:00:33. > :00:41.Good evening and welcome to snooker extra, extended highlights of the
:00:42. > :00:44.2017 that Fred World Snooker Championship. It is still the first
:00:45. > :00:52.round and the night's matches in all China affair with Ding Junhui taking
:00:53. > :01:06.on Jan Wayne Long making his Crucible Debbie and Sheffield.
:01:07. > :01:13.Hadn't realised it is the first Chinese derby of the Crucible
:01:14. > :01:23.Theatre. Isn't that great to see two Chinese players competing at the
:01:24. > :01:29.Crucible? And making his debut. Looking forward to seeing this young
:01:30. > :01:37.player. That is a pretty good return safety
:01:38. > :01:57.shot. Ding may have been living in
:01:58. > :02:13.Sheffield for a decade, so at an adopted Yorkshireman.
:02:14. > :02:23.Interesting to see how deep Ding can go in this World Championship. Got
:02:24. > :02:26.to the final last year. Generally hasn't played his best snooker here
:02:27. > :02:54.at the Crucible. That needed very thin contact. Nice
:02:55. > :02:56.shot. Very nice shot. Look at the pace on the cue ball. First couple
:02:57. > :03:17.of shots on this table. Just played a couple of times these
:03:18. > :03:23.players. Zhou won't forget the last one, it was 5-0 in the China open
:03:24. > :03:30.this season. So he didn't get a much of a chance. And 6-1 was the
:03:31. > :03:36.previous defeat and that was back in 2012. He will be a much better
:03:37. > :03:37.player now. Takes a few years to serve your apprenticeship at this
:03:38. > :04:00.game. I suppose there are different
:04:01. > :04:09.pressures. Ding, is expected to win and he is under pressure against one
:04:10. > :04:14.of his fellow Chinese players. And Zhou, has looked up to Ding for many
:04:15. > :04:17.years, probably an idle of his, so there is pressure on him for many
:04:18. > :04:32.reasons. -- idle. That was a bad slip-up. Was he was
:04:33. > :04:35.-- what he was avoiding was the cannon shot. The first chance falls
:04:36. > :04:57.to Ding Junhui. Ran a little bit further than he
:04:58. > :05:05.intended. So now it's not straightforward. Pot the colour and
:05:06. > :05:11.get close to his next red. It looks like he might be going straight into
:05:12. > :05:14.the pink. And he did. And how is your luck? It looks like the red is
:05:15. > :05:25.going to be nicely over the middle pocket. Little rays of the hand by
:05:26. > :05:37.Ding to apologise, but I don't think he should apologise for that.
:05:38. > :05:45.He felt it was a bit fortunate. But important for Ding, as the strong
:05:46. > :05:47.favourite and the top player in this match to stamp his authority early
:05:48. > :06:01.in this match. Got to keep your less experienced
:06:02. > :06:16.opponent waiting as long as possible for his first frame.
:06:17. > :06:35.This is, without doubt, the main strength, the biggest strength in
:06:36. > :06:41.Ding Junhui's armoury. He is a ferocious scorer when he gets in
:06:42. > :06:45.among the pink and the black. Definitely, in my opinion, the top
:06:46. > :06:50.two or three break-builders in the game along with Sullivan, John
:06:51. > :06:56.Higgins, Ding Junhui. I think these three are the best there is in
:06:57. > :07:03.amongst the pink and black. I couldn't agree more. He has made 440
:07:04. > :07:12.centuries since turning confessional in 2003. 32 centuries last season.
:07:13. > :07:17.On 23 at the moment. Has made the magical maximum break on six
:07:18. > :07:27.occasions. He has done everything in the game. The one title that is
:07:28. > :07:33.missing is the Betfred World Championship. No one is going to
:07:34. > :07:50.hand that to you on a plate. He mentioned he got to the final
:07:51. > :07:57.lustre, Stephen. He had to qualify because he had dropped out of the
:07:58. > :08:02.top 16. He had to win three tough matches to get through to the
:08:03. > :08:08.Crucible. Then almost won the title. It is just Mark Selby who outplayed
:08:09. > :08:15.him in the final. But look at that shots. That is a beautiful shot he
:08:16. > :08:23.has played. Lots of screw on the right-hand side. Now look at the
:08:24. > :08:33.White. That was a little beauty. That was top drawer. He looks
:08:34. > :09:02.quickly into his stride. Relaxed, focused.
:09:03. > :09:07.Incredible to think, somebody as good as theirs had to qualify last
:09:08. > :09:23.year for the Crucible. Not long before that he had 15 ranking
:09:24. > :09:30.tournaments in one season. -- had five ranking tournaments. Just
:09:31. > :09:37.playing a little bit clumsy. Lost the cue ball, overscrewed it by a
:09:38. > :09:46.good foot and a half, really. Don't expect him to miss this. He made it
:09:47. > :09:52.missable. Went in-off the high jaw, which a few of them are doing so far
:09:53. > :09:56.in this championship. Any more pace in that, you think he would have
:09:57. > :10:02.missed it. But he is out of position again on the black. Might just be
:10:03. > :10:03.able to catch the left red of those three, if you get into the cue ball
:10:04. > :10:17.enough. All caused by the careless
:10:18. > :10:21.positional shot when he was perfect on the black, a couple of shots
:10:22. > :10:28.previously. He will be disappointed he didn't clinch the frame. With
:10:29. > :10:33.that visit, it is always nice if you win the opening frame and you win it
:10:34. > :10:41.in style. But he is the strong favourite for this opening frame.
:10:42. > :10:51.Zhou Yuelong can still win at the moment. I was with Terry Griffiths,
:10:52. > :10:53.commentating last night and they were saying Zhou wasn't well. I am
:10:54. > :11:30.not sure what the problem was. What a cracker! Well, they don't
:11:31. > :11:34.come any better than that. So that one shot has given him a glimmer of
:11:35. > :11:39.hope of getting right back into the opening frame. Let's have a look at
:11:40. > :11:43.the angle he has on the black. The little triangle of red scum if he
:11:44. > :11:49.wishes to come he can play with a touch of side and cannon into those
:11:50. > :11:54.three. There is another loose red and he could play for the one near
:11:55. > :12:00.the cushion, if he wanted. And that is what he has decided to do. But he
:12:01. > :12:04.could have done with being of the cushion a little bit more so he
:12:05. > :12:08.could just drop the red in and finish nicely on the black. Might
:12:09. > :12:11.Avenue to play it with a bit place now and it when you hit them with
:12:12. > :12:23.more pace, you can wobble them in the jaws. Not straightforward.
