China’s Ding Junhui racked up a record-equaling number of centuries by a single player in a Snooker World Championship match on Friday with his sixth, helping him to a 14-10 lead over Alan McManus in the semi-finals.
The 29-year-old Ding hit his fifth ton on the way to a 9-3 advantage over Scot McManus, who responded with his second and third centuries to win five frames and get back to 9-8 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England.
World No. 17 Ding finished the evening session in control, but saw the chance of a 147 break disappear in the 20th frame when he missed a black on 113 after struggling for position.
Photo: AP
The pair’s combined total of nine centuries was a record for a World Championship match, one more than the previous mark.
Hong Kong’s 38-year-old world No. 14 Marco Fu came from 5-3 down to draw level at 8-8 with England’s 2014 champion Mark Selby in the other semi-final.
Fu was shocked to see his tip fly off while he was chalking his cue, having tied the score at 7-7 after two centuries in a three-frame streak.
He lost his tip when his score was on 33 in frame 15, but it was glued back on and he completed a break of 81, taking an 8-7 lead.
Former world No. 1 Ding’s six centuries matched Ronnie O’Sullivan’s against Barry Hawkins in the 2013 final and Mark Selby’s versus Stephen Hendry in the second round in 2011.
He is aiming to become the first Asian player to reach the final, but world No. 29 McManus, 45, the oldest player to reach the last four since Ray Reardon in 1985, is putting up a fight.
Fu and world No. 1 Selby were to resume yesterday morning in the best-of-33 frame contest, while Ding and McManus were to play their final session in the afternoon.
Two people died on Thursday after fans and police clashed outside the Estadio Monumental in Santiago ahead of a game in South America’s Copa Libertadores, Chilean authorities said. The fatalities happened shortly before the match between Chile’s Colo-Colo and Brazilian club Fortaleza, when police blocked about 100 fans when they attempted to enter the stadium. There were conflicting accounts of how the fatalities occurred, with local media reporting that one of the dead was a 13-year-old boy. The other victim was an 18-year-old woman, according to a relative at the hospital where she was treated. The fans died after being caught underneath a
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a
Japan yesterday secured a second consecutive Billie Jean King Cup finals appearance with a 2-1 win over 2023 champions Canada, thanks to Ena Shibahara and Shuko Aoyama’s 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 win over Kayla Cross and Rebecca Marino in the qualifying doubles decider. Shibahara and Aoyama powered through the opening set 6-3, breaking twice for a quick 3-0 lead. Cross and Marino hit back in the second, edging it 7-5 to level the match, before the Japanese pair regained control in the third. Canada’s 18-year-old Victoria Mboko edged Shibahara 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 7-5 in a marathon opening clash. Mboko fired eight aces to