Concentration key for Fu
Marco Fu will have to call upon all his powers of concentration and resilience if he is to become the first Asian to reach the first 888.com World Championship final at the expense of Peter Ebdon.
Hong Kong potter Fu had already been involved in the longest frame of the competition – 59 minutes – during a marathon quarter-final triumph over Ken Doherty.
But that looks like paling into insignificance against 2002 champion Ebdon on the evidence of an opening eight-frame session spanning three hours, 45 minutes and including another 50-minute-plus frame.
The duo went into Friday’s second session locked at 4-4 but Ebdon is renowned for grinding down opponents and play visibly slowed during the second batch of four frames which occupied nearly two and a half hours.
One spectator cried out “It’s like watching paint dry” and even former player and TV commentator John Virgo claimed: “If every match was like this, it would not be the best advert for snooker.”
But working with coach and former world champion Terry Griffiths may have helped Fu acquire the art of patience – which will be tested to the limit before the match reaches its conclusion on Saturday afternoon.
Any fluency was confined to the early stages with Fu achieving his highest break – 81 – in frame one while Ebdon’s best run of 56 was compiled in the next.
Tournament favourite Ronnie O’Sullivan showed few signs of his self confessed lack of belief as he led 5-3 against Graeme Dott in the other semi-final – a repeat of their meeting in the 2004 final.
O’Sullivan had claimed “Every player still in this tournament thinks they are going to win. If you could measure confidence and self belief, I’d be last down the pecking order. I know I can produce the goods. I’m just lacking self belief.”
The Rocket, also been plagued with tip trouble during the past fortnight, did not fire on all cylinders in the early stages but gradually started to find his touch as Dott clearly became increasingly frustrated after a bright opening.
Dott put together a fine 121 break in the opener and finished the session with a run of 70 but in between O’Sullivan dominated proceedings without ever being at his most fluent.
Breaks of 61, 66, 63 and 47 helped him to win five frames in a row at one juncture against a disconsolate looking Dott.
