O’Sullivan made four 50-plus breaks in the match but saw a shot at a maximum 147 break come up short in the fifth frame.
The Rocket potted reds and blacks up to 48 but as he looked to add to his break he inadvertently potted the pink into the middle pocket.
O’Sullivan faces top seed Wilson in the last 16 at 12:30 UK time on Tuesday, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.Judd Trump faces Barry Hawkins at the same time.Elsewhere, Zhou Yuelong secured a century break in a deciding frame to bag a 6-5 win over 2011 champion Mark Selby.
Zhou had led 4-2 before Selby reeled off breaks of 91, 113 and 112 to take the lead and move one frame from the last 16.
But Zhou held his nerve, racking up an 83 and 107 break to set up a tie with Shaun Murphy.
Earlier in the day, Ding Junhui began his tournament with victory over Dongcheng Yao.
‘That was unlucky!’ – O’Sullivan accidentally pots pink to end promising break
Video credit: TNT Sports
Two-time winner Ding eased to a 6-2 victory after racing into a 4-0 lead, while his final frame saw a century break.
There were also wins for Chris Wakelin, Xiao Guodong and Hawkins as the first round concludes in Tuesday’s morning session before the last 16 gets under way.
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Selby 5-6 Zhou
Selby has made five breaks over 80 but is going to crash out regardless. Zhou notches up the century on the black.
He misses the black, but ends on 107 and has taken the match. Fantastic snooker from both but it is Zhou Yuelong in the last 16!
Zhou wraps up ‘big’ victory over Selby with ‘outstanding’ century
Video credit: TNT Sports
Selby 5-5 Zhou (0-76)
It looks like a 147 is off the cards now, as Zhou leaves himself on the green rather than the black, rightly prioritising the match.
He returns to the black now and that should be that.
Selby 5-5 Zhou (0-49)
Zhou is still on the 147, but is having a think about how he will break up the reds. He spots a plant amid the cluster and gets it. Crucial shot.
Oh, and the 147 dream is still alive for us fans.
Selby 5-5 Zhou (0-33)
Zhou has a sharp cut now, but finds it. He has the cluster of reds to deal with at some point but has been perfect so far.
A slight error leaves him low on a red to middle, but he will play into to top pocket instead. Lovely.
Selby 5-5 Zhou (0-16)
What a way to get the frame underway! Zhou finds a long read from top to baulk, and just nudges the black to push it into a better position.
This is his chance now, and that shot could well have won him the match.
Selby 5-5 Zhou (0-0)
Zhou Yuelong to break for the 11th and deciding frame.
Mark Selby prevailed when these two went to a decider in Shanghai in 2018. Who will win this time?
Selby 5-5 Zhou
Another red is potted, and should seal the frame. Whether he gets a century or not, this break has been as strong as any of Selby’s three preceding it.
He misses the black after the final red so it will just be 83. We are into a decider.
Selby 5-4 Zhou (1-60)
Zhou has a long red now, his hardest shot of the break so far, but finds it. Any mistake now could be his last shot.
The reds are becoming trickier. Zhou lines one up three times and pulls away three times. When he tries for the fourth time though, he pockets.
Zhou follows up with the pink to be 59 ahead with 59 remaining.
Selby 5-4 Zhou (1-42)
Zhou is keeping his cool so far as he looks to send us to a deciding frame. The pink is awkwardly placed for a few of the reds though and will need to be negotiated at some point.
The pink and black have been largely out of play, but Zhou moves into the 40s, using the blue to keep the points flowing.
Selby 5-4 Zhou (1-6)
Zhou scatters the reds a little but leaves the cue ball safe. Despite showing his prowess with the big breaks in the previous frames, this one is set up for some vintage Selby safety play.
However, some impatience sees the Jester miss a long red and here is a chance for Zhou Yuelong!
He’s off the mark in the tenth frame and has a chance to make a substantial break.
Selby 5-4 Zhou (1-0)
Advantage Selby? He pots the red in baulk, but goes for safety after, placing the ball right behind the yellow.
It should be a fairly straightforward escape for Zhou, who puts it in the pack.