:12:24. > :12:30.Nicely played though. And I think he has got the angle to just cancel the
:12:31. > :12:33.one that Ding tried to hit. If he flicks of the left red in the little
:12:34. > :12:45.triangle, he will open everything up. And how many times do we see
:12:46. > :12:57.that? Put everything into the cannon and take your eye off the pot and
:12:58. > :13:03.the chance has slipped away. I think that will be the clue as to how Zhou
:13:04. > :13:18.will get on in this match against Ding Junhui.
:13:19. > :13:26.I think for all the qualifiers, if they can go through the match and
:13:27. > :13:34.not miss anything easy, it is amazing how close they can get to
:13:35. > :13:38.winning the match. Gary Wilson did that against Ronnie O'Sullivan. He
:13:39. > :13:47.played extremely well and didn't miss many easy balls. Gave Ronnie a
:13:48. > :13:58.little bit of a fright. 10-7 eventually Ronnie won that match.
:13:59. > :14:06.It is just from a psychological point of view, if Zhou Yuelong had
:14:07. > :14:10.gone on and nicked this frame from Ding, what a start it would have
:14:11. > :14:21.been. He did have the chance, it was just the black of the spot he
:14:22. > :14:23.missed, that cost him. Of course, we mustn't forget, it is his first time
:14:24. > :15:10.at the Crucible. That is a pretty good start for Ding
:15:11. > :15:13.Junhui. He had a break of 60, followed up with a break of 57. He
:15:14. > :15:30.leads 1-0. You can't keep a good Scot down, can
:15:31. > :15:59.you Stephen? It was a poor break of from Zhou.
:16:00. > :16:09.Ding wasn't planning on cannoning the black. This is unusual. When the
:16:10. > :16:14.break of shot was played it must have nudged the pink away from the
:16:15. > :16:18.pack slightly. When the referee said the balls up, the pink doesn't pot
:16:19. > :16:36.past the pack. That tells you it was just lodged
:16:37. > :16:40.away from the pack. Leo did check with his little marker and there was
:16:41. > :16:48.just enough room for the pink to go on its spot. Ding Junhui would have
:16:49. > :17:24.loved the pink to have gone on to the black spot.
:17:25. > :17:31.He is going to have to take the brown if he wants to keep the break
:17:32. > :17:35.going, or possibly the green. He is the wrong side of the blue now. Is
:17:36. > :17:43.he going to try and power it round the angles? Let's see the top spin.
:17:44. > :17:52.Surprised he didn't even look at the brown to pot. Get into the bunch.
:17:53. > :17:57.You can tell he didn't hit that properly. You can see the cue ball
:17:58. > :18:07.accelerator with the top spin after it makes contact with the blue. A
:18:08. > :18:11.smile from Ding. Don't expect to see many long safety battles in this
:18:12. > :18:13.match. Both players want to get in and make big breaks. Both very
:18:14. > :18:45.aggressive players. Be interesting to see how aggressive
:18:46. > :18:52.Ding wants to be with the safety shot. He can come to the left side
:18:53. > :18:54.of the pack and open the reds. But he doesn't want to disturb anything.
:18:55. > :19:44.That is very poor. Needs to find a gap with the cue
:19:45. > :19:46.ball. Well done. The long potting seems to be on form this morning
:19:47. > :20:01.from Ding Junhui. He won't be happy with that, but he
:20:02. > :21:04.will be pleased with the result. Missed the bunch completely.
:21:05. > :21:14.He played for the cue ball to be on the baulk cushion. Some are behind
:21:15. > :21:24.the green, but not where it has ended up. Zhou has to be careful
:21:25. > :21:29.here. He would like to land on the one that is near the corner pocket,
:21:30. > :21:34.but there is no way through to that. So this has got to be very precise.
:21:35. > :21:43.He has left the one to the middle pocket. He had to reach the red.
:21:44. > :21:49.Because if he hits it with any pace and slides past it, he leaves one of
:21:50. > :21:57.the left corner. Now he has left an even easier chance. But not a good
:21:58. > :22:55.chance with the pink tied up and the black of its spot.
:22:56. > :23:08.End of break. Wasn't the easiest positional shot to play. No attempt
:23:09. > :24:26.at the pot. Zhou, just pointing out he could see
:24:27. > :24:27.enough of the cushion. He is trying to hit this from behind slightly and
:24:28. > :24:45.just nestle on it. I would be clipping of the one next
:24:46. > :24:46.to the black, bringing the black into play, rather than going off the
:24:47. > :25:02.other edge. I suppose the fact he has a 35 point
:25:03. > :25:08.advantage, maybe he doesn't want to particularly bring the black into
:25:09. > :25:13.play. But he had a shot just the glance of that I get behind the
:25:14. > :25:19.yellow and brown and free the black. But, as I said, 35 point advantage
:25:20. > :25:30.is probably why he didn't do that. Same shot again, Zhou Yuelong. It's
:25:31. > :26:22.not going to reach, is it? Don't think he can see enough to
:26:23. > :26:43.take this pot to the middle. He will be just glancing of it.
:26:44. > :27:38.And you can't pot them, if you can't see them.
:27:39. > :27:42.This is a little test of your eyesight and cue action to miss the
:27:43. > :28:00.pink and flick the red. Needs the blue to come to his rescue
:28:01. > :28:12.here. I think it may have. On the way through to the one that's
:28:13. > :28:20.closest to the pocket. There is a little bit of risk with this one.
