(Session 3) Luca Brecel Vs Ding Junhui - HALO World Championship 2025
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00:00Ding Zhongwei gets this first frame under way,
00:08and the reception the players got this evening was incredible.
00:13Can Ding Zhongwei carry on from where he left off?
00:17Every credit, his back was against the wall,
00:21and he produced back-to-back centuries
00:24to keep himself in this year's World Championship.
00:30Let's look at Bursell with some outstanding snooker, Steve,
00:39and it was incredible the way he played at the start of this match.
00:43Yeah, the first session was basically back to his World Championship winning form
00:49from a couple of years ago.
00:55Strange frame of mind for both of these players.
01:00Neither.
01:05Difficult for actually both players to really get properly focused for this.
01:11Ding Zhongwei knows he's not going to win the match,
01:15but he's going to try and win frames and see where it takes him.
01:19Look at Bursell already knows he's won the match,
01:22but can he still be as focused in concentration?
01:28Is that going to be up to get the job done as quickly as possible?
01:32Because that's what he'll want.
01:34Now, are those two reds a potential plant?
01:42Got a wonderful reception, Ding Zhongwei.
01:44Of course, he's been based in Shefu for many years now.
01:47He's got his academy here.
01:49I think he had a glance at the two reds.
01:55And I don't think they're in line for the pocket.
01:59There you can see going to the right side of it.
02:01He's back looking at the plant.
02:06To make the plant, he'd have to hit the red on the right side as we look at it to squeeze it.
02:16If they're close together, sometimes you can squeeze the plant.
02:24But hitting it on that side, there was no way he could make it.
02:27But a very good safety shot.
02:35There's the safety success, right?
02:38Luka ahead in that.
02:42Well, he'll be ahead in most of the stats, I would imagine.
02:45Pot success, right?
02:47When you're in the 90s, you know things are going well.
02:57And that's the long pot success stat.
03:00Way ahead in that.
03:09This is a bit of a chance.
03:10And he can get between the red and black on the way around the table here if he pops this.
03:27That's a bit of a result there with the red up next to the yellow.
03:32You can't see that.
03:37He's hampered slightly to take this pot on.
03:44He could get on the black, but the green's hampering him.
03:48And the thing is with things your own way, one mistake and he knows it's all over.
03:53So he's going to play a cushion first, hoping to catch this half ball and send it up the table.
04:03That's okay.
04:23Very, very lucky there to finish in this position.
04:43He could have left Ding Zhongwei right in amongst them there once he cannoned into the reds.
04:48Please make sure your phones are silent.
04:50Goodbye, Linda.
05:21Going very awkward with the Reds heading up the other end of the table.
05:32I think it was John Higgins against Joe O'Connor, Stephen.
05:35I don't know if you were on that game.
05:3614 Reds finished up past the Blue,
05:39and John Higgins won the frame with potting three Reds.
05:44Yeah, it was amazing.
05:45I think it was actually two Reds he potted.
05:48Never seen anything like it.
05:56Luka refused a Red.
05:58His last visit to the table up to the yellow pocket,
06:00which is a little bit of a surprise.
06:03I mean, the way he got to this lead
06:05is by pretty much all-out aggression.
06:10I don't think...
06:13He needs to start getting defensive now,
06:15needing just one frame.
06:16He hasn't played a good shot there.
06:19The white should have been tight in the cushion,
06:21so Deng Xiaonwei can have a go at this Red
06:23into the right middle pocket.
06:27Just a little bit awkward
06:28to finish on green or brown,
06:31so he's not guaranteed
06:33good position if he rolls this in the middle pocket.
06:37just looking at the angle.
06:48If he rolled that Red in the middle pocket,
06:50he'd sort of cannon the green and brown,
06:51so...
06:54fusing that one.
06:55Oh, the Red's coming back up.
07:00Doesn't want to hit the white.
07:02That was close.
07:09Again, that's...
07:10You know, you could admire the discipline there from Deng.
07:13As I said,
07:14you think at 12-4 down,
07:16you just basically go for everything
07:17and see where it takes you,
07:18but still playing
07:19what he thought was the correct shot
07:23was to refuse that Red to right middle.
07:33Does this Red pot?
07:34Well, it was a clever shot.
07:43He had a go at this.
07:44Well,
07:45the odds against getting the plant,
07:47but look where he put the cue ball
07:48just in case he might have got the plant.
07:52Right on the black
07:54and everything was safe.
07:56So there was no risk with that plant.
08:04a little bit harder.
08:27That Red would have been in the middle pocket
08:29and now
08:30it's a big pocket.
08:32Luca Bussell
08:33can put one red in off that one.
