Ricky Walden and Mark Allen will contest the International Championship final after they came through 2 very different semi-final matches. The first semi-final was dominated by Ricky Walden, as Robert Milkins couldn't find his best form and was quickly becoming frustrated, while Walden was playing some fantastic snooker as he has done all week and he was in charge of the match from the very start. Ricky led 3-1 at the mid-session break in session 1, before winning 3 of the next 4 to take a 6-2 lead into the evenings final session of nine possible frames. Only 3 frames were needed though as Walden won them all to thrash Milkins 9-2. Meanwhile the semi-final between Mark Allen and Mark Williams was a match of fantastic standard that went right the way down to the wire. Mark Allen took an early 2-0 lead before 2 centuries from Williams levelled it up at 2-2 at the mid-session break of session 1. The next 2 frames were shared but it was Allen who won frame 7 with a century and frame 8 to take a 5-3 advantage into the evening session. The first 2 frames of the evening session were shared but when Allen took the 11th frame he led 7-4 and was 2 frames from the final. Williams hit back though to take the final frame before the interval and then the first 2 after it (including his 3rd century of the match in frame 14) to level at 7-7. Mark Allen won the 15th after needing a snooker, clearing with a great 35 ending in a long pot on the pink and a doubled black. The Welshman dug in and a brilliant 86 forced the decider. The decider saw chances for both players and it was Williams that had the best one, but he missed a tricky last red along the cushion just a few pots from the match and it was Allen that did enough to take the match out 9-8.
The second semi-final was probably the best match I've seen for standard over a full match that I've seen in a very very long time and it's sure to be in my Classic matches of 2014 countdown. What those 2 wins also mean is that, with Allen and Walden already qualified, the final spot in the Champion of Champions for this coming week is Ali Carter's which will mark his full return to the snooker tour (after winning a non-World Snooker sanctioned Hong Kong General Cup in October) since his treatment for Lung cancer.
Semi-Final Results:
Ricky Walden 9-2 Robert Milkins
Mark Allen 9-8 Mark Williams
Final Preview (Best of 19 Frames):
Mark Allen Vs Ricky Walden - Mark Allen and Ricky Walden have been playing some brilliant snooker this week and both guys fully deserve to be contesting this final, as this weeks stand out players (with a special mention in that bracket for Mark Williams too). Mark Allen's road to the final so far this week has seen victories against Nigel Bond (6-0), Martin Gould (6-4 from 0-3 down), Stuart Bingham (6-4), Michael White (6-3 from 1-3 down) and Mark Williams today in that sensational semi-final that Allen won in a decider. Those are far from easy matches and he has a slight disadvantage over Walden who had a much less taxing and mentally tough semi-final and a day off before the final, while Allen had to work hard today (though he made it look effortless) and very little time to relax before the final after such a nerve crunching game. That should affect him too much though because you'd expect the adrenaline of another big final (this is Allen's 4th of the season, 2nd in full ranking events) to get him through any tiredness or mental fatigue after a taxing week of snooker on the road. Mark has kept his recent good form going all week and if he keeps that going for one more game that will make him very tough to beat. Ricky Walden has also been playing sublime snooker this week, having made 7 centuries so far in the 5 matches he's won against David Morris (6-3), Zhou Yuelong (6-5), Joe Swail (6-4), Jamie Burnett (6-1- with 3 centuries in this game alone) and Robert Milkins in a much less mentally fatiguing semi-final. A lot of the players say that having the day off before the final is also very helpful and having not had to work very hard for his last couple of wins he'll be pretty fresh for this final, but it will be interesting to see how he copes when tested in a big ranking final by a top player (something he really hasn't been too much this week) while Allen will be mentally prepared for a tough match having had so many already this week. Ricky Walden is in fine break building form this week, but Mark Allen has been for the last 3 months now and Mark will be absolutely oozing with confidence and I think that he'll be very tough to beat.
Prediction: Mark Allen 10-7 Ricky Walden
It really has been a fantastic week of snooker this week with some really enjoyable matches throughout, with the certain stand outs being Mark Williams matches in the Last 16 against Ronnie O'Sullivan and the semi-final today against Mark Allen, which nothing I could say would do justice for. I'm sure the final tomorrow will finish the week off in style and then it's onto the Champion of Champions straight up on Monday, and my preview for that will be up tomorrow night. The Christmas run in of snooker has well and truly begun.
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