:28:21. > :28:34.Played it perfectly. Not only a good pot, as he could see, but look at
:28:35. > :28:45.the cannon. Judged it to perfection. That is a frame win, if ever you
:28:46. > :28:49.have seen one, Stephen? Yes, four out of four long pots now. His long
:28:50. > :28:59.game has looked very sharp this morning. As you said, judged the
:29:00. > :30:46.cannon beautifully. Clever little cannon. He has got all the shots.
:30:47. > :31:23.Yes, very promising start from Ding Junhui here.
:31:24. > :31:27.Doesn't matter about... He looks a bit disappointed but it doesn't
:31:28. > :31:37.matter about missing the cannon there. The frame is well and truly
:31:38. > :31:42.over. Tried a trick shot there. But as I say, it doesn't really matter.
:31:43. > :31:43.That was a fine break of 54 and it's all gritty comfortable at the moment
:31:44. > :32:47.for Ding Junhui. That is 2-0. It's a bit annoying for a player
:32:48. > :32:54.when you play for the baulk colour and you hit the yellow, green or
:32:55. > :32:58.brown. I remember the Australian Eddie Charlton used to mumble away
:32:59. > :33:12.to himself on his way back to his seat when he did that.
:33:13. > :33:21.It now means, with the green situated as it is, it's a good
:33:22. > :33:26.target, the yellow, green and brown in that little triangular shape up
:33:27. > :33:29.there, to try and get in behind. Let's see if Zhou Yuelong can get
:33:30. > :33:49.the cue ball somewhere near there. Not quite, but the black not
:33:50. > :33:54.available. Ding Junhui just coming around the table, so that red for
:33:55. > :33:57.the right corner pocket, if the pink isn't available, he needs a bit of
:33:58. > :34:02.an angle to get back up the table, and he has got a slight angle, so he
:34:03. > :34:10.can get back up towards the blue. He looks very sharp this morning. When
:34:11. > :34:20.you start knocking that type of shot in, you know you're cueing well. I
:34:21. > :34:26.think in the modern game, that's the key, who gets in first with the long
:34:27. > :34:28.potting, there is such very good long potters. All the top 64 players
:34:29. > :34:50.are all terrific long potters. All a bit congested there, the way
:34:51. > :34:57.the reds are. They looked open, but they are all covering each other.
:34:58. > :35:01.You see there's just the one, and there's a possible plant. He can't
:35:02. > :35:08.see the plant at this stage, but there are two lining up towards the
:35:09. > :35:15.pocket. So it is this one past the blue into the corner.
:35:16. > :35:30.Yeah, kept his head perfectly still there. And now a chance to do
:35:31. > :35:35.something about those reds that are all blocking each other. He's had a
:35:36. > :35:39.little survey around the table. He has got an angle on the blue to play
:35:40. > :35:49.some sort of cannon to develop things. There might be one
:35:50. > :35:51.available. Yeah, the one that is nearest the pocket. That's a pretty
:35:52. > :35:55.good choice, because when he removes this, he's clearing a path for the
:35:56. > :36:07.black into that pocket. But you can see the reds there, all
:36:08. > :36:16.covering each other into this left corner pocket. You see, they are all
:36:17. > :36:20.blocking each other. And it's similar to the other corner pocket,
:36:21. > :36:24.believe it or not. That is why he could do with some sort of cannon,
:36:25. > :36:29.but he is the wrong side of the blue to do that. He might have enough
:36:30. > :36:35.angle to power the blue in and go between the green and yellow, and
:36:36. > :36:42.hopefully get to the reds. You seek he's the wrong side of the blue
:36:43. > :36:46.line. Now let's see if he can create enough... Well, he's hit the green.
:36:47. > :37:15.So that is end of break. But when he does break down, he
:37:16. > :37:24.keeps leaving the white near the baulk cushion. Stephen mentioned
:37:25. > :37:27.earlier, Zhou Yuelong needs an easy chance in amongst the Bulls, but
:37:28. > :37:43.he's not getting a look in at the moment. And this looks pretty good.
:37:44. > :37:59.Almost got the snooker. The two reds on the left side of the table... In
:38:00. > :38:07.fact, no easy safety. So Ding was looking at the possibility of taking
:38:08. > :38:11.the pot on here, see if he could get on the black. Well, he's knocked a
:38:12. > :38:26.view cracking long pots in, will this be another? Oh! Has it gone a
:38:27. > :38:32.fraction too far? It's very tight. He might have to play with a trace
:38:33. > :38:40.of side. Just to swerve it slightly around the red, yeah. Now, this is a
:38:41. > :38:46.little risky, because to judge it when you're playing it with side,
:38:47. > :38:53.just to bend it around the red slightly... He played it well. He
:38:54. > :39:03.really did. Looked so easy, but so difficult to execute. Yeah, and if
:39:04. > :39:10.he had missed it, he was leaving his opponent with an easy opportunity.
:39:11. > :39:20.But seven out of seven so far long potting, that is some standard from
:39:21. > :39:24.Ding Junhui so far. Nothing puts your opponent's safety play... Oh!
:39:25. > :39:31.He has played a very careless one there, though. He will be with that
:39:32. > :39:34.shot. I was going to say, nothing puts your opponent's safety play
:39:35. > :39:36.under more than if you are knocking in long ones all of the time. This
:39:37. > :41:03.was a shocker. Turning into one of those awkward
:41:04. > :41:09.frames now, with three reds up the other end of the table. There might
:41:10. > :41:20.be a a few more before we finished here joining them. Could finish up
:41:21. > :41:34.with all these reds of the other end of the table!
:41:35. > :41:38.That is five reds up there now and there might be another one heading
:41:39. > :41:44.up in that direction after the next shot will stop does this red go in
:41:45. > :42:00.the middle pocket? It might, and he would be on the black. It's good,
:42:01. > :42:05.it's good... It's in! Good cueing, and it's the first chance he's
:42:06. > :42:14.really had. He has been kept off the table. It is a bit of an awkward
:42:15. > :43:06.table, but at least he is in the balls.