Selby 5-4 Zhou (0-0)
This could be the last frame of the night, unless Zhou can set up a decider. He’s hardly been at the table recently.
In other news, Xiao Guodong, who trailed Xu Jiarui 5-4 when it was paused in the afternoon session, has returned to take the match 6-5 and set up a tie with Neil Robertson.
Selby 5-4 Zhou
Back-to-back centuries are on the card as Selby notches up a “yoga position” shot, in a half lotus position on the table as he pots a red.
There it is, a break of 112 as he clears the table. He has had three breaks in the last three frames totalling 316.
He is one frame from a match with Shaun Murphy.
Selby 4-4 Zhou (64-0)
This is looking set to be Selby’s third big break in a row, and one that has completely turned this contest on its head.
He is rapidly closing in on the ninth frame and every shot is leaving the cue ball in the perfect position.
Zhou needs snookers now and is unlikely to even get a chance to return to the table.
Selby 4-4 Zhou (28-0)
Selby is underway, but eight reds are still together and will need to be dealt with. For now, he’s cleaning up the reds in baulk, which is useful but not giving him huge points either.
However, a brilliant shot on the brown comes round to the reds and smashes them wide open.
Now he has a huge chance to take the frame.
‘That is a brilliant shot’ – Selby emphatically pots brown
Video credit: TNT Sports
Selby 4-4 Zhou (8-0)
It looks like Zhou is, as he plays a dreadful safety to leave Selby with a simple red.
Can he move one frame from victory now, and ahead in the game for the first time?
Selby 4-4 Zhou (0-0)
Essentially a best of three now, but Selby has the momentum.
Once again, several safety shots to begin with. Who will be first to blink?
Selby 4-4 Zhou
Selby pots the frame ball, barring a snooker, and guides a red into the centre pocket to certainly seal the frame.
He missed the chance for a century break last frame, can he get it now? Yes he can, century number 962 for the Jester, and he keeps going all the way to 113 before missing the brown.
Selby hits classy century to draw level with Zhou in Shanghai Masters clash
Video credit: TNT Sports
Selby 3-4 Zhou (53-1)
Selby is motoring along now, and looks well-set to level up the match for the first time.
He leaves a good angle on the black to cannon into the five reds, and does so, but not as effectively as he would like.
He should see out this frame regardless.
Selby 3-4 Zhou (1-1)
Selby breaks in the eighth frame. The winner will face Shaun Murphy in the last 16.
Zhou finds an extraordinary plant but doesn’t leave himself on a colour. He does go for the black to middle, but doesn’t cut it enough.
Selby investigates a couple reds before potting the one in baulk.
Selby 3-4 Zhou
Selby finishes with a 91 break. Game on.
Selby 2-4 Zhou (72-1)
That missed black from Zhou is looking extremely costly. Had he found that, you would have expected him to clear up as Selby has here.
He is 70 ahead with 67 remaining on the table and executes a plant to make absolutely sure.
Selby 2-4 Zhou (55-1)
This is well set up for the Jester, and it has been smooth going thus far, finding a nice cannon to keep his position tip-top.
He moves into the 50s with ease. There are two tricky reds but he shouldn’t need them.
Selby 2-4 Zhou (8-1)
Zhou guides a red into the centre pocket and has half a chance on the black too. He can’t pot and Selby now has a chance to get on the board.
He takes it, and pots the black right on the corner pocket to get in a great position to halve the deficit.
Selby 2-4 Zhou (0-0)
What does Mark Selby have left in him. 5-2 looks like it’s game over, but 4-3 is anyone’s to play for.
He is making life difficult for Zhou once more with another safety game.
Selby 2-4 Zhou
One more red will probably do. A red and colour will definitely do, and he pots the pink.
The 28-year-old, arguably the best player on the tour without a major, is two frames from the second round.
Selby 2-3 Zhou (11-60)
After that black though, Zhou is left without a decent shot and plays for safety. He does get an extra four points when Selby misses the red altogether when trying to leave another safety.
Next time up, he leaves Zhou with a straight long red which he converts. He is nearly there in the sixth frame.
