összefoglaló a délutáni sessionról:
MAGUIRE ON TRACK FOR MAIDEN TITLE
Euro Star Stephen Maguire was off like a steam train as he raced into an astonishing 7-1 lead over Jimmy White in the first session of the European Open final in Malta today (Saturday).
The young Glaswegian, who celebrates his 23rd birthday a week today, had never previously been beyond the last 16 of a ranking event. But the former world amateur champion has proved his potential this week with victories over Peter Ebdon, Joe Perry, John Higgins and Stephen Lee. He now stands just two frames away from his first major title.
Maguire may have had the run of the balls but he barely missed a pot in the first eight frames and fully deserves what looks likely to be a decisive advantage. Veteran White, who has lost in six Embassy World Championship finals, has a mountain to climb if he is to avoid another runners-up prize.
Maguire would become the youngest player to win a ranking event since John Higgins at the 1998 Embassy World Championship and the fifth Scot to win such a tournament. Victory would bring him a Ł48,000 top prize and bring him into contention for the LG Electronics Tour Order of Merit title.
Maguire, not even born when White turned professional in 1980, was ranked 41 at the start of the season but now seems certain to gain a top 32 place.
London’s 41-year-old veteran White is seeking his first ranking title since the 1992 UK Championship, though he did win the Matchroom League the following year. He is playing in his 23rd ranking final and aiming for his tenth title.
The most popular player in the history of the game, the Whirlwind has enjoyed a fine season so far. He was a semi-finalist in the Travis Perkins UK Championship and the Masters. Whatever the result today, he has boosted his chances of hanging on to his elite top 16 place, thanks to wins this week over James Wattana, Stephen Hendry, Neil Robertson and local favourite Tony Drago.
Victory tonight would make him the oldest winner of a ranking event since Doug Mountjoy’s 1989 Mercantile Credit Classic triumph. It would be his second European Open title, having beaten Mark Johnston-Allen 9-3 in the 1992 final. Only Hendry has won ranking titles in three different decades.
Maguire and White have played four times previously, with two wins apiece.
With a capacity crowd at the Hilton Conference Centre in Portomaso looking on, Maguire showed no signs of nerves despite his relative inexperience and was off to a blistering start with a break of 96 to take the first frame. White was among the balls first in the next but suffered a slice of misfortune as he potted the blue and spilt the pack on 44, only for a red to drop into a top corner. His opponent stepped in with 74 to go 2-0 up.
Maguire then hit top gear in frame three with a long red to initiate a brilliant 137 total clearance. He enjoyed another lucky break in the fourth as he fluked the 13th red. Leading 54-23, a superb pot on the last red helped him to a 4-0 interval lead.
White had a scoring chance in the next but made just eight before missing a red to the centre. Again he was brutally punished by the Scot as he rattled in a 103.
Things went from bad to worse for White in frame six as he lost it in unusual circumstances. Trailing 43-6 with six reds left, he was trapped in an awkward spot near the green pocket, but not snookered. He tried to come off the side cushion and roll up to one of the reds near the black spot.
He failed twice then came up short as he tried to hit a red directly. Under the ‘three misses’ rule, referee Jan Verhaas had no choice but to award the frame to Maguire. The aggregate points score at this stage was 589-83.
At 0-6, White was desperate to stop the rot and the seventh frame came down to the final black. The Englishman missed a tricky cut to the centre, but left his opponent in trouble. Maguire’s only option was to bounce the cue ball off the top cushion and hope to clip the black into the same middle pocket, but he missed it by a whisker and White finally had a frame on the board.
The Whirlwind built a 50-0 lead in the next before missing a straight-forward red to a top corner. There was a lot of work to do for the youngster, but he compiled a faultless 62 dish to the pink to restore his six frame lead.
The match resumes at 8pm local time, with the first to nine frames to fly home with the trophy.
utsó frameben nem semmi honnan jött fel Maguire..