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Following the Roewe Shanghai Masters final last night, World Snooker have issued the latest provisional rankings and it is time to have a quick look at the big movers this week.

Walden's rise

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Where else can we start but with surprise winner Ricky Walden, currently 35th on the official list. Already having gained points from winning his first qualifying match for Northern Ireland, Walden now rockets up the provisional rankings to 17th position with the 5,000 points from Shanghai. Whilst moving into the top 32 for the first time would represent progress in itself, Ricky will now surely be eying a place in the elite top 16 which is certainly realistic if he can maintain his current form.

O'Sullivan extends lead

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Despite losing out to Walden in the final, current world number 1 Ronnie O'Sullivan has still extended his lead over second placed Stephen Maguire to a colossal 7,025 points, with the rest of the pack further behind. Already it looks pretty certain that barring a massive turnaround in fortunes, the rocket will be at the head of the rankings once again in 2009/10, though there is still a long way to go of course.

Selby continues progress

Following the second first round exit of the season for Shaun Murphy, he has now slipped back from the chase for number 1 and into the clutches of Mark Selby who moves ahead of him into third place. Indeed from Mark Selby in third place down to Marco Fu in eighth, there are less than 4,000 points separating a competitive group of players who could all go on a good run this season. It will be very interesting to see who, if anyone, can go on such a run and really make a go at challenging the top two. Given the way Selby has started the season then he has to be the favourite for me.

Ding's danger

If anyone had told me a year or so ago that Ding Junhui would be real danger of losing his top 16 place at the end of this season then I would probably have laughed at them, but he is in genuine trouble at the moment. Another first round defeat in Shanghai, this time to the in-form Stoke potter Dave Harold and he has slipped to 14th position in the provisional rankings. With his own form continuing to be poor, he has already confirmed his withdrawal from the new Bahrain tournament which will only set him back further. Is he too good to drop out of the 16? You would think so, but look at what has happened to the likes of Mark Williams and Matthew Stevens recently...

Mixed fortunes for former world champions

In becoming the oldest man to reach the quarter-finals of a ranking event in 14 years, Steve Davis did his chances of remaining in the top 32 for next season no harm at all as he moves up to 28th on the provisional list.

There was to be no such luck for 2002 champion Peter Ebdon however as his struggles continue. Already under investigation following his whitewash at the hands of Liang Wenbo in August, another first round defeat sees him slip to 18th position. Similarly Ken Doherty's woes show no sign of ending as having failed to qualify for the TV stages this week he slips down to 35th place, a position that will only get worse following his failure to make the venue for the Grand Prix also.

The man who beat him in the Glasgow qualifiers, John Parrott is also suffering at the moment as he has fallen to 57th provisionally, largely owing to his withdrawal from Shanghai due to a clash of dates. Hopefully he can make up for this over the rest of the season as it would be a shame if this were to cost him his place in the top 48 or even on the tour.

Whitewatch

Despite suffering a 5-4 defeat to Mark King early on this week, just by making it so far Jimmy White has once again done his ranking a lot of good as he sits one place above Parrott in 56th place. Although he failed to make the TV stages in Glasgow, the points gained from winning his first two matches should see him move up further...

Das Turnier in Shanghai, scheint ein idealer Platz für Qualifikanten zu sein. Im Vorjahr sicherte sich der "Spaceman" Dominic Dale den Titel - gestern trug sich Ricky Walden in die Siegerliste des Shanghai Masters ein. Im Finale setzte sich der Qualifikant  gegen den haushohen Favoriten Ronnie O'Sullivan mit 10:8 durch.

"The Rocket" und natürlich auch seine zahlreichen Fans wähnten den dritten Titel in Folge bereits in greifbarer Nähe. Einen Sieg gegen den Finalgegner Walden, hielten die meisten Beobachter wohl nur noch für eine reine Formsache. Wer so dachte, sah sich rasch getäuscht. Ricky Walden konnte auf hohem Niveau mithalten.

Am Ende musste auch Ronnie O'Sullivan erkennen, dass für ihn nicht bei jedem Turnier  die Bäume in den siebten Snookerhimmel wachsen.  Wie zu vernehmen war, lobte "The Rocket" nach dem Match den neuen Shanghai Champion und hob heror, dass Ricky für einen Turniersieg reif war. Der Gewinn des Shanghai Masters war der erste Titelgewinn für Ricky Walden bei einem Weltranglistenturnier.

Herzlichen Glückwunsch Ricky Walden!

Beste Wünsche!

Declaratia invinsului: "I never thought the match would be easy, but I could have made it easier for myself if I'd played better. I'm not surprised I lost because I didn't put Ricky under any pressure, so I deserved to lose. It's still been a good week for me to get to the final." Mi-a fost lene s-o mai traduc, dar va descurcati voi, ca v-ati obisnuit repede.

Articol complet aici.

Se pare ca in lumea asta nu mai exista nimic sfant. Mai intai mineriadele, apoi Nastase care e privat de zilele de bulau bine meritate si acum Ronnie care si-o ia, inca o data, de la copii carora nu le-a dat inca mustata.