Selby 2-3 Zhou (11-48)
This safety game has gone on for a while without any sign of ending. How we have missed Mark Selby over the summer.
Zhou manages to pot a long red though, and sets himself up nicely on the black to get into position for a 4-2 lead.
Selby 2-3 Zhou (11-40)
So far, so good from Zhou, who produces a lovely rest shot to keep the break alive.
However, he gets in a tangle, and has to play a safety shot, itself not a given, but manages to get us back to a safety game with a 29-point lead.
Selby 2-3 Zhou (11-4)
Now over to table two, which is already shaping up to be a corker.
The momentum continues to swing between Mark Selby and Zhou Yuelong, as the Chinese player begins a break looking to restore his two-frame lead.
All over! O’Sullivan 6-1 Liu
The last red is tricky off the cushion and O’Sullivan misses it. Liu will return needing snookers to stay in the match.
He needs to get out of one first, and fails. That foul is enough to concede and Ronnie O’Sullivan is into the second round.
Liu foul confirms impressive win for O’Sullivan in Shanghai Masters opener
Video credit: TNT Sports
O’Sullivan 5-1 Liu (64-24)
Liu’s 24 means O’Sullivan will need those reds to win the frame at some point. For now though, he’s just trying to get the easy points.
When potting the black, he tries and fails to move them. He leaves himself high on the black to get a second chance, and does so.
One in, and the black should be enough, which he takes.
O’Sullivan 5-1 Liu (27-24)
Liu gifts O’Sullivan another chance though with a poor safety. This is his chance to win the match.
There are two reds that might cause trouble at the end, but the Rocket is in the lead for now.
O’Sullivan 5-1 Liu (9-24)
Liu takes a big risk on a red but can’t find it. It was a save risk to take and O’Sullivan returns the ball to the bottom right-hand corner where the rest are.
It is 3-2 to Zhou Yuelong in his match against Mark Selby. We will hop over to covering that match once this one is wrapped up.
Chance for Liu and he takes it. Can he get his second frame of the match now?
O’Sullivan 5-1 Liu (9-18)
This is his first real opportunity to win the match, but the Rocket has left himself with no colour on. He plays a good safety though, using the cushion to kiss the black ball.
O’Sullivan 5-1 Liu (1-18)
Here’s a third chance at a long red for Liu Linhao. It’s probably the easiest of the bunch but he misses this one, and leaves O’Sullivan with a long red of his own.
He sands down the tip of his cue and, after a shake of his head, pots the long red.
O’Sullivan 5-1 Liu (0-18)
Liu goes too deep on lining up a red and plays for safety. However, he pots another long red to have a second chance at the frame, but finishes right on the baulk cushion.
The green isn’t the best shot and he misses it. O’Sullivan returns but plays a safety shot.
O’Sullivan 5-1 Liu (0-17)
It’s Liu’s turn to go for a long red, and he sinks it! He needed that, and gets the long blue too in the corner pocket to keep going.
Quite simply, this break has got to put the frame out of O’Sullivan’s reach.
O’Sullivan 5-1 Liu (0-0)
It’s a cagey start to the frame, and O’Sullivan completely misses a red, to hand Liu four points. It isn’t the end of the world though, as there’s no clear shot on.
The Rocket then misses a long red, which he has been strong at hitting today, but Liu plays a safety shot again.
O’Sullivan 5-1 Liu (0-0)
O’Sullivan is one frame from the last 16 and a meeting with Kyren Wilson at this venue for the second year running.
What can Liu do to prevent that? Victory seems improbable but he would certainly like to put in a better account for himself.
Safety from both to begin with.
O’Sullivan 5-1 Liu
The table’s not as straightforward as it was before O’Sullivan potted the pink, but he’s got a big lead regardless. He does well to open up and pot one of the reds but the frame is already won.
The Rocket is playing beautifully now, making the tricky reds look simple. He does miss the remaining one but is too far ahead anyway.
O’Sullivan 4-1 Liu (49-13)
That’s a poor miss from Liu though! He’s missed a very easy red to bring O’Sullivan back to the table, who sinks a long red to get going again.
