Thai hopes evaporate in 6-reds quarter-finals
Thai hopes of winning the SangSom 6 Reds world championship ended at the quarter-final stages in Bangkok's Montiem Riverside Hotel yesterday.
While seven Thai players reached the last 32, only three remained for the second-round exchanges and while two got through to the quarter-finals that’s where their title plans evaporated.
Issara Kachaiwong and Panompai Powises were Thailand’s most successful players but at the quarter-final stages Ricky Walden, winner of the inaugural 6 Reds in 2008, and Mark Davis sent them packing.
Walden beat Issara 7-5 and Davis defeated Panompai by the same score with the two winners meeting for a place in today’s final.
Winner of the Wuxi Classic in China a week ago, Walden opened up a 4-1, 5-2 and 6-3 lead over Issara who closed in to 6-5 with breaks of 69 and 48.Walden remained pointless in frames 10 and 11 but it was then the Thai’s turn to remain seated as Walden completed a 7-5 victory with a break of 53.
Panompai found himself 5-1 down to Davis but he recovered to 5-5 helped by a top break of 35. Davis led 6-5 with a break of 36 and passed the winning post 38-5 in frame 12.
Holder Mark Selby was denied a second successive final appearance when losing 7-5 to the sharp-shooting Judd Trump, the UK champion.
Trump compiled a six red maximum of 75 in frame seven, the 24th in tournament history, and despite finding himself 23-1 down in frame 12, sealed his place in the semi-finals with a clearance of 32.
Murphy got the better of Welshman Dominic Dale compiling a total clearance of 67 in the deciding frame to win 7-6, the break followed earlier runs of 55, 46, 45 and 43. Dale who led 6-5 had high breaks of 73, 61 and 45.
Yesterday’s quarter-final matches:
J Trump bt M Selby 7-5; S Murphy bt D Dale 7-6; R Walden bt I Kachaiwong 7-5; M Davis bt P Powises 7-5.