S-a mai dus un turneu din sezonul asta (Shanghai Masters). Urmeaza multe altele in care Ronnie sa-si prezerve locul 1 mondial pentru care a muncit ca un tractor sezonul trecut. Poate, daca-i cuminte si nu mai arunca cu tacul pe masa, primeste si el un MBE de la mama-Regina. Ca doar n-or fi  Higgins si Hendry mai pizdeti decat el.

Cat el sta si asteapta titlul onorific, Walden se pare ca si-a facut planuri mari cu cei 52.000 de lire pe care i-a incasat. Unde planuri mari inseamna: "I'm going to go to Las Vegas with my friends and spend some of it. You have to enjoy the money when you get it." Well done, good old chap - cazinouri, t*rfe si alcool. Doar are 25 de anisori. Poate-i mai raman si de un bilet de avion Las Vegas-Flintshire, Tara Galilor. Daca nu, poate pacaleste vreo doi redneck-si si le ia banii la un 8-ball cinstit.

La mai mare - Walden.

La  si mai mare - O'Sullivan.

Walden receives his first ranking event trophy in Shanghai

What a week it has been for Ricky Walden as he became the second surprise winner of the Shanghai Masters in a row, following on from Dominic Dale in 2007. Click below for a reminder of just how he did it:

Wildcard Walkover

Coming into the event having recently won the 2008 Belgian Open with a tremendous 4-0 win against Graeme Dott in the final, Ricky began his Shanghai campaign with a wildcard match against young Chinese hope Anda Zhang on Monday. Walden proved to be far too strong for his opponent, running out a 5-0 winner in no time whatsoever.

Anda Zhang 0-5 Ricky Walden 18-69, 24-83(37), 23-87(32), 11-62, 0-74(74)

Hendry Humbled

Ricky's first real test came in the last 32 where he faced the great seven-times world champion Stephen Hendry in what would prove to be the first of many close matches this week. Despite a tremendous clearance from Hendry to peg Walden back to 4-4, Ricky handled the deciding frame brilliantly and hit back with an 85 break of his own to secure a great win. This was the first sign of his ability to perform under significant pressure that was to prove a hallmark of his success this week.

Stephen Hendry 4-5 Ricky Walden 102(71)-14, 27-61(43), 25-69(31), 111(88)-24, 68(41)-0, 5-124(104), 15-70, 65(65)-50(49), 0-85(85)

Robertson Rocked

At 4-1 down to Australian Neil Robertson in the last 16 it looked like Walden's run was going to end as he struggled to cope with the scoring of his higher ranked opponent. Having fought back magnificently to level the match at 4-4 however, Walden was to get in first in the deciding frame and just like against Hendry, handled the pressure expertly to win the match in one visit, making a break of 89 this time. In doing so he reached only the second ranking event quarter-final of his career, the first for over three years.

Neil Robertson 4-5 Ricky Walden 61(55)-14, 90(76)-0, 49(39)-90(60), 64(50)-1, 59-26, 31(30)-72(32), 0-79(75), 41(41)-79(66), 0-89(89)

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Davis Overwhelmed

Facing up to another all-time great in the shape of six-times world champion Steve Davis, Walden again had to fight back from behind as he slipped 2-0 behind early on. Now leading 3-2, the pivotal moment in this match came when Davis having made a break of 65, failed to pot a long blue to the green pocket, allowing Walden to steal the frame by just five points. Rounding off the match in style with a break of 139, Ricky was through to the first semi-final of his career.

Steve Davis 2-5 Ricky Walden 69-17, 51-38, 43-81(53), 11-87(71), 22-82(65), 65-70(58), 0-139(139)

Selby Stunned

Up until this point the form player of the tournament, Mark Selby was the heavy favourite to win this match and progress to the final against Ronnie O'Sullivan, what would have been a rematch of their Welsh Open encounter this year. Early on it looked like this would be exactly how things would pan out as Selby without playing at his best, did enough to surge into a 4-1 lead, needing just two more for the match.

At this point however, Ricky was to turn things right around, winning the next five frames of the match to take a famous 6-4 victory, stunning Selby and reaching the first final of his professional career.

Ricky Walden 6-4 Mark Selby 9-69, 31(31)-67, 74(41)-46(43), 9-97(41,47), 29-70, 71(30)-40, 78(58)-45, 91(86)-34, 81(34,36)-32, 74(47)-0

Champion at last

Up against Ronnie O'Sullivan, undoubtedly the best player in the world right now, it was vital that Walden got off to a good start and this he did, moving 3-1 ahead at the interval. This should have been 4-1 however but a missed pot and a few minutes later Ricky found himself 4-3 down and I was wondering whether he had missed his chance.

This was not the case at all however as the pair continued to trade frames until Walden found himself just one away from the match at 9-7. Despite missing a gilt-edged chance to win it in frame 17, Walden held his nerve brilliantly in the next to win the match and the title with a sublime break of 105.