O’Sullivan 4-1 Liu (48-13)
There’s the cannon to open things up as the red goes in, but so does the pink!
Not only is that the 147 dream over, but Liu can do to O’Sullivan what O’Sullivan did to Liu last frame.
‘That was unlucky!’ – O’Sullivan accidentally pots pink to end promising break
Video credit: TNT Sports
O’Sullivan 4-1 Liu (48-0)
There is no reason not to expect a big break from the Rocket here. He takes a brief break while the referee scrubs something off the black.
The 147 is still on the cards here…
O’Sullivan 4-1 Liu (16-0)
Oh no! Liu has missed a long red and left O’Sullivan with so many options to choose from. He plays the cannon well to open up the black too.
This is a very good position for the Rocket to go 5-1 up.
O’Sullivan 4-1 Liu (0-0)
How will Liu Linhao respond to that frame? He missed such a simple opportunity and a three-frame gap looks vast right now.
For the first time in this match, we’ve had a continuous safety game.
O’Sullivan 4-1 Liu
O’Sullivan is nine behind with all the colours remaining on their home spots. Liu watches on, arms folded.
The brown draws him level, the blue puts him ahead. Pink to clinch the frame and he gets it, along with the black for good measure.
It should be 3-2, but it’s 4-1.
O’Sullivan 3-1 Liu (45-57)
This is a great chance for O’Sullivan, but there is still work to do, with the three remaining reds scattered.
On the other table, Zhou Yuelong goes into the interval 3-1 up over Mark Selby with a 135 break.
How well can Ronnie get on the remaining red in baulk? More or less perfectly, as he pots the blue.
O’Sullivan 3-1 Liu (7-57)
Having done so well, Liu squanders a pretty routine red! He’s got a hearty lead but by no means insurmountable.
O’Sullivan is off the mark and has plenty of reds to choose from to reel Liu in.
O’Sullivan 3-1 Liu (0-50)
Liu has broken up the cluster of reds nicely and has worked himself into a good position to stretch out a big break, with the black in proximity.
The pink is also handy, which he uses at one point, to open up the angles on the reds. A second potting of the pink brings up the half-century break, with more to come.
O’Sullivan 3-1 Liu (0-12)
A safety from Liu earns a round of applause as he snookers O’Sullivan but the Rocket wriggles out of it.
However, he does leave a tough red with Liu pockets with gusto. Can the 18-year-old put the seven-time World Champion under pressure?
O’Sullivan 3-1 Liu (0-0)
The players are back after the interval. Will that break disrupt O’Sullivan’s rhythm or will the Rocket power on to the last 16?
How to watch the Shanghai Masters on TNT Sports
The 2026 Shanghai Masters will get underway on Monday, July 27, with the final scheduled for Sunday, August 2. It will be played at the Luwan Indoor Stadium in Shanghai, China.Watch and stream the 2026/27 snooker season, including the World Championship and Home Nations events, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.
O’Sullivan 3-1 Liu, Selby 1-2 Zhou
Over on the other table, Zhou Yuelong is 2-1 up against Selby. The Jester From Leicester has taken the most recent frame though so has the momentum.
Liu Linhao has put in a decent performance today but has missed good chances to go into the break level.
He is a bit rough around the edges, but, technically speaking, there is a good snooker player there.
O’Sullivan 3-1 Liu
Liu misses a red, but still needs just one snooker, providing O’Sullivan doesn’t pot here.
Unfortunately for the teenager, O’Sullivan does pot. The Rocket misses a second red but will lead 3-1 at the interval.
O’Sullivan 2-1 Liu (71-1)
O’Sullivan is 71 ahead with 67 remaining, but misses the black. Liu will return, needing snookers. How will he play this?
He starts with a red.
O’Sullivan 2-1 Liu (55-0)
O’Sullivan is in his rhythm now and is up and running immediately in the fourth frame, with a terrific opening red.
He finds a lovely cannon to open up the reds and could be on course for a big break here, with the black on its spot and unobstructed.
He gets the 50 up and isn’t done yet.
O’Sullivan 2-1 Liu
O’Sullivan races into the lead, but will need to deal with the lone red at the baulk end at some point. For now, he’s just racking up the points.
