by GJ » 24 Jan 2010 Read
Five-Year Flashback
A trip down memory lane to the last five finals at the Newport Centre...
2005
Ronnie O’Sullivan 9-8 Stephen Hendry
In a final of outstanding quality between two of snooker’s all-time greats, O’Sullivan won the Welsh Open for a second consecutive year, having beaten Steve Davis in the 2004 final. Hendry knocked in breaks of 92 and 140 in taking a 3-1 lead, then O’Sullivan stole frame five on a respotted black and battled back to 4-4 by the end of the first session. Hendry regained the lead with a 93, O’Sullivan levelled with a 102. The Scot crept into a 7-5 lead, but his English opponent would not lie down and stormed back with 75, 52 and 131 as the match went to a deciding frame. From nowhere, O’Sullivan crafted a brilliant break of 67, which was enough to secure the title. “Hendry is the main man to measure your game against. He is still the greatest player I have ever played against. I always enjoy battling it out with him,” said the Rocket.
2006
Stephen Lee 9-4 Shaun Murphy
Lee hadn’t won a ranking title for four years, but showed that he still had the game to beat the very best. The Wiltshire pro took a 4-0 lead in the final with a top break of 120. Murphy, then the reigning World Champion, battled back to 4-3, but crucially lost the last frame of the opening session on the black. The first two frames of the evening’s play were shared to leave the score at 6-4, then Lee impressively pulled away to win the last three frames and capture the fourth ranking crown of his career. “I spent a long time practising hard and not getting the results, it felt as if I was banging my head against a wall. To win a trophy and see that work pay off is what it’s all about,” said Lee.
2007
Neil Robertson 9-8 Andrew Higginson
Robertson started the final a clear favourite, having proved his quality by winning the Grand Prix earlier in the season, which made him the first ever Australian winner of a ranking event. Higginson, by contrast, was considered perhaps the most unlikely ranking finalist in snooker history, having never previously been beyond the quarter-finals. And indeed it looked like plain sailing for Robertson in the first session as he built a 6-2 lead, compiling breaks of 76, 71, 98 and 74, though Higginson did show his ability with a 114 in frame two. But in the evening session, Higginson made an amazing comeback, winning six consecutive frames with runs of 54, 100, 97, 64 and 81. Finding himself 8-6 behind, Robertson regrouped and showed his class under pressure by winning the last three frames for a 9-8 victory thanks to breaks of 92 and 59. “When I went 8-6 down I was thinking I’d blown it. I had to hang in there and hope that I would get a chance,” said Robertson.
2008
Mark Selby 9-8 Ronnie O’Sullivan
Selby had captured his first major title just a few weeks earlier, winning the prestigious Masters at Wembley, and he would go on to make it a tremendous double by adding his first ranking crown. The first session finished neck and neck at 4-4, Selby making breaks of 77, 51, 70 and 65, O’Sullivan responding with 50 and 108. The Rocket started the evening session superbly with 93 and 135 to go 6-4 up, and although Selby won the next with a 72, he soon found himself 8-5 down after further runs of 63 and 54 from O’Sullivan. But the Leicester Jester has developed a reputation for producing his best in close matches, and he hit back to 8-8 with a top run of 63. The deciding frame was in the balance until O’Sullivan went for a risky double on the last red, missed it and left his opponent to clear up. "I just tried to feed myself some positive vibes and think back to matches I have won in the past. Strangely, I felt more relaxed the longer the game went on,” said Selby.
2009
Ali Carter 9-5 Joe Swail
This was a meeting of two players desperate to win, as neither had previously won a ranking title. Swail, in fact, had gone 18 years as a professional without ever making a final. The player nicknamed The Outlaw came out with all guns blazing in the first session, taking a 5-2 lead with a top break of 60. But Carter gave himself hope by taking the last frame of the opening session with a run of 54, then produced a devastating burst of scoring in the evening as he reeled off seven consecutive frames to realise the greatest moment of his career. Breaks of 116, 109, 61, 91 and 67 saw him storm to victory. “It's all about winning, to be able to go home and say no one has beaten you," he said.
