PTC Grand Finals: Ding Junhui hits 147 maximum against Mark Allen in Galway quarter-finals
Ding Junhui hit a 147 and two other centuries in a brilliant 4-3 win over Mark Allen at the PTC Grand Finals in Galway.
Last Updated: 16/03/13 10:57pm
Northern Irishman Allen could only sit and admire Ding's display for long spells as the Chinese star added two further century breaks during a superb 4-3 victory.
Ding, 25, had runs of 147, 138, 81 and 108 in a startling show at the Galway event, to move two wins away from the £100,000 first prize.
"I only missed a couple of balls in the match, but that was just a couple too many the way Ding was playing," Allen said.
"My safety let me down because Ding's scoring was ridiculous and I couldn't afford to let him have chances."
China's leading player had four previous maximums to his name, and the fifth came in the opening frame today, earning him a £3,000 bonus.
Even Ding found his feat hard to believe.
"It was crazy today, I made a maximum in the first frame and I only made one mistake with position, when I left the white close to a cushion and had to pot a red to a middle pocket," he told World Snooker.
"I thought it was a good chance for a 147 because the reds were all in a good position around the black. Best-of-seven matches are over quickly so you have to take your chances, make big breaks and put pressure on your opponent.
"It's always a nice feeling when you make a maximum."
Neil Robertson, the 2010 world champion, will tackle Leicester's Tom Ford in the semi-finals after the Australian posted a 4-1 win against Ding's compatriot Xiao Guodong.
Ford knocked out Hong Kong's Marco Fu by the same scoreline.
Ding was awaiting the winner of the late match between the unheralded pair of Kurt Maflin and Ben Woollaston.