First Session: Ricky Walden 4-5 Ronnie O'Sullivan 0-88(48,39, 61(47)-47(32), 113(74)-20, 99(94)-4, 22-86(58), 0-95(64,31), 1-87(87), 77(56)-38(30), 0-78(78)

Second Session: Ricky Walden 10-8 Ronnie O'Sullivan, 104(95)-0, 5-122(108), 78(30,48)-21, 65(48)-25, 16-82(82), 73(59)-23, 84(48)-4, 30-66(43), 105(105)-11

The future

Following a thoroughly deserved victory, both for his performance on the day and the others during the week, Ricky will now move up to 17th in the provisional rankings and so has a fantastic opportunity to break into the top 16 for the first time. He has qualified for the upcoming Grand Prix tournament in Glasgow so is already guaranteed a few more points, with more to come should he manage to overcome Ryan Day in the last 32.

Hopefully he will continue to perform well in the qualifiers and qualify for some of the biggest events this season such as the UK Championship and for the first time, the World Championship at the Crucible Theatre.

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World number 35 Ricky Walden caused a huge upset today to sensationally defeat world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan 10-8 to claim his first ranking title. A long overdue breakthrough, it goes without saying that this is the highlight of his career so far. Click below to read just how he did it:

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Ricky Walden 10-8 Ronnie O'Sullivan

What a day, indeed what a week for Ricky Walden who joins the winners circle at last by winning the Shanghai Masters today. Make no mistake either, he was the better player on the day and fully deserved his win against the best player in the world.

Final session

Going into the session trailing 5-4 when at one point he could have led the afternoon session 4-1, some might have thought that Ricky had missed the boat somewhat and that O'Sullivan would make him pay for it tonight. Ricky obviously had other ideas however as he took the opening frame of the session with a cool 95 break, though Ronnie hit back immediately with his second century of the match to restore his lead.

Walden again rallied to level it at 6-6 before one of the key moments of the final came in frame 13. With O'Sullivan in the balls and with a chance to move into a 7-6 lead at the interval, not for the first time today he suffered a piece of bad luck with a terrible kick which let Ricky back in who was to make no mistake.

Now finding himself in front 7-6, it was a shame for Walden that it was time for the interval as Ronnie just seemed to be losing focus and the break was a chance for the world champion to get his head together. A break of 82 in the first frame back appeared to confirm this as he levelled the match again, before he also had the first chance in the next.

This is where Walden once again showed the form that had taken him to the final however as he managed to steal the frame before moving 9-7 up, thanks in part to a run of 48 in frame 16.

Pressure right on

Now just one frame away from his first ranking event victory, against Ronnie O'Sullivan no less, there must surely have been nerves building up inside Ricky Walden. Could he hold it together? Would his inexperience at this stage in an event get the better of it?

At first it appeared that this might indeed be the case as in frame 17 with a chance to win the match, he missed a relatively simple cutback to the left centre which gave O'Sullivan something of a lifeline. The world number one showed why he is so strong by taking it with both hands, bringing the scoreline back to 9-8 as Walden could only look on.

Walden wins it

With O'Sullivan in first in the next frame it looked like Walden's mistake would prove to be a huge moment in the match as at 9-9, surely Ronnie would have been a huge favourite to hold it together given his experience.

It was never to make it this stage however as O'Sullivan missed a tricky cutback on a red to a corner pocket and gave Walden another chance. With the balls not in the most straightforward situation for a clearance, what followed was a hugely impressive break given the pressure and the circumstances that Walden was facing. Potting a few tricky shots along the way, just as against Steve Davis in the quarter-final he not only won the match, but he did it in some style with a terrific century break.

A victory that many would have expected to have come some time before now, it will be interesting to see whether Ricky will be able to build on this during the rest of the season and become a regular challenger at the highest level. Given the form he has shown this week it would be hard to bet against it, and having qualified for the Grand Prix that starts in just six days time, we won't have too long to wait before we have some idea.

O'Sullivan meanwhile should not be too disappointed given the amount of success that has come his way recently. Though falling short with his attempt to become just the third player ever to win three consecutive ranking events, he has increased his already sizeable advantage at the top of the rankings further and will be a heavy favourite to take the Grand Prix title in Glasgow once again.

FINAL

First Session: Ricky Walden 4-5 Ronnie O'Sullivan 0-88(48,39, 61(47)-47(32), 113(74)-20, 99(94)-4, 22-86(58), 0-95(64,31), 1-87(87), 77(56)-38(30), 0-78(78)

Second Session: Ricky Walden 10-8 Ronnie O'Sullivan, 104(95)-0, 5-122(108), 78(30,48)-21, 65(48)-25, 16-82(82), 73(59)-23, 84(48)-4, 30-66(43), 105(105)-11

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This will be a short update as I could not watch much of the play but following the first session of the final today, Ronnie O'Sullivan leads Ricky Walden by a narrow margin of 5-4, setting things up nicely for the afternoon. Surprisingly Ricky led 3-1 at the interval, showing no sign of the nerves he must be feeling out there, but O'Sulivan showed his class to hit back, taking the last frame of the session with a break of 78. Hopefully Ricky will continue to perform and they can both give us a great final session...