:43:07. > :43:16.It's worked out reasonably well. The only problem is, he's going to head
:43:17. > :43:27.up towards the yellow and brown now. Oh! Zhou Yuelong... As Stephen
:43:28. > :43:31.mentioned at the start of this match, as long as you don't miss any
:43:32. > :43:35.easy balls you give yourself a chance. And he's missed a sitter,
:43:36. > :43:48.there. You just can't afford to do that.
:43:49. > :43:55.He has hit this too thin, with the consequence that the white has
:43:56. > :44:01.travelled a lot further than he intended. That was pretty poor from
:44:02. > :44:53.Ding Junhui, there. Well, he's taking this one onto the
:44:54. > :45:11.right middle. Bold shot. Very bold shot.
:45:12. > :45:19.Yeah, he just needs to make 40 or 50, Zhou Yuelong. Just to really
:45:20. > :45:31.settle into this match. Try and get a frame on the board. Going to go
:45:32. > :45:38.too far for the pink to the left middle. He is seven out of seven for
:45:39. > :45:40.long pots so far, so if he is not on the pink, he might fancy the yellow,
:45:41. > :45:52.possibly even black. He can play the yellow just plain
:45:53. > :46:01.ball for the red that is next to the brown to the same pocket. That's
:46:02. > :46:24.very good. As long as he is not being put under
:46:25. > :46:29.any pressure from his opponent, those long pots are going to be
:46:30. > :47:21.three comfortable for Ding Junhui. -- to be very comfortable.
:47:22. > :47:35.And that's another cracking long red. 100% pot success rate. That's
:47:36. > :48:07.just the long pots. It's all looking very comfortable
:48:08. > :48:13.for Ding Junhui this morning so far. First to 10 goes through to the last
:48:14. > :48:24.16. He is 46 ahead but he's not on a red.
:48:25. > :48:33.Just a safety shot, but barring a snooker, Ding Junhui is going into a
:48:34. > :48:58.three frames to nil lead. Yeah, he needed to pop that and get
:48:59. > :49:54.up onto pink or black, there. Still think about for the young man.
:49:55. > :50:04.Although the frame is over, that was a lovely little shop to bring the
:50:05. > :50:09.blue into play, there. Doesn't matter about missing the green, he
:50:10. > :50:15.probably lost a bit of concentration because he knew the frame was over,
:50:16. > :50:48.great start for Ding Junhui. He now leads three frames to nil.
:50:49. > :50:53.Now, this would restore the young man's confidence, if he could not a
:50:54. > :51:09.long read in and then get on the black here. No, he just cued across
:51:10. > :51:14.it slightly. It's such a precise game and when you're under a little
:51:15. > :51:20.bit of pressure or a lot of pressure, the margins are very, very
:51:21. > :51:26.fine. Yeah, you could see that wasn't a smooth delivery of the cue
:51:27. > :51:33.at all. Each frame that goes by without him winning it, the pressure
:51:34. > :51:37.just gets more and more. Meanwhile, Ding Junhui is having a lovely time.
:51:38. > :51:48.He's very relaxed and under no pressure whatsoever.
:51:49. > :51:54.And he played that beautifully. Didn't screw into the pack, stunned
:51:55. > :52:05.into the back, and look what he's done with the reds. Open them up
:52:06. > :52:10.beautifully. Yeah, I suppose the only thing that has been lacking
:52:11. > :52:16.this morning from Ding is winning a frame in one scoring visit, a
:52:17. > :52:24.century break or even just a 70 and 80. He's had a couple of 50s and a
:52:25. > :52:31.60 break, but none of them won the frame in that scoring visit. Good
:52:32. > :53:02.chance here, the reds are very well placed.
:53:03. > :53:13.He's got a choice of reds to play for, one to the left corner, one to
:53:14. > :53:49.the left middle. It's going to be the one to the left middle.
:53:50. > :53:59.Well, the way the reds are set now, how confident Ding is feeling, I
:54:00. > :54:03.would be shocked if he didn't make a century break here. I think it could
:54:04. > :54:15.only be a lapse in concentration that would stop it. ?10,000 for the
:54:16. > :54:25.highest break in this year's Betfred World Championship, but just 5000 on
:54:26. > :54:30.offer for a maximum. Pathetic. I think I mentioned yesterday, back in
:54:31. > :54:33.the 90s you made a maximum here and you got a motorcar worth an hundred
:54:34. > :54:40.and ?80,000 and you're still driving it, Stephen. It just astounds me
:54:41. > :54:43.that there is not a major prize for a maximum. It's the most exciting
:54:44. > :54:50.thing that can happen on a snooker table. How can the maximum prize be
:54:51. > :55:05.less than the high break prize? You tell them, Stephen.
:55:06. > :55:14.I might not commentate now for a wee while, Dennis, I'm just trying to
:55:15. > :55:43.get over that, that stat that you just told me.
:55:44. > :55:50.Another little clever break-building shop, there. It looks simple enough
:55:51. > :55:57.but it's just... He just plays them at the right pace. Most snooker
:55:58. > :56:01.players, professional snooker players, know that shot, but
:56:02. > :56:04.sometimes they just hit it too hard. Every shot he has played precisely
:56:05. > :56:40.when he's in amongst the balls. Just about. It looked like he was
:56:41. > :56:48.going to nestle on the red, but he's fine. Well, as I said, the
:56:49. > :56:53.mid-session interval coming up after this frame, and I think Zhou Yuelong
:56:54. > :56:58.will have to head to the practice table, because he hasn't had much of
:56:59. > :57:03.a chance. He's just missed one or two, in fact I can only think of one
:57:04. > :57:10.easy shot that he missed. He hasn't had much to go out because Ding
:57:11. > :57:23.Junhui looks very comfortable out there. Having to work a little bit
:57:24. > :57:27.now to try and make that century break. If the pink goes in, he will
:57:28. > :57:57.make it. We've had 12 centuries so far, and
:57:58. > :58:02.into day three. I think Ronnie has got the highest with a break of 124.
:58:03. > :58:07.This will be superseded if he can clear them up. Yeah, I think the
:58:08. > :58:12.record will be broken this year, the number of centuries at the Crucible.
