Peter Ebdon held off an evening rally from China's Ding Jun Hui to beat the defending champion 9-5 and reach the semi-finals of the UK Championship in York. His opponent tomorrow will be John Higgins, who beat Joe Perry 9-3.
"To beat Ding is massive for me," said Ebdon. "As soon as I saw him play when he was 15, I knew he was exceptional. No disrespect to Stephen Hendry, Ronnie [O'Sullivan] and John [Higgins], but he's the best I've ever seen."
Ebdon has been ideally placed to observe his progress, as Ding is managed by Gary Baldrey, Ebdon's brother-in-law. On coming to England, he practised at the academy run by Ebdon and his associates which has now moved to Sheffield under the auspices of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Based in Sheffield, Ding shares a house with three other Chinese prospects. His mother provides the benefits of home cooking
In the afternoon session, it was clear that Ding's hectic recent playing and travel schedule had eroded his mental stamina and concentration. "You would have to think that," Ebdon said. "He's only human."
Having played competitively for six hours most days for a week in winning team, doubles and individual gold medals in the Asian Games, the 19-year-old Ding travelled from Doha to York and has been in action every day since.
Yesterday he fell from the high standards he had set in beating Ryan Day, the world No17, and Matthew Stevens, the 2003 champion here, as Ebdon, feeding off mistakes and making few errors of his own, led 4-0 and 6-2. Ding nevertheless mounted a charge by seizing the first two frames of the evening with breaks of 110 and 82 and recovering from 0-40 to add the third with a clearance of 59 which depended so much on low-value colours that it comprised no fewer than 21 pots.
When Ding led 61-0 in the next, 6-6 loomed large, only for a delicate short-range cut red by Ebdon, delicately played to hold for position, to finish on the lip of a corner pocket. This allowed Ebdon in for 30 but even then Ding had a shot at a none too difficult last red which would have secured the frame, barring a snooker. As it was, the 2002 world champion tied with a 35 clearance and forced an error on the tie-break black to lead 7-5.
Ebdon ran through the remaining two frames he needed by an aggregate of 212-4, including a valedictory break of 99.
Higgins led Perry 7-0 and clinched victory with a break of 106 after Perry had produced runs of 100 and 128.
In today's quarter-finals, Ronnie O'Sullivan plays Stephen Hendry and Steve Davis challenges the world champion, Graeme Dott.