But he deals with it well and pots it at the end, before taking the blue to bag the frame.
Liu had chances to win this frame but the Rocket leads. He clears the table with a 73 break, by far his highest of the match.
O’Sullivan 1-1 Liu (23-36)
But he can’t! After pocketing the pink he leaves himself right behind a red which blocks off all opportunities.
Liu takes a risk and can’t find the centre pocket. Ronnie has to reach but he’s back on the board!
O’Sullivan 1-1 Liu (15-36)
Ronnie O’Sullivan has been a bit rusty today, and hands Liu another opportunity to get a break going after missing a colour.
A red just about drops in which probably would not have if Liu had applied the same force he has been previously in this game.
The Rocket could be in trouble here. But Liu misses a tricky red and O’Sullivan has the chance to punish.
O’Sullivan 1-1 Liu (14-7)
O’Sullivan needs a cannon after potting the black, but it doesn’t fall too favourably, so he plays a safety, almost managing to hide behind the yellow in baulk.
Once again Liu overpowers a long red, but flukes a different red in the process! Very lucky indeed.
He pots the pink but is left in baulk. Safety it is.
Liu pots red with bizarre fluke against O’Sullivan
Video credit: TNT Sports
O’Sullivan 1-1 Liu (1-0)
Another loose shot from Liu gives O’Sullivan an early chance that he cannot take, before Liu goes for the long red, but overhits it too.
The looseness from Liu gives O’Sullivan a second chance, which he takes.
O’Sullivan 1-1 Liu
Liu is a bit annoyed as he leaves himself a long red and takes it. He should have been safe anyway.
Can he make a century now? The crowd is a big fan of his work here.
Unfortunately not, but he is on the board regardless!
O’Sullivan 1-0 Liu (0-62)
This break has settled Liu a little, as he builds the break into the 30s. He’ll be glad for the opportunity to just have some time on the table.
However, the teenager is starting to run out of free reds and has a think about where he wants the white to end up after pocketing the blue.
Liu has played onto a plant, but it is a tough angle. He bags it though! Brilliant shot.
Another nicely lined up plant is all he needs and he gets it.
O’Sullivan 1-0 Liu (0-2)
Zhou Yuelong has taken the first frame against Mark Selby, hence the applause around the Luwan Indoor Stadium.
Liu has another chance but cannot power the red into the centre pocket. O’Sullivan then eyes a plant, but also can’t convert.
Another chance for Liu. This time he takes it, but only just avoids pocketing the white!
O’Sullivan 1-0 Liu (0-1)
Back underway, and Liu Linhao begins with a much tidier break than Ronnie O’Sullivan managed last time.
Liu gets on the board first, on a loose red but doesn’t have an available colour so plays a safety shot.
O’Sullivan 1-0 Liu
O’Sullivan breezes through the break to take the frame, before missing a long red.
Liu concedes and the Rocket takes the first frame with some comfort.
O’Sullivan 0-0 Liu (45-1)
It’s a decent safety but Liu finds a very handy fluke to get on the board! The long pink is tough and ricochets out.
The table is pretty open now for the Rocket to take the frame and he’s already underway.
O’Sullivan 0-0 Liu (44-0)
O’Sullivan is speeding through this break. An early blue takes away any chance of the 147 but he’s making very decent inroads here.
Howeve, he gets too close to a red which scuppers his chances, so has to play for safety.
O’Sullivan 0-0 Liu (8-0)
It’s not a good break at all as O’Sullivan nearly pockets the white, but sets up Liu nicely, who cannot convert the early chance, a smile on his face as the nerves of the big stage get to him.
Liu’s safety afterwards isn’t great and the Rocket gets underway!
O’Sullivan 0-0 Liu (0-0)
The winner of this match will face Kyren Wilson, last year’s winner, as each of the world’s top eight gained automatic entry into the second round.
Here come the players! Liu is quickly followed by O’Sullivan as the phone cameras in the crowd are all out to get a picture of the Rocket.
Ronnie to break.