:58:13. > :58:19.From what I've seen so far, the pocket are not playing too
:58:20. > :58:26.difficult. -- the pockets. Coupled together with the players in such
:58:27. > :58:35.fantastic form. As we see the century go in from Ding Junhui.
:58:36. > :58:40.Inevitable. Yeah, 441 in his illustrious career, and his 24th
:58:41. > :58:44.this season. A nice way to head to the mid-session interval. Enjoy your
:58:45. > :59:51.little cup of tea. What a fabulous break from the
:59:52. > :59:55.Chinese sensation, Ding Junhui. You can't play it much better than that.
:59:56. > :59:59.He finished the session with a century break and goes into the
:00:00. > :00:20.mid-session interval leading 4-0. Ding Junhui, gets the first frame
:00:21. > :00:26.after the interval under way. Sometimes the interval can change
:00:27. > :00:32.things around. Certainly, Zhou Yuelong, will be hoping that is the
:00:33. > :00:43.case. He needs to drop onto a ball colour. Overcut it. -- ball colour.
:00:44. > :00:48.Keep saying, you never really settle until you get the first frame on the
:00:49. > :00:52.board. It wasn't an easy shot, but they practice that type of shot, if
:00:53. > :00:57.you are ever walking through the practice rooms, you see the players
:00:58. > :01:03.setting that. They obviously don't set up them thin safety shots.
:01:04. > :01:26.Smiling away, Ding Junhui. Similar type shots, from the other
:01:27. > :01:32.side of the table. That is better. He could do with knocking a few in
:01:33. > :01:34.here, as we show you that very good long pot, right in the centre of the
:01:35. > :01:55.pocket this time. This is what he has been looking
:01:56. > :02:08.for, get in first in the frame. Maybe the red is available. Just
:02:09. > :02:09.needs to concentrate 100%. I know it is easier said than done when you
:02:10. > :02:31.are under pressure. Hasn't gone far enough. He wanted
:02:32. > :02:46.the red to the left middle. Not a lot to do with the cue ball.
:02:47. > :02:56.He could play this aggressively. He could play the red to the left, a
:02:57. > :03:09.little cannon on back. Very well played. This was an excellent shot.
:03:10. > :03:16.Just got to make sure you hit this hard enough because sometimes the
:03:17. > :03:21.cue ball can stick on the red. Already, his highest break in the
:03:22. > :03:26.match, up to this point. The two reds to the right of the bunch will
:03:27. > :03:28.bow pot right middle. But he has a nice angle to go into the bunch
:03:29. > :04:00.here. -- both pot. This has been more tricky than
:04:01. > :04:10.perhaps it looks on the screen. The pot and the positional side of it.
:04:11. > :04:14.Yes, just a bit unlucky. Even more unluckily, the red he has played,
:04:15. > :04:24.has come back and ideally for Ding Junhui.
:04:25. > :04:33.Always the case. Hold on a minute. I was going to say it is always the
:04:34. > :04:39.case when you are struggling and you miss a potting macro, you always
:04:40. > :04:44.leave something on. But couldn't see this coming, missing that red. So he
:04:45. > :04:50.is back at the table a lot sooner than he anticipated. One good cannon
:04:51. > :04:57.and he could keep Ding Junhui sitting in his seat for a while.
:04:58. > :05:07.Nicely played. Nicely on the one to the right corner. Freed want to the
:05:08. > :05:15.left corner. About five reds available. He's not the tallest
:05:16. > :05:22.player in the world is Zhou Yuelong. He has to get the spider out to
:05:23. > :05:33.bridge over that. This is where it is nice to be just over six feet
:05:34. > :05:50.tall for a shot like this. I like his shoes. I really do. Very smart.
:05:51. > :06:01.And that was the Swan, that spider. Someone wrote in and said it wasn't
:06:02. > :06:10.a swan neck spider. But trust me it is a swan necked spider. There are
:06:11. > :06:15.three types of spiders under the table. That is the swan neck. Then
:06:16. > :06:48.there is the normal spider, and an extended spider.
:06:49. > :06:57.We said the mid-session interval can change things around, so many times
:06:58. > :07:01.but we never expected Ding to miss that sitter. But it does look as
:07:02. > :07:07.though it has changed things? Yes, it can take away some of the
:07:08. > :07:18.intensity you had, your focus and concentration.
:07:19. > :07:31.Read on the left-hand side of the bunch will pot to the right middle
:07:32. > :07:41.or the left corner. Couple more reds still needed.
:07:42. > :07:55.Very nicely played. You can either just screw to the red to the right
:07:56. > :08:05.corner or screw in behind it. Which is what he played.
:08:06. > :08:12.Just finished a little awkward for the corner of the Middle pocket. He
:08:13. > :08:21.only needs this red to leave Ding Junhui needing a snooker.
:08:22. > :08:29.I think he is looking, if he rolled it, you will be close to be in. That
:08:30. > :08:38.is where he was raising the butt of the cue to dig down slightly on it.
:08:39. > :08:45.Doesn't matter about being perfect on the black. He put all his
:08:46. > :08:53.concentration into making sure he knocked the red in. Just checking
:08:54. > :08:57.the scoreboard to make sure. He can put the Green said. Wouldn't have
:08:58. > :09:09.been a bad idea to knock the black said. Not the best shot in the
:09:10. > :09:13.world, but barring a snooker, you have to say Zhou Yuelong has his
:09:14. > :10:08.first frame on the board. Now maybe he can just settle down.
:10:09. > :10:18.He will be feeling so much better. He can take a deep breath. Now
:10:19. > :10:27.hopefully, he can relax and get into this match. Ding Junhui concedes. So
:10:28. > :10:33.Zhou Yuelong gets his first frame on the board. He still trails Ding
:10:34. > :10:54.Junhui 4-1. On the other side of the coin, Ding
:10:55. > :10:58.Junhui will be looking for, 4-0, he would be looking for 81-macro as a
:10:59. > :11:08.result of this session. Maybe 72 now. You always trying to kill off
:11:09. > :11:37.your opponent in the first session of these long matches.