FINAL

Ricky Walden - Ronnie O'Sullivan 0-88(48,39, 61(47)-47(32), 113(74)-20, 99(94)-4, 22-86(58), 0-95(64,31), 1-87(87), 77(56)-38(30), 0-78(78) [INTERVAL]

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Click below to read about the afternoon session today in Shanghai as the second semi-final came to a conclusion:

Ronnie O'Sullivan 6-5 Stephen Maguire

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World number one Ronnie O'Sullivan is through to his third straight ranking event final with a thrilling victory against number two Stephen Maguire this afternoon.

Having shared the frames before the interval, frame five contained a terrific safety exchange before Maguire effectively won it with a great shot to snooker O'Sullivan behind the green, using the jaws of a pocket to do so.

O'Sullivan hit back by taking the next two frames with a 141 and a frame-winning break of 84 but Maguire was not finished yet as he hit back with a century of his own and another high break to move just one frame away from the match at 5-4.

Maguire looked to have the momentum at this stage and with two good chances to win the match it looked like O'Sullivan's run would finally come to an end. Unfortunately for the Scot however, he could not take advantage and left O'Sullivan in to take the match to a deciding frame.

The momentum back with O'Sullivan, he was able to wrap things up with a terrific break of 145 to move into tomorrow's final. Here he will be a heavy favourite against Ricky Walden to make it three ranking events in a row, an achievement currently only matched by Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry.

Hopefully Walden can maintain the form that has taken him to the final and at least keep it respectable. Anything better would be a bonus, though I'm sure he won't see it like that!

Stephen Maguire - Ronnie O'Sullivan 70(69)-36, 0-74(74), 44(44)-60, 63(36)-58(58), 72(42)-32(32), 0-141(141), 1-84(84), 101(101)-0, 76(76)-0, 25-101(87), 0-145(145)

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As reported by Dave Hendon on his blog, the three top 16 players involved in the Premier League event at Haywards Heath on November 13th have had to withdraw from the new ranking event in Bahrain due to a clash of dates.

This is undoubtedly a blow for those players as their rankings will now suffer as a result, though realistically they had little choice given that they had already signed contracts with Matchroom Sport earlier in the year. The one who is hurt the most is undoubtedly Ding Junhui though as while John Higgins and Mark Selby should comfortably remain in the top 16, Ding's position looks far less secure on the back of his poor form over the last year or so. Hopefully these lost points will not prove to be decisive.

While these three players will lose out however,  Matthew Stevens, Ken Doherty and Jamie Cope will be happy as due to being ranked 17-19 at the moment, they will now qualify for the final stages of the event automatically and will be spared the qualifiers at Prestatyn. Ken in particular will be relieved as having only won one frame from eleven played at Pontin's this year, he will hope to be much more comfortable in the more familiar surroundings of a TV venue.

The one thing that Dave does not mention is what will happen to Steve Davis who should he qualify for Bahrain would also have to miss out on the tournament as he is due to play on that Premier League evening. Maybe he will play his qualifying match and then withdraw in order to secure some ranking points at least? If anyone could confirm this then that would be great.

See the draw over at GSC...

The first of today's two semi-finals came to a conclusion this morning as form player Mark Selby played semi-final debutant Ricky Walden. Click below to read how the match went and read what both players had to say:

Ricky Walden 6-4 Mark Selby

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Ricky Walden continued the week of his career with a another terrific fightback to defeat provisional world number three Mark Selby 6-4 this morning.

Without scoring heavily during the early stages of the match, Selby found himself 3-1 ahead at the interval as Ricky struggled to get his game going. Mark then made it 4-1 and it was looking like game over, given how Selby had played all week.

Ricky however, having already come back from deficits against Stephen Hendry, Neil Robertson and Steve Davis this week, was not going to lie down and began to show the form that had taken him this far. Breaks of 86, 58 and 30 helped to bring him level before remarkably he won the next two frames to complete a sensational win to take him to his first final.

Selby did have his chances as in the last frame when Walden missed when in amongst the balls, but he could not take advantage while Walden proved to be much more clinical when given a chance to finish off a frame.

Having led 4-1 Mark will be very disappointed not to reach what would have been his fourth ranking event final, particularly given how well he has played this week. He will at least move up to third ahead of Shaun Murphy in the provisional rankings as a result of this semi-final appearance.

Walden meanwhile goes through to his first final where he will play either Ronnie O'Sullivan or Stephen Maguire tomorrow. He really is playing as well as he ever has at the moment, having won the Belgian Open last month and now beaten the players that he has in Shanghai. Again he will go into the final as the underdog, whoever wins the other semi, but the way he has playing, I certainly wouldn't write him off.

Quotes from SkySports:

Ricky:

"I'm thrilled to bits to be in my first final but it was a real struggle out there this afternoon.

"I had a bit of luck today, but then I've had plenty of bad luck over my career so I think it evens itself out, but I'm happy to have some today.

