Kurt Maflin 4-2 Lu Haotian - From the start that was a superb performance from Kurt Maflin and easily one of the best of the week so far. He needed a bit of fortune in the final frame, after potting one red onto another, the one that ran free cannoned the black, but still left it pottable into the opposite corner than the one Maflin had played for. Otherwise it was an imperious run to the line with yet another big break, 88 this time, booking his place in the final stages of the Riga Masters. When you watch Maflin play like that you have to think the former ranking semi-finalist is still well capable of picking up a ranking title. As for Lu, there was little he could do. When his chances came he too made a couple of good breaks and has some positives to take into his World Open qualifier.
Frame 6 - Maflin has been dominant in the last half hour here and now he's in first in the sixth to try and complete this match. A brutal pack split from the blue opens everything up after pin point positional play helped him get the black back on it's spot a couple of shots previously. This could well be his run to the line now
Frame Maflin - Yet again it's a quick kill for the Norwegian with a flawless initial break of 72 leaving Lu requiring a snooker. That battle only lasted one shot before Maflin had his opportunity to absolutely clinch the frame, doing so with ease and moving ahead again. 3-2 Maflin.
Frame 5 - It's crunch time now in this match and Lu's early chance only amounts to 19 after an unlucky pack split. A later miss from the Chinese youngster leaves Maflin right in and after his smooth break in the last, there could be plenty to come here as well.
Frame Maflin - All that was missing from this match was a century and now that has been delivered. An excellent total clearance of 133 from Maflin where once more he looked in full control and in confident mood. After four frames it's all square again at 2-2.
Frame 4 - After a superb long red the first chance in this fourth has fallen at Maflin's door and he needs to take advantage and steady the ship. A nice mid range pot takes him to 21 and keeps things moving into a nice position for him.
Frame Lu - Maflin's counter chance didn't last long after a cannon on the blue left him in a tricky spot on either that or the pink. Upon missing the blue he was left needing snookers, and despite being able to tie at one stage Lu would ultimately claim the frame and move in front. 2-1 Lu.
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| Lu also looks in good form as he takes a commanding frame three lead. |
Maflin is still alive in this frame but only just. Lu makes a nice contribution of 61 but leaves himself a tough frame ball, so when it fails to drop Maflin is 56 behind with 59 left. After a good safety shot his counter chance has arrived.
Frame 3 - After a couple of early misses from both players Lu now has his hand on the table with a decent opening. Once more the reds are open though the black is off it's spot, but he soon has that taken care of. Expect another heavy break here.
Frame Lu - That was just the response Lu needed there to let Maflin know he's not going to have an easy afternoon. One mistake from the Norwegian receives full punishment and with a break of 70 we're all square. 1-1
This is a really great chance now for Lu. After potting the initial red he finished low on the black, and in potting it, scattered the reds everywhere and has been pin point positionally ever since. This match should soon be level.
Frame 2 - There was an early chance in this frame for Lu but he only made 6 and now another good long pot from the Norwegian has him eyeing another big break. Work to do with the pack but this is still a good opportunity. That is until he misses the blue going for a soft cannon on the bunch.
Frame Maflin - When Maflin plays like this it's a joy to watch. He has the stature and the confidence around the table that tells you he is the boss when he is in among the reds. A nice recovery shot on 48 after running a little closer to the cushion, saw him punch the red in and run through the other four to open them up further. The result is a break of 94 that certainly tells you what to expect from him this afternoon.
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| Maflin on the way to his opening frame run of 94. |
Frame 1 - The first chance has fallen the way of Maflin early on here. With reds nicely placed it'll be a good early indicator for how he's playing and scoring in the first match of this new season.
This one should be a cracking game, a heavy scoring clash and certainly will not be slow.
Norway's Kurt Maflin is always a good watch and usually has two or three good runs a season to the last 16 or a quarter final, and this is an event that presents an opportunity for one. This however is a very tough draw.
For China's Lu Haotian he has the job of kicking on after a good first season of his tour return. Highlighted by making the last 16 of the World Championships and the semi's in Northern Ireland, he is into the top 64 in the rankings after just one year. That just shows the quality that he produced consistently last campaign and if he keeps that up he could soon join the likes of Yan Bingtao, Xiao Guodong and Zhou Yuelong in the top 32 of the rankings.
This is one of the ties of the week and definitely worth following.
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