:11:38. > :11:46.It all depends if this red is straight enough to go into the
:11:47. > :11:55.black. If there is too much angle there isn't a path to get the cue
:11:56. > :12:00.ball round. Suppose you could always screwed the cue ball directly over
:12:01. > :12:09.to play the black to the right corner. That will take some chewing.
:12:10. > :12:20.-- cueing. That is what he tried. Great pot,
:12:21. > :12:25.just didn't get into the cue ball enough. Can still take the black on
:12:26. > :12:53.though. Fantastic pot. Has got him seven points, but it is
:12:54. > :12:59.very tight as to whether he can pass the pink to get the red from this
:13:00. > :13:05.left corner. If he can, it was a terrific shot. Maybe he can just
:13:06. > :13:11.pass the pink. Which makes the last shots better than we thought.
:13:12. > :13:24.No. He could see enough from it, but the pink was a destruction. He has
:13:25. > :13:26.put Ding right in. As we show you it again. He could see enough of it,
:13:27. > :15:18.but misjudged it. Again, another clever little cannon.
:15:19. > :15:22.The black doesn't go to the left corner now. Looks like he may just
:15:23. > :15:57.be able to follow through and play for the black to the right corner.
:15:58. > :16:05.He is already thinking a few shots ahead. Spotted the red in the middle
:16:06. > :16:10.of that little bunch that may be available into the left corner. You
:16:11. > :16:15.can see it there, right in the middle of that bunch. He's got a
:16:16. > :16:29.good angle on the pink or the black. The one available to the right
:16:30. > :16:49.corner. The pink spot is occupied. That was helpful for Ding Junhui,
:16:50. > :16:58.the fact that the pink couldn't spot.
:16:59. > :17:05.Just need to concentrate a little bit harder. Bit of noise from the
:17:06. > :17:15.other side as they reach their mid-session interval.
:17:16. > :17:28.Just a tricky little positional shot to negotiate.
:17:29. > :17:36.And that flick on the blue, I was about to say it didn't help, but he
:17:37. > :18:00.has finished with an angle on the pink to get back up to the reds.
:18:01. > :18:06.Just slightly over Iran again. So he is having to work quite hard for
:18:07. > :18:20.this break. And a key shock coming up as to
:18:21. > :18:25.whether he should win the frame with this visit. All about the positional
:18:26. > :18:42.side of this next shot. He's got one to the left middle. He
:18:43. > :19:01.played it fairly well that last shots.
:19:02. > :19:24.Looks like that blip in concentration in the last frame when
:19:25. > :20:00.he missed the easy red, has been sorted out. Back focused again.
:20:01. > :20:09.We know that Ding Junhui will have a lead going into the second session.
:20:10. > :20:46.It is now how big a lead he can hammer home.
:20:47. > :20:54.He made a complete mess of his positional shots, but the frame is
:20:55. > :21:03.well and truly over. But might have spoiled the century break. No
:21:04. > :21:07.century, but he got one chance and that's all he needed. The break of
:21:08. > :21:35.78 has got him right back on track and he extends his lead now to 5-1.
:21:36. > :21:50.He may be able to screw back for the red.
:21:51. > :21:58.Has started to look a bit more composed at the table now, Zhou
:21:59. > :22:02.Yuelong. Getting that first frame on the board. We said it was so
:22:03. > :22:53.important. The referee just Sane, give me a
:22:54. > :22:58.moment please. Has to get it in direct line with the black and the
:22:59. > :23:10.blue, close to the reds without touching them.
:23:11. > :23:19.Perfectly played, because he has got rid of all the loose reds. Now he
:23:20. > :23:24.needs a good cannon. If this split works, keep your eye on the blue as
:23:25. > :23:30.well. Don't miss that. You could be home and dry in this frame. He has
:23:31. > :23:40.opened the reds, but look where the White has finished. That would have
:23:41. > :23:45.been a frame-winner. Show you the cannon again. He played it very
:23:46. > :23:48.well, but just unlucky to slide to the side of the reds and finish on
:23:49. > :24:12.absolutely nothing. And the 46 point advantage is not
:24:13. > :24:17.that great, but the way the reds are, he's looking at the red, I am
:24:18. > :24:21.surprised he is moving this off the question. I would like to have left
:24:22. > :24:25.that they're as security. He might just want to flick it and keep it
:24:26. > :24:33.there. It is brought slightly out into play, but... I would have
:24:34. > :24:38.preferred to have left that tight on the question. As a little bit of
:24:39. > :25:37.insurance for the counter attack. If roles were reversed he would take
:25:38. > :25:41.this red open to the corner past the blue. Roll through, drop on the
:25:42. > :25:46.blue. But because he is 46 in front, you doesn't want to risk that one.
:25:47. > :25:54.It is the sort of shot he would take on if you were behind by that
:25:55. > :26:04.margin. Maybe attempting this pot, but with a bit of safety in mind.
:26:05. > :26:14.Where is it going to finish up? Will it knocked the other red over the
:26:15. > :26:23.pocket? Surely not. Not a ball safe on the table. I'd be a little
:26:24. > :26:28.anxious here. Is he going to take the double on and get on the pink?
:26:29. > :28:04.It is a double to nothing, you would have to say. Close.
:28:05. > :28:26.Cue do it very well. Very confidently played.
:28:27. > :30:10.Doesn't need that many points to secure this seventh frame.
:30:11. > :30:35.Yeah, he's done well since the interval. I know you lost the last
:30:36. > :30:41.frame, but it couldn't have been easy, coming out this morning
:30:42. > :30:46.against Ding Junhui, first time at the Crucible. He would have been
:30:47. > :31:01.very nervous. He looks to have settled down a lot now. He's cueing
:31:02. > :31:03.a lot more smoothly than he was. I said before, his composure and
:31:04. > :31:16.demeanour around the table looks a lot more relaxed.