Players ready for action
We are about to get underway as Liu Linhao, in his first professional match outside of Q School, faces none other than seven-time World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan.
We will be providing live play-by-play updates from this match, while giving regular updates from the other table as 2011 winner Mark Selby takes on Zhou Yuelong.
How to watch the Shanghai Masters on TNT Sports
The 2026 Shanghai Masters will get underway on Monday, July 27, with the final scheduled for Sunday, August 2. It will be played at the Luwan Indoor Stadium in Shanghai, China.Watch and stream the 2026/27 snooker season, including the World Championship and Home Nations events, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.
What have you missed so far?
If you’ve slept through the first two sessions, or didn’t realise snooker season is already underway, here’s a quick recap of the day’s action!
Chris Wakelin got the tournament off in style, thrashing Hewen Tang 6-0 in the opener, before Jiarui Xu lead Xiao Guodon 5-4, before that match was paused. It will continue at the end of this evening’s session.
In the afternoon session, Barry Hawkins edged past Lei Peifan 6-4 and Ding Junhui got his campaign underway with a solid 6-2 win over Dongcheng Yao.
Welcome back!
Good afternoon and welcome back to our live coverage of the 2026 Shanghai Masters evening session.
Two absolute crackers in store, as Mark Selby takes on four-time ranking tournament runner-up Zhou Yuelong, while five-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan meets teenager Liu Linhao.
Ding Junhui beats Yao Dongcheng 6-2
No total clearance, but a resounding victory for Ding, who meets Zhao Xintong next.
Ding 5-2 Dongcheng (102-0)
And there it is, a second TC in three frames also looking likely.
Ding 5-2 Dongcheng (80-0)
Ding secures the match and will now look to put an exclamation mark on his victory with a century.
Ding 5-2 Dongcheng (45-0)
Ding effortlessly removes balls, the match nearly his.
Ding 5-2 Dongcheng (13-0)
Yao goes at a ball to left corner, can’t send it down, and when Ding tidies, then breaks pack off black, he’ll be fearing the worst. A decent red to middle keeps the run going, and this is a chance to secure f&m.
On table two
Barry Hawkins 3-3 Lei Peifan
Ding 5-2 Dongcheng
Ding does miss, and a match which ought really to be over continues.
Ding 5-1 Dongcheng (9-67)
Oh! Now it’s Yao missing when he shouldn’t … but then lays a snooker, and if Ding can’t hit he’ll surely concede
Ding 5-1 Dongcheng (9-67)
Gosh, Yao misses a dolly to the yellow bag, and this might be curtains. Oh! But Ding somehow sends a red so far from corner you wonder what on earth he was trying to do, and what looked like game over should now be 5-2.
Ding 5-1 Dongcheng (0-42)
But before he does, he runs out of position, so plays to the top cushion, frame well in the balance and plenty of reds in potable positions.
Ding 5-1 Dongcheng (0-26)
Yao snicks to middle, adds the blue, then works his way back up the table. There are a few loose reds at which he can pick, but at some point, he’ll need to break the pack.
On table two
Barry Hawkins 3-3 Lei Peifan
Ding 5-1 Dongcheng
The pink wobbles in, the black follows, and that’s a 133 and four up with five to play; very nice.
Ding 4-1 Dongcheng (97-0)
Yeah, the frame is Ding’s and he looks good for a total clearance. On which point, do we need a different expression to describe a TC that comes following the break, sO the opponent plays just one shot? A golden TC?
Ding 4-1 Dongcheng (45-0)
There are few better in the balls than Ding, and I’d be staggered if he didn’t secure the frame at this visit. losing that last one will have focused his mind, I’m sure.
Ding 4-1 Dongcheng (28-0)
Off the break, Yao leaves one to middle which Ding slots, of course he does, then it’s the blue powered into right-centre to split the pack, and already this looks like a frame-winning contribution.
On table two
Barry Hawkins 3-2 Lei Peifan
Ding 4-1 Dongcheng
Ding goes in-off and concedes.
Ding 4-0 Dongcheng (43-79)
Or not. A miss on the yellow and Ding returns to the table needing three snookers.
