. Mark Williams has to but that miss behind him. -- put that miss.
:42:44. > :42:58.I am not sure how straight bases. -- straight this is.
:42:59. > :43:13.If he had potted it in the centre of the pocket, he would have been two
:43:14. > :43:24.inches away from the cushion. That was a well struck shot. Never easy.
:43:25. > :43:33.If he can construct something with this effort here, it will help him
:43:34. > :43:51.to forget that easy read in the last frame. -- easy read. He can just
:43:52. > :43:55.come off the cushion. He did not play that that jaw and he is a lot
:43:56. > :43:59.further away from this red than he would have liked. Look how straight
:44:00. > :44:26.his cueing is now. No problem. These three more loose reds but if
:44:27. > :44:38.he goes into the pack, it is not a good pack. He needs to stunt into
:44:39. > :44:44.them not screw. Mark has decided to play for the loose one. This is the
:44:45. > :45:05.second time he has refused to go into the pack.
:45:06. > :45:16.He might play a gentle cannon. He has missed the cannon. He is not
:45:17. > :45:51.cueing well at the moment. Good recovery. He can come off the
:45:52. > :45:56.LO to get into these reds. He has got three reds he can hit. That was
:45:57. > :46:40.a good pot. He has played for the blue but I
:46:41. > :46:59.think he will have to settle for the LO. -- yellow.
:47:00. > :47:07.He has put that easy miss in the last frame behind him. This has been
:47:08. > :47:12.good stuff from Mark Williams. It is good to see him playing well again.
:47:13. > :47:20.It is amazing what a bit good to see him playing well again.
:47:21. > :47:32.confidence does you. He did not want this to be straight. That it is dead
:47:33. > :47:46.straight. The six reds in open play, but nothing into the right-hand
:47:47. > :47:49.corner. That is where he wants the cue ball to finish. That is the only
:47:50. > :48:21.choice he's got. He looked at the plant but it
:48:22. > :48:33.obviously wasn't perfect. But it can be made. It is three or four inches
:48:34. > :48:43.to the right of the jaws. But that gap makes it possible. He could
:48:44. > :48:54.screw back for the blue or even the pink. A break of 52 in the previous
:48:55. > :49:11.frame was not enough. He is on 51 now. The shot he is looking at, what
:49:12. > :49:14.a big shot that is? He would be leaving everything on so it is back
:49:15. > :49:23.to the plant. I don't would he was confident. The one with the rest is
:49:24. > :49:32.the right shot. But he has put the rest away so it is either planned or
:49:33. > :49:47.the red to the right. -- plant. The plant has to be made.
:49:48. > :50:19.Luckily, he has put two reds relatively safe.
:50:20. > :50:34.This is a big shot for Marco Fu. He has played that dead weight. He is
:50:35. > :50:38.on this black bit thinner than he would have liked. But that was very
:50:39. > :50:49.well struck. He just rolled it in. A big difference from the first
:50:50. > :50:59.frame. A good clearance in the last frame for Marco Fu. He will want to
:51:00. > :51:13.keep this going. He did not hold back with that one either. If this
:51:14. > :51:20.land is nice, he does not show much expression but I think he thought he
:51:21. > :51:27.deserved a bit better from that. He tried to bring those two reds into
:51:28. > :51:40.play. The white kept rolling. He will have to play a safety shot now.
:51:41. > :52:28.He wants to keep the black in play because he is 43 points behind.
:52:29. > :52:41.I am not sure if Mark can get to the red to the left corner. He might be
:52:42. > :52:46.forced into going for the reds to the right corner. Again, big shot.
:52:47. > :52:55.Of two cushions for the black. It was close. He has not got away with
:52:56. > :53:04.it. These balls are sitting very nicely for Marco Fu. The only
:53:05. > :53:11.difficult ones are the two to the right of the pink.
:53:12. > :53:26.Just enough. You mentioned those two difficult reds but he could play the
:53:27. > :53:36.cannon of those two reds now. If he'd does kiss them nicely, he will
:53:37. > :53:45.be favourite for this frame as well. Is he going to play it or not? He
:53:46. > :53:48.has not played it so Mark has another hope that when he plays the
:53:49. > :53:53.cannon and a few shots time, he would get it right. -- in a two
:53:54. > :54:39.shots time. It is not perfect but it looks OK.
:54:40. > :54:54.He does not have to play for pink or black. He can play for the blue. He
:54:55. > :54:59.has miss hit that one. He is fortunate to get onto the blue to
:55:00. > :55:06.the top corner. This is unmissable. -- this is miserable.
:55:07. > :55:48.Again, unless Marco Fu makes a mistake, you would have to make him
:55:49. > :55:57.favourite now for this frame. What a blow this would be for Mark
:55:58. > :56:02.Williams. He had a 52 in the previous frame and lost it and had a
:56:03. > :56:08.51 in this frame and looks as if he's going to lose it. Marco Fu
:56:09. > :56:17.looks in total control. In practice, this would be a foregone conclusion.
:56:18. > :56:19.A little bit more pressure here. If I was a betting man and I'm not, my
:56:20. > :56:51.money would be on him clearing up. It's slightly overran but there is
:56:52. > :56:54.no problem. A bit of a shock for Mark Williams supporters because it
:56:55. > :57:15.looks as if he is going to-1 behind. The brown disappears. Perfect on the
:57:16. > :57:50.blue. Marco Fu does not need the black.
:57:51. > :58:01.Mark Williams is going to be so disappointed. Marco Fu now leads two
:58:02. > :58:06.frames to one. Marco Fu takes the advantage in this
:58:07. > :58:13.match. On table to wear Liang Wenbo is leading Barry Hawkins by two
:58:14. > :58:15.frames to one as well. The winner of both these matches will meet in the
:58:16. > :58:26.quarterfinals. The momentum of this match has
:58:27. > :58:32.changed. He could easily have been three frames up so he has some work
:58:33. > :58:35.to do now. It is vital for this tournament and for the home fans
:58:36. > :58:39.that a Welsh player stays in this competition as we approach the
:58:40. > :58:45.quarterfinal stage. We will show you the best of the action from this
:58:46. > :58:49.match at 11:20pm this evening. I hope you can join us then. From all
:58:50. > :58:53.of us here, have a good evening.