"I'm not bothered who I face, it's the old cliche. Stephen is a good friend of mine so it would be good to play him, but Ronnie is the best in the world so I don't mind.

"To be honest, for three years in my head I've been expecting to come to events and win them, so it's good to get to a final at last."

Mark:

"Obviously I'm very disappointed to lose from 4-1 up,"

"Ricky didn't perform up to that point but after that he played a lot better. I seem to do really well over here in China. I thought I had a good chance to go on and win the tournament here but it hasn't happened.

"I can't put my finger on it, I had plenty of chances but for whatever reason I couldn't take them."

Ricky Walden 6-4 Mark Selby 9-69, 31(31)-67, 74(41)-46(43), 9-97(41,47), 29-70, 71(30)-40, 78(58)-45, 91(86)-34, 81(34,36)-32, 74(47)-0

Hendry v White in their most famous clash of all

On October 25th, old rivals Stephen Hendry and Jimmy White will play each other in an exhibition match at the Assembly Hall Theatre in Tunbridge Wells on Saturday October 25. Click below for more details and ticket information:

It promises to be a great night out as seven-times world champion Hendry faces the man he beat to win four of those titles with BBC pundit John Virgo performing the MC duties. For full details on the event and to hear what Virgo has to say, please click here to view the article on the thisiskent website.

Tickets

From the above article:

VIP tickets cost £35 and allow the holder entry to a pre-show champagne buffet and an opportunity to meet the stars at a photograph and interval reception.

Other tickets cost £24 or £19.50. The event starts at 7.30pm. To buy tickets telephone the Assembly Hall Theatre box office on 01892 530613 or 01892 532072.

See the draw over at GSC...

Click below to see the corrected schedule for Saturday as the Shanghai Masters reaches the semi-final stage:

Thank you to SIMONFFY Ágnes who has informed me of the correct time for the Selby/Walden match, I hadn't realised that there was a change to this.

Correct times (UK):

Saturday 4th October

6:00am
Ricky Walden v Mark Selby

12:45pm
Stephen Maguire v Ronnie O'Sullivan

See the draw over at GSC...

Click below to read about the afternoon session today in Shanghai as the quarter-final stage reached its conclusion:

Ronnie O'Sullivan 5-3 Mark Williams

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In what was a match of exceptional quality, world number one Ronnie O'Sullivan defeated Welshman Mark Williams 5-3 to reach the semi-finals tomorrow.

O'Sullivan, who has had not looked particularly good in his first two matches started this one looking much sharper, racing into a 2-0 lead after just 16 minutes of play. Williams who was not playing badly himself pegged one back but a century from O'Sullivan put him 3-1 up at the interval.

He should have made this 4-1 but when it looked a formality he missed a sitter of a pink to allow Williams in to clear with 55. The pair then traded centuries before O'Sullivan sealed a 5-3 win with a cool break of 78, capitalising on a loose safety shot from Mark Williams early in the frame.

Williams has still not beaten O'Sullivan since the 2001 Thailand Open, but will be pleased with his form at the moment as he looks to regain his top 16 place. Despite failing to qualify for the Grand Prix he looks good to do so, though there is a long way to go yet this season.

Meanwhile, looking ominously good today O'Sullivan will take some stopping as he looks to win his third ranking event in a row on Sunday.

Stephen Maguire 5-4 Ryan Day

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In the second semi-final it will be Stephen Maguire who awaits O'Sullivan in a clash between the world numbers one and two. Maguire came through a close match with friend Ryan Day today, eventually taking it 5-4.

Both played well as throughout the match neither player could manage to put more than a frame between them and it became pretty obvious from about 2-2 that this one was going all the way. In the decider both had their chances but ultimately a missed blue from Ryan was to prove fatal as he left Stephen in amongst the reds with a chance that he was never going to let slip away.

Should be a good match tomorrow between snooker's top two players right now, however it ends up both will pull even further ahead of the current number three Shaun Murphy after this event in the rankings.

Quarter Finals

Steve Davis 2-5 Ricky Walden 69-17, 51-38, 43-81(53), 11-87(71), 22-82(65), 65-70(58), 0-139(139)

Mark Selby 5-3 Marco Fu 77(77)-27, 6-123(78), 35-80(52), 48-75, 89(35)-52, 83(64)-7, 113(85)-30(30)

Mark Williams 3-5 Ronnie O'Sullivan 1-93(93), 0-87(87), 89(45)-0, 0-100(100), 57(55c)-53(53), 128(128)-0, 1-78(78)
Stephen Maguire - Ryan Day 53-67(27c), 90-21, 0-81, 114(114)-0, 89-5, 49-67, 77(64)-33, 0-70(61)

See the draw over at GSC...

Click below to read about the first two quarter-finals of the day as Mark Selby, Marco Fu, Steve Davis and Ricky Walden were in action this morning:

Mark Selby 5-3 Marco Fu

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Mark Selby became the first man to reach the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters this morning with a great comeback against the last remaining player from Asia, Marco Fu.