Ding 4-0 Dongcheng (43-72)
Ding almost gets it down right corner, misses, and Yao will now do the necessary.
Ding 4-0 Dongcheng (39-71)
Ding misses to middle but does he have cover? Just about, then my system crashes, returning for me to see they’re still chasing that final red.
Ding 4-0 Dongcheng (39-57)
Black to corner … and Yao misses the cannon on the side-cushioned red. The frame remains in the balance.
Ding 4-0 Dongcheng (39-42)
Oh, but Ding rattles a red from near the blue spot into the jaw of the yellow bag, and that might well cost him; Yao breaks up three balls, but will need the one on the side.
Ding 4-0 Dongcheng (17-23)
Oh dear. Yao leaves a red on the lip of left corner, Ding doesn’t even need to address it first, and I’m afraid the young man can’t play well enough for long enough to make this close. There’s work to be done but almost no one better at working through a break once in the balls than his opponent today. If the split goes well, it’s going to be 5-0.
Ding 4-0 Dongcheng (8-23)
A red to middle … holds its line and doesn’t roll off. End of break … but no matter, a terrific opener cut to the yellow bag sets Yao away again, a long black keeps him at the table, and this is promising.
Ding 4-0 Dongcheng (8-8)
A terrible shot from Yao leaves a red to corner, Ding sends it home then clobbers the pack off the black … and lands on nowt, embedded within it. That’s a let-off for the youngster, and the next chance goes to him, a red needing steering from baulk to middle … and he plays it well. Can he make something happen?
Our players return…
And off we go again.
Ding 4-0 Dongcheng
Dongcheng has a tough one to take over at the top of the table, with any full sight on balls not giving him an easy selection. He comes off a cushion to nestle in the bunched pack of reds, with the scores at 0-0.
Ding responds by stabbing a red into the top right, an excellent shot that could allow him to build a small break after he pots the green.
He follows that up with adept effort on the blue to the top right, and he retires to his corner to wipe his cue down.
After negotiating a tricky early spell, Ding has the reds fairly spread out for now, and the black is open. It moves him onto his half-century break.
Ding moves to 113 with the yellow as he begins the final clearance. He needs a rest on the brown to the bottom left, now needs to send the pink to the middle. He wildly overhits it, and ends on 125-0.
Ding 3-0 Dongcheng
Early in the third frame, Ding is 44-0 up and the reds are spit nicely across the table. A century break is certainly possible, and the frame should be his at a single visit.
A cannon on a red rattles the jaw to bring his break and total to 74, and then he adds a routine pink to continue the break with four reds remaining.
A pink to the bottom left leaves him with little room to work with as it blocks off the closest red, with the only other splitting the distance between the bottom left and middle left pockets. On 95, he lands the double to great applause and now needs to cut in the black to the bottom right, which he does for his century.
He misses a glancing red to the middle right, and ends with his third frame in quick succession.
Ding 2-0 Dongcheng
Moving on to 47 in a fluid break, Dongcheng accidentally pots the pink after sinking the blue. He also clipped in a red, so Ding gets six. Ding then pots the cue ball for his own foul, giving four points back the other way.
At 59-6, the two exchange some safety play at the bottom of the table with no easy red to take on.
Ding then sinks an excellent long red to the bottom left to break the deadlock, and strains over the table to pot the blue to the top right as a potentially decent break starts to take shape.
Ding develops the brown with a superb shot on the green that leaves it maybe, maybe cuttable, but instead he plays it safe-ish next to the black.
A double contact for Dongcheng puts Ding in with a chance as he uses the rest to take on the brown to the bottom right, drawing applause, and he is now three points behind and sitting just behind the blue, perhaps a little straight.
The pink and black go down in orderly fashion and Ding has the second frame 74-59.
Good morning
Ding Junhui takes on Dongcheng Yao and is 1-0 up after a break of 71 kickstarts his 100-0 win in the first frame.
Shanghai Masters LIVE – Ding v Dongcheng
Welcome to our coverage of the first-round match between two Chinese players at different stages of their careers.
‘It is a rarity these days’ – Trump breaks the deadlock with delightful double pot
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