Ding Junhui won a dramatic deciding frame against Neil Robertson to set up a meeting with Judd Trump in the final of the World Open.
The home favorite dug deep from 5-4 behind in front of a raucous crowd in Yushan, China, but eventually came through a marathon contest to land his first victory over the Australian since 2014.
Robertson will be left to rue three chances to get over the line for a place in his first final in two years, with the defeat meaning he misses out on a spot in next week’s Tour Championship and will have to qualify for next month’s World Championship.
Instead, Ding will have an opportunity to win his first ranking event since the 2019 UK Championship.
Frame wins in one visit were few and far between but it was an encounter that wasn’t short on tension.
Ding, who whitewashed Hossein Vafaei in the previous round, took the opener with a break of 64, but Robertson responded emphatically. He might be without a title since the 2022 Tour Championship, but the Australian has shown signs of late that he is edging back towards his best.
Specifically, his long game looks formidable once again and it was on display as he won the second and third frames to move 2-1 ahead.
‘Great pot’ – Ding nails fine blue in World Open semi-final against Robertson
Ding had a chance to hit back in the next after an excellent red and brown but he lost position and Robertson took full advantage with a break of 118 to lead 3-1 at the mid-session interval.
A vital frame after the break went the way of Ding after Robertson missed a red into the middle, a shot which seemed to turn the match on its head.
Ding drew level at 3-3 with a superb clearance of 75 and then eventually took the seventh frame after an initial break of 51.
Now in the ascendency, it was Ding’s turn to hand the momentum back to his opponent. Breaks of 55 and 128 got Robertson within one of victory and he looked certain to get over the line before he missed a simple red while bridging on 36.
Under intense pressure, Ding sent the contest to a decider before showcasing all his powers of recovery to prevail.
A trademark long red helped Robertson establish a 56-point lead, but Ding chipped away at his deficit before forcing a mistake and clearing to the final pink to complete the unlikely victory.
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Tags: World Open Ding Junhui face Judd Trump final beating Neil Robertson dramatic decider