:31:17. > :31:24.Yeah, I mentioned earlier that Terry Griffiths was saying he was feeling
:31:25. > :31:36.a little bit under the weather. Just a virus, a small touch of flu. It
:31:37. > :31:41.would be good for his confidence if he can concentrate and try and clear
:31:42. > :31:45.the table here. The frame is already won, but it gives you a good feeling
:31:46. > :31:48.going into the next frame if you pot every ball on the table. Don't relax
:31:49. > :32:22.for one minute. Haven't seen too much of this young
:32:23. > :32:30.Chinese player, but I like his game. I like his cue action. Good solid
:32:31. > :32:33.stance. Good long pause at the back before he delivers the cue. There's
:32:34. > :32:38.so many great young players coming through from China and I suppose, as
:32:39. > :32:45.Stephen says, Ding Junhui their hero. And they can copy it, it's
:32:46. > :33:01.much easier to learn the game these days.
:33:02. > :33:07.In the old days, they used to say you had to be a good billiards
:33:08. > :33:12.player before you could be a good snooker player. These boys wouldn't
:33:13. > :33:16.know what a set of billiard balls looked like! And that's a terrific
:33:17. > :33:22.little positional shot to make sure he was on the black. Well played
:33:23. > :33:29.Zhou Yuelong! Terrific break of 81. He had an earlier 42. He will be
:33:30. > :33:34.feeling much better now, but he still trails by five frames to two.
:33:35. > :33:47.You cannot underestimate how big a star he is in China, Ding Junhui. If
:33:48. > :33:48.he were to win this World Championship, it would just be
:33:49. > :35:00.phenomenal. Ding Junhui is looking at this
:35:01. > :35:07.thread. He's going to either have to negotiate a path around the back of
:35:08. > :35:10.the black... Well, he's turned the red down. Only because he can't get
:35:11. > :35:16.position, there's no point in taking the pot on. Maybe because his long
:35:17. > :35:23.pot success rate is only down to 91% now, he's not feeling confident (!)
:35:24. > :35:28.Ten out of 11, he has ported. He's played a fabulous safety shot. The
:35:29. > :35:35.cue ball absolutely glued to that baulk cushion. The way the reds are
:35:36. > :35:50.the more one mistake here could cost Zhou the frame.
:35:51. > :35:58.Well, that's what he's looking at, and I can't see an easy path to even
:35:59. > :36:03.try and land on the red that is behind the black. You can see the
:36:04. > :36:06.reds, but there is no path behind the black down the table. Nothing
:36:07. > :36:19.there that will take him back down the table. As I say, the one behind
:36:20. > :36:23.the black, he would like to be able to nestle on that one. I think he's
:36:24. > :36:26.just going into the side of the pack. I don't know if he can get to
:36:27. > :36:33.the one that I mentioned. Maybe he can, maybe he just can... Not a bad
:36:34. > :36:37.effort, you know! Oh! He could have been a bit unlucky there, because
:36:38. > :36:41.the black might be available into the same pocket as the red, but he's
:36:42. > :36:45.very unfortunate to stick this red up. He's looking up at the monitor
:36:46. > :36:59.to see what sort of angle he has left on it. Ding blade to screw off
:37:00. > :37:01.the cushion there. A very difficult shot when cue ball and object ball
:37:02. > :37:07.are so close together. There's pressure on this black. Well, good
:37:08. > :38:28.shot. I don't know if the black is still
:38:29. > :38:30.available to the left corner. It would make this visit to the table a
:38:31. > :38:53.lot easier if it is. Well, that shot tells you that it
:38:54. > :39:02.doesn't go. He's played a great shot, just finished perfectly on the
:39:03. > :39:08.blue. If he picked the cue ball up with his hand and placed it, he
:39:09. > :39:14.virtually couldn't do any better. I do know if he played for that or
:39:15. > :39:19.not. Somewhere in the circle would be good. I think he's just about OK
:39:20. > :39:52.there. Only just. He can play a little cannon here.
:39:53. > :39:57.The two reds above the black. One of those, on the right-hand side as we
:39:58. > :40:10.look at it. That's what Stephen was suggesting, there. Well, he stunned
:40:11. > :40:19.off the other side. Or maybe I got it wrong!
:40:20. > :41:01.Whatever, he played the cannon perfectly anyway.
:41:02. > :41:05.He just makes break-building look so easy, Ding Junhui. It looks
:41:06. > :41:22.effortless. Again, he's just looking... He's
:41:23. > :41:27.definitely going to play some sort of cannon, he's just looking at the
:41:28. > :41:31.best... The red directly between the red and the reds either side of
:41:32. > :41:50.that, any of those would develop position.
:41:51. > :42:01.This time he chose to go into the bunch at pace to try to guarantee
:42:02. > :42:11.being on something. But he's not landed absolutely perfectly. Read to
:42:12. > :42:16.write middle he should get. -- the red to the right middle, he should
:42:17. > :42:21.get and he will have to eventually nothing with the cue ball. He is
:42:22. > :42:30.hampered slightly. It is starting to look ominous now, in this frame.
:42:31. > :42:38.Could be looking at possibly century number two this morning for Ding
:42:39. > :42:48.Junhui. Yeah, he's missed precious little, just the odd slip-up, very
:42:49. > :42:53.few of them. He started off nicely, with breaks of 60 and 57, and he
:42:54. > :43:02.followed that with a 54 and then that magnificent 136 in frame four.
:43:03. > :43:13.78 in frame six, and now this. That's a very high standard. He's
:43:14. > :43:31.just let that cue ball run about three inches too far.
:43:32. > :44:31.Did well in the previous frame, Zhou Yuelong, breaks of 42 and then 81.
:44:32. > :45:05.But he can't do anything about this here.
:45:06. > :45:15.Well, I said when Ding played that magnificent safety shot getting his
:45:16. > :45:17.opponent on the baulk cushion that it could cost his opponent the
:45:18. > :46:01.frame, and it has done. We're up to 14 centuries now in this
:46:02. > :46:12.year's Betfred World Championship. Certainly looking like century
:46:13. > :46:26.number 15, and Ding's 25th of the season. Just the black needed. He
:46:27. > :46:30.will play to get on the yellow also. And that's another super century
:46:31. > :46:45.from Ding Junhui, and there we have it. Ton up!