It was something that looked unlikely at the mid-session interval however as despite taking the opening frame, Selby was struggling to find the form that he has shown so far this week and found himself 3-1 down.

He is a fighter though and it was a different story when play resumed as Mark took a scrappy fifth frame to get the score back to 3-2 before he started to get his scoring together with a break of 64 to bring himself level. He improved on this with 85 to go back into the lead at 4-3 before finishing off the match in the next to complete a four frame winning streak.

He has played better this week but for me he remains the player to beat in Shanghai as the likes of O'Sullivan and Maguire in the bottom half have not impressed too much so far. They are both in action this afternoon though so there is time for that to change.

Steve Davis 2-5 Ricky Walden

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Awaiting Selby tomorrow is world number 35 Ricky Walden who continued his excellent form to reach his first career semi-final by defeating Steve Davis 5-4.

Having already beaten Anda Zhang, Stephen Hendry and Neil Robertson this week, Ricky had already matched his best result in a ranking event by making it this far, but early on it looked as if this was as good as it was to get as Davis moved into a 2-0 lead.

Ricky however began to settle into the match as he levelled the match with breaks of 53 and 71 before hitting 65 to lead the match following the mid-session interval.

The defining moment in the match was to come in frame six though as the veteran Davis, himself having his best week in a while, looked like making it 3-3 as he made a tidy break of 65. At this point however he missed a tough long blue into the corner pocket and Walden took full advantage, clearing the table with a break of 58 to win the frame 70-65.

Though Davis had won his previous three ranking event matches 5-4, Walden was not to give him a chance to mount a fightback this time as he finished off the match in fine style with a fantastic 139 total clearance to win it there and then.

Having won the Belgian Open recently against some top players, Walden must be as confident as he has ever been during his career right now. He will be an underdog tomorrow against Selby but you just never know.

As for Davis, it has still been a good week for the 'grandfather' of the game as he described himself the other day, giving him a much needed boost in the rankings and increasing his chances of at least staying in the top 32 for another season.

An interesting side-note, this is the first time I have seen him break-off in a ranking event recently and I was surprised to see him use the same break-off shot that he deployed against Joe Perry in the Premier League last week. Rather than hit the corner of the reds as normal, he chose to roll gently into the back of the pack off two cushions, something that I can't ever remember seeing before in a ranking event. Presumably he wants to eliminate the risk of leaving a long-red for his opponent to go at but it didn't seem to work out for him today. Will be interesting to see how long he persists with this tactic.

Quarter Finals

Steve Davis 2-5 Ricky Walden 69-17, 51-38, 43-81(53), 11-87(71), 22-82(65), 65-70(58), 0-139(139)

Mark Selby 5-3 Marco Fu 77(77)-27, 6-123(78), 35-80(52), 48-75, 89(35)-52, 83(64)-7, 113(85)-30(30)

See the draw over at GSC...

Click below to see Friday's schedule as the Shanghai Masters reaches the quarter-final stage:

Friday 4th October

8:00am
Steve Davis v Ricky Walden
Mark Selby v Marco Fu

12:45pm
Stephen Maguire v Ryan Day
Mark J Williams v Ronnie O'Sullivan

See the draw over at GSC...

Day four and we are down to the last sixteen in Shanghai as the likes of Mark Williams, Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins are in action this afternoon. Click below to read how the matches have unfolded:

Mark Williams 5-2 Jamie Cope

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What a match, Jamie Cope hits breaks of 147 (yes 147), 92 and 72 yet somehow loses it 5-2!

Mark Williams played very well from the start though and moves into his first quarter-final since the China Open back in March. He took the opening frame with a clearance of 75 before stealing frame two having seen Jamie make a 72 break on the way to what would have been a maximum.

Jamie was to make up for this disappointment in the best possible way in the third however as he hit a sensational maximum break, the second of his career. He followed this up with 92 in the next to level it up at the interval, particularly impressive given what he had just achieved.

This was to be as good as it got though as Williams showed his undoubted class when play resumed, taking the next three frames to close out the match and earn a tie with Ronnie O'Sullivan tomorrow.

Jamie will be disappointed not to have won given how well he scored in the match, but with a second career maximum and the £22,000 that will go with it, it hasn't been too bad a day at the office!

Ronnie O'Sullivan 5-3 Joe Perry

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Ronnie O'Sullivan might be into the next round but it was far from a top performance as his patience appeared to snap halfway through the match following an incident with referee Brendan Moore. Joe Perry could not take advantage however and O'Sullivan will face Williams tomorrow.

O'Sullivan raced into a 3-0 as although he missed a few easy balls, these went unpunished by Joe Perry for a while. Joe did hit back however to make it 3-2 by taking both frames either side of the mid-session interval. By this point O'Sullivan seemed to be rushing all of hits shots following a warning from the referee early on in the match. It is not clear what this was given for, the Eurosport commentators suggesting that it may have been foul language, though this needs to be confirmed.