08:40He can do it with the red
08:42that's closest to the black
08:43or that one you're looking at there.
08:46And he'd be on the blue.
08:53So here we go then.
08:54If he's going to win the match
09:08after putting that red in
09:10off the other one,
09:11if he's going to win the match here
09:12just to have a look at the table
09:15it'll be some break.
09:17six
09:26already on this red
09:28and a way to open up
09:29the three reds beside the pink
09:30and stay in black.
09:32Seven
09:32Yeah, that red
09:34in off the other one
09:35made it look easy
09:37but it wasn't.
09:38great to see Luca Bussell back
10:04playing the snooker
10:06where he's played in this match.
10:13Such a talent.
10:21When you think that
10:22he could possibly
10:23there was a chance
10:24he was going to drop off
10:25the tour
10:25this year
10:27two years after winning
10:28the world championship
10:29such was
10:29his
10:31kind of fall
10:32from grace.
10:34Such was a dip in form
10:35since winning
10:36here.
10:38I mean
10:38when you see him
10:39the way he's played
10:40in this match
10:41you think
10:41why is he not
10:42why is he not winning
10:44every other week?
10:4523
10:45That was
10:48we always say Dennis
10:49there's more
10:49more than just talent
10:50you need
10:51in this game.
10:57I think the longer
10:59matches suit Luca
11:00as well
11:00it's given him
11:01a chance
11:01to settle in here.
11:0330
11:04Best of 19
11:06in the first round
11:06two sessions
11:07once you get past that
11:08and you're into
11:09the three sessions
11:10you can just relax
11:13a bit more
11:13and
11:13I suppose
11:16a lot of the matches
11:17in the season
11:17best of sevens
11:19and that he was
11:19losing
11:21whereas the longer
11:23matches will suit him
11:24and I'm with you
11:26it's great to see him
11:27performing like this
11:28the way he did
11:29when he lifted the title
11:30a couple of years ago
11:40and now the hard work
11:42starts with those reds
11:44all up the other
11:44end of the table
11:45minor than there
11:47and straight away
11:51it's run
11:52a little awkward
11:53yeah
11:59it's red to
12:00right middle
12:01he's got a bridge
12:02over another red
12:03to get to
12:03and there's no colour
12:04available to
12:05the yellow pocket
12:06so
12:09it's hard to see
12:10how he can get
12:11nicely on a colour
12:12after this
12:13the harder you hit
12:17this
12:17it is actually
12:18missable
12:18so he's basically
12:20just dropped it
12:21in
12:21dead weight
12:22can he get to
12:23the middle of the
12:24cue ball to put
12:25this blue
12:25well judging by his
12:26body language
12:27he can't
12:28so again
12:34if he's going to
12:36play the blue
12:37it's such a
12:38difficult shot
12:39because you've
12:40got to play at
12:40pace
12:41so that's why
12:41he's taking the
12:41pink
12:42that was all
12:52caused by getting
12:53wrong side of the
13:07blue but that's all
13:21forgotten now
13:22this is the beginning
13:24of the end I think
13:25of this match
13:25after that
13:26outrageous
13:27fluke
13:2847
13:2948
13:34I was just about to say
13:37Ding Zhongwei comes to the table
13:38he's 42 behind
13:39it's going to take
13:40some clearance with the reds
13:44all up this end
13:44but that fluke pink
13:46has put an end to it
13:47and possibly put an end
13:49to this match
13:5153
13:55ding Zhongwei started this match
14:07with a break of 141
14:09and then he had back-to-back centuries
14:13to finish the session yesterday
14:16so he's made three century breaks
14:19and I think against any other player
14:21he probably could have gone on to win
14:24yeah he's just been totally outplayed
14:29and what a match
14:30we've got to look forward to now
14:32Judd Trump
14:33against Luka Bricell
14:35both in top form
14:38be the kind of snooker
14:40that
14:40I love to watch
14:42for one
14:43yeah there won't be a lot of
14:48tactical play in that
14:49you wouldn't think
14:50although they're both
14:51terrific
14:53safety
14:53players
14:54when they need it
14:56Ding's undoing his cue
14:59as you can see there
14:59the handshake will be coming shortly
15:07even if he doesn't
15:09continue the break
15:11but look at that shot
15:12played to perfection
15:1371
15:15doesn't matter about that
15:24Ding will come forward
15:25to congratulate Luka Bricell
15:27Ding Zhongwei
15:29you have three century breaks
15:30but you're up against a player
15:32that has been absolutely magnificent
15:35and in the end
15:36Luka Bricell
15:37wins very comfortably
15:3913 frames to 4
15:41thank you