:46:46. > :46:55.Doesn't matter about the yellow not dropping, he got his century break
:46:56. > :46:58.but more importantly he extends his lead, and Ding Junhui has now got a
:46:59. > :47:27.four frame advantage, 6-2. And Ding Junhui gets it under way
:47:28. > :47:39.and you would have to say that Zhou Yuelong badly needs this final frame
:47:40. > :47:41.of this session. 6-3 wouldn't be older -- wouldn't be all that bad.
:47:42. > :48:35.Oh! That was a good effort. Well, he hangs his head: he knows he
:48:36. > :48:38.has put Ding right in amongst them with that little nudge, a bit
:48:39. > :48:43.unfortunate there. We will show you that again, because he is right in
:48:44. > :48:49.with a great chance. As he just comes off the cushion here... Just
:48:50. > :48:53.watch this little nudge here. He hit the red and then it hit the other
:48:54. > :49:00.red and that is the reaction from Zhou Yuelong. And what sort of a
:49:01. > :49:04.reaction are we going to get from Ding Junhui? Because it's a great
:49:05. > :49:34.chance, it has to be said. He's just run that cue ball a bit
:49:35. > :49:40.far. If he plays the blue, he's going to have to go into the pink.
:49:41. > :49:45.All play some sort of cannon to kill the pace of the cue ball. -- or play
:49:46. > :49:50.some sort of cannon. Make sure you keep your eye on the pot. He plays
:49:51. > :50:00.that shot really well. More often than not he gets a completely full
:50:01. > :50:02.contact on the pink. Still not ideal, but I think he can find the
:50:03. > :50:57.gap to play up for the blue here. The pink is out of commission at the
:50:58. > :51:00.moment. The black is available but that red do the right of the black
:51:01. > :51:04.is just a little bit of a distraction as well. He's straight
:51:05. > :51:12.on the blue but it doesn't matter this time, he's got the red to the
:51:13. > :51:16.right corner. He can play for the black of this and then maybe do
:51:17. > :51:20.something about the red that is just to the right of the black that, as I
:51:21. > :51:41.mentioned, is just hampering the black slightly.
:51:42. > :51:46.And I think that red also goes into the same pocket as the black, the
:51:47. > :51:55.one that I mentioned. Though he's got a few ways of going about this.
:51:56. > :51:59.If he is just in between the two reds, he can leave that red into the
:52:00. > :52:03.same pocket as the black. He just has to be a bit careful position
:52:04. > :52:14.side of things here. You always try to take the simplest way possible.
:52:15. > :52:27.Take the other one first. But we know that that red that was a little
:52:28. > :52:28.bit awkwardly placed is available. This is missable, playing it at
:52:29. > :52:54.pace. Safely in. Well, that cue ball just brushed by
:52:55. > :53:01.that red just to leave this awkward cueing. I thought it was just going
:53:02. > :53:04.to cannon the red and be perfect. Just got to give this extra
:53:05. > :53:18.attention, make sure you stay very still on the shot. Looks very strong
:53:19. > :53:22.indeed now, Ding Junhui. OK, he's got a big lead in the match, and
:53:23. > :53:24.he's been pretty comfortable for most of the morning, but he's been
:53:25. > :53:35.pretty impressive. Yeah, he's been very, very
:53:36. > :53:53.consistent this morning. If you keep making breaks over the
:53:54. > :53:58.half you're well on your way, and he's certainly done that, along with
:53:59. > :53:59.the magnificent two century breaks. As they used to say in Lancashire,
:54:00. > :54:12.he's in fine -- he's in fine fettle. The cannon
:54:13. > :54:14.on the two reds here, I think. That should open up everything. A bit
:54:15. > :54:19.unfortunate, he would have loved to have cannoned the pink and the two
:54:20. > :54:23.reds together. If he had just got a bit more grip on the cue ball. I
:54:24. > :54:29.still expect him to put this red to the right middle. When you're in
:54:30. > :54:38.this kind of groove of scoring, the pockets start to look like buckets.
:54:39. > :54:39.But you wouldn't bet against him making his third century of the
:54:40. > :54:52.morning now. Yes, all good stuff and it makes for
:54:53. > :54:58.a great championship this year. As we've said, as most people have
:54:59. > :55:03.said, it is the most open World Championship for quite a long time.
:55:04. > :55:07.We keep saying that every year, but there's a lot of players in with a
:55:08. > :55:16.great this year. Ding Junhui, who was a finalist last year, is
:55:17. > :55:27.certainly in great form, as he just runs slightly out of position...
:55:28. > :55:35.What a tough half of the draw this is, Dennis. Ding Junhui, Ronnie
:55:36. > :55:49.O'Sullivan, Shaun Murphy, Neil Robertson. Mark Selby! It's very
:55:50. > :56:25.tough to pick a finalist out of this half of the draw.
:56:26. > :56:35.He's going to need the last red to make the century break. He might
:56:36. > :56:39.just try and develop it. And he did. And he played it well.
:56:40. > :56:53.APPLAUSE As Stephen said, I think it was in
:56:54. > :56:59.the first frame, one of the best break-builders the game has ever
:57:00. > :57:08.seen. He's had 442 centuries in his career, and make that 443!
:57:09. > :57:21.Yeah, I would say barring one or two lapses in concentration, Ding Junhui
:57:22. > :57:29.has been brilliant this morning. 91% long pots. Pot success 97%. Three
:57:30. > :57:49.centuries. Seven breaks over 60. Awesome, really. Yes. Zhou Yuelong
:57:50. > :57:55.couldn't do much about this. He did play well to win the two frames that
:57:56. > :58:06.he did, but this, without doubt, is the best so far on day three. Ding
:58:07. > :58:10.Junhui finishes off with that magnificent break, there. Three
:58:11. > :58:17.centuries, and he acknowledges the crowd. He finishes with a break of
:58:18. > :58:20.132. He had 136, the highest of this year's tournament. And he
:58:21. > :58:25.acknowledges the crowd as he leaves the arena. It's a great performance.
:58:26. > :58:36.He leaves, seven frames to two. STUDIO
:58:37. > :58:41.So, Ding in complete control of this match. We are back at 10am on BBC
:58:42. > :58:43.Two. From all of us, good night.