He did however manage to take the sixth frame before Perry hit back once again with a break of 106 to make it 4-3. It was to be in vain though as O'Sullivan, despite appearing to be doing his best to lose the match, took advantage of a poor positional shot from the final yellow to green by Perry took the chance he needed to seal the win.

O'Sullivan's supporters will now be hoping that he gets his head together tonight because it is hard to imagine that someone of Mark Williams' class will let him get away with a repeat performance...

Other news

Ryan Day continued his strong form with another victory over double world champion John Higgins this afternoon. Hitting breaks of 62, 67 and 88, Day soon led 3-0 and despite a Higgins fightback, capped by a nice 134 break to make it 3-2, held his nerve to secure a 5-2 win.

He will now face his friend Stephen Maguire who overcame Basildon's Stuart Bingham in what was the latest finish of the day. The match was a lengthy one, mainly because of an epic fifth frame with the score locked at 2-2. Eventually it was Maguire who prevailed and went on to take the match 5-3.

Last 16

Dave Harold 4-5 Steve Davis 60-55(54), 73(65)-54(49), 71(64)-0, 0-98(97), 69(38)-36, 1-86(55), 13-81(81), 51-64

Neil Robertson 4-5 Ricky Walden 61(55)-14, 90(76)-0, 49(39)-90(60), 64(50)-1, 59-26, 31(30)-72(32), 0-79(75), 41(41)-79(66), 0-89(89)

Mark Selby 5-0 Mark King 61(48)-29, 68(68)-13, 89(53)-39(39), 90(48,34)-26, 112(44,68)-12

Marco Fu 5-2 Andy Hicks 87(36,30)-38, 82(74)-29, 6-111(85), 82(54)-33, 69(68)-65(43), 68(41)-75(36), 102(54)-10

John Higgins 2-5 Ryan Day 12-75(62), 32-94(67), 18-116(88), 70-35, 135(134)-0

Stephen Maguire - Stuart Bingham 62-34, 48-82(77)

Ronnie O'Sullivan 5-3 Joe Perry 82(48)-34, 67(45)-55(55), 75-51, 0-73(73), 97(68)-8, 10-82(78)

Mark Williams 5-2 Jamie Cope 81(75c)-49, 85(39)-76(72), 0-147(147), 0-96(92), 67-1

In the third frame of his match against Mark Williams this afternoon, Stoke's Jamie Cope made a magnificent maximum 147 break, the second of his career. Click below for more information and to view the 147 video:

Jamie makes his max

Remarkably, Jamie had a chance of making one in the frame before but broke down 72 before letting Williams in to steal it. He made no mistake this time though as he completed the 147, just as at the Grand Prix last year where he made his first.

Impressively he kept up his momentum to take the next frame with a break of 92 to level the match at 2-2, though he eventually lost out 5-2.

Well done Jamie!

See the draw over at GSC...

Day four and we are down to the last sixteen in Shanghai as the likes of Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, Dave Harold and Marco Fu are in action this morning. Click below to read how the matches have unfolded:

Mark Selby 5-0 Mark King

Global Snooker Centre

World number four Mark Selby became the first man to reach the quarter-finals this morning as he gained a measure of revenge over Mark King for that round one defeat at the Crucible this April. It is fair to say that nothing went right for King as a number of loose safety shots and missed pots combined to give Selby the chances he needed, but Selby maintained his concentration and was clinical when in amongst the balls.

Just about every frame had the same pattern, Selby getting in first, putting 50-60 points on the board before a short safety exchange that he would win and wrap up the frame from. King will be disappointed as it is in such safety exchanges that he usually excels, but it just did not happen for him today.

Admittedly it is early days this season but having seen Selby play three times now I have been very impressed as his revised technique appears to have made him a more fluent, more entertaining player to watch. This in turn is helping his performances which although very good last season, took a lot of energy out of him given the slower, fighting nature of them. With Shaun Murphy out of the tournament early on he now has not only a good chance to make the final, but also one to leapfrog the former world champion in the provisional rankings and move up to number three.

Elsewhere

Global Snooker Centre

Next up Selby will face Hong Kong star Marco Fu who defeated Andy Hicks 5-2 this morning. Leading 3-1 at the interval it did not take Fu long to complete the victory though Hicks managed to steal the sixth frame on a re-spotted black to give himself a bit of hope.

Ricky Walden caused a sensation however by completing a terrific comeback over the struggling Neil Robertson to continue his good form this season. In control for much of the match, it looked like Neil would progress comfortably into the quarter-finals as he moved just one frame away from the match at 4-1. Ricky had other ideas though as he coolly hit back with breaks of 62 and 66 to force a decider, before completing the comeback with a break of 89.

Global Snooker Centre

This will be a huge disappointment for Neil who has not played as well as he can do for a while now and could do with a boost to his provisional ranking that currently places him outside of the top 16 for next season. Ricky however has followed up his Belgian Open victory with his best result in three years and will be hoping to reach his first semi-final tomorrow.

Awaiting him in the next round is veteran Steve Davis who like Walden completed a great fightback from 4-1 down to beat Dave Harold 5-4. Unsurprisingly this was by far the longest match of the day but following an epic final frame which Harold led comfortably at one stage before letting it slip, Davis eventually fought back to take it on the final pink. This makes Steve the oldest man to reach the quarter-finals of a ranking event since Doug Mountjoy in 1994, a terrific achievement.

Last 16

Dave Harold 4-5 Steve Davis 60-55(54), 73(65)-54(49), 71(64)-0, 0-98(97), 69(38)-36, 1-86(55), 13-81(81), 51-64

Neil Robertson 4-5 Ricky Walden 61(55)-14, 90(76)-0, 49(39)-90(60), 64(50)-1, 59-26, 31(30)-72(32), 0-79(75), 41(41)-79(66), 0-89(89)

Mark Selby 5-0 Mark King 61(48)-29, 68(68)-13, 89(53)-39(39), 90(48,34)-26, 112(44,68)-12

Marco Fu 5-2 Andy Hicks 87(36,30)-38, 80(74)-29, 6-111(85), 82(54)-33, 69-65, 68(41)-75, 102(54)-10

See the draw over at GSC...

Over the last two days the 32 (well 30 given Graeme Dott's woes), players have battled it out for a spot in the last 16 tomorrow and this is what they had to say:

The following quotes are taken from World Snooker.

Steve Davis:

"I'm very pleased to get through, especially after having good chances to win 5-2 and messing them up,"

"When I started playing it was a very careful game, players didn't take risks. But now it's much more aggressive. I've had to change my game.

"It's very hard to put into words now that I'm the grand-father of the game. If anyone had said I'd still be playing after 30 years, I'd have been very surprised but I am still enjoying it."

John Higgins:

"I was lucky today, I was 3-0 in front and could have gone 4-0 up after Tom had a very good chance of a 147. He came out very strongly to make it 3-2, should have made it 3-3 then did well to come back to 4-4," said the two-times World Champion.

"The fans and the public have been first class and it's always nice to play in front of people who are so appreciative,"

Mark Selby:

"I didn't really miss a ball and I made 70 plus in every frame. Judd didn't play badly, I just never gave him a chance. I've never played him before so I didn't really know what to expect other than that he's a dangerous player,"

Judd Trump:

"Mark played very well, every time I came to the table I was snookered or left on the back rail,"

The following quotes are from here:

Ronnie O'Sullivan:

"I felt nervous to begin with because I want to do well in this tournament and show the people here what I can do. The people in China have been good to me so I owe them something,"

"I felt under pressure to win, so maybe I need to relax and enjoy it more. I'm aware of the fact that I could win three ranking events in a row this week. I was practising hard for a week before I came here, so my form should come out. I just needed a bit of time to settle tonight."

Ricky Walden:

"I'm delighted, I missed a few balls but I made a good break in the last frame,"

"He gave me a good hiding on that occasion so I wanted to play well tonight. It was an important game for me."

Stephen Hendry:

"I'm very disappointed to lose because I love coming to China, but in the last few years I have not played well here. There's no excuse, I just didn't play well enough to win, it's as simple as that."

The following quotes are taken from World Snooker here.

Dave Harold:

"Before the interval it was very scrappy. We both stepped up a gear after the break. At the start Ding looked a little nervous, he hasn't been winning matches and that affects your confidence.

"We all go through bad patches, he just needs a couple of wins under his belt to give him some confidence,"

Ding Junhui:

"I wasn't on top form today and Dave seized all the chances to beat me.

"I didn't concentrate well enough but I'll go back to the UK and practise hard on my own,

Andy Hicks:

"I'm very pleased, it was a big game playing Shaun. I struggled a bit in my first game so it was good to be playing a top player and beat him convincingly,"

Shaun Murphy:

"If you watched the match it speaks for itself, Andy played very well and I didn't. It's not complicated."

Stuart Bingham:

"I played pretty well, any result against Peter Ebdon, a former World Champion is a great result. I went 3-2 down, then made a 100 and took confidence from that,"

Peter Ebdon:

"I played ok, made a hundred but Stuart played very well in the last two frames. It's disappointing to lose, it's a long way to come and go out in the first round but the best man won on the day. I'd like to do well in China, I don't think the Chinese fans have seen the best of me,"

And from Setanta:

Stephen Maguire:

"I was anxious to get over the line so I was relieved to get there in the end," said Maguire.

"I enjoy playing in China because it's always a good atmosphere. Obviously, I won the tournament in Beijing last season so to repeat that and do the double would be fantastic."

See the draw over at GSC...

With seven of the sixteen qualifiers making it through the first round, how many will reach the quarters? Find out as the Shanghai Masters last 16 matches are played on Thursday. Click below to see the schedule:

Thursday 2nd October

8:00am
Steve Davis v Dave Harold
Neil Robertson v Ricky Walden
Mark Selby v Mark King
Marco Fu v Andy Hicks

12:45pm
Stephen Maguire v Stuart Bingham
John Higgins v Ryan Day
Mark J Williams v Jamie Cope
Joe Perry v Ronnie O'Sullivan