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Page last updated at 15:33 GMT, Saturday, 4 April 2009 16:33 UK

Higgins win sets up Ebdon final

Date: 30 March-5 April 2009 Venue: Beijing University Students Gymnasium
Coverage: Results and reports on the BBC Sport website


John Higgins and Peter Ebdon
Higgins will play Ebdon in Sunday's China Open final

John Higgins will meet Peter Ebdon in Sunday's China Open final after defeating Ryan Day 6-4 in Beijing.

Higgins was 3-1 down before staging a comeback that saw him clinch the match with a stunning century.

Earlier, Ebdon had thrashed Preston's Stuart Pettman 6-1 to claim his place in the final.

World number nine Ebdon was dominant throughout, opening the match with a quickfire century break following a nervy start by Pettman.

Welshman Day, who whitewashed Shaun Murphy 5-0 in the quarters, won the first two frames against Higgins before a stunning century break saw the Scotsman take the third.

Day took the fourth, but the next four frames belonged to Higgins with the double-world champion growing in confidence as the match went on.

Despite Day winning the ninth frame, Higgins recorded a 110 break in the 10th to book his place in the final to face Ebdon, who breezed through his match against Pettman.

606: DEBATE

Pettman had briefly threatened to upset the odds in frame three after Ebdon potted the white and conceded.

But the attempted comeback was halted by an emphatic Ebdon in frame four, and the former world champion never looked back.

Pettman was a surprise contender at this stage of the competition, having never reached the last 16 of a ranking event before, while Ebdon's recent form had been patchy coming into this tournament.

After an impressive opening frame by Ebdon, the second frame proved a much tighter affair, with Pettman, ranked 62 in the world, amassing a total of 35 before being overcome by Ebdon's 57.

Following Pettman's third-frame victory, Ebdon made no mistake in the fourth, and was gifted the fifth following an error that left a crucial red over the pocket.

An incredible four-cushion shot in the sixth put Ebdon well on the way to victory, and Pettman was forced to concede in the seventh after being snookered behind the black.



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see also
China Open draw
25 Mar 09 |  Snooker
China Open latest/order of play
25 Mar 09 |  Snooker
O'Sullivan battles on in Beijing
01 Apr 09 |  Snooker
Champion Maguire upset by Harold
31 Mar 09 |  Snooker
Trump loses to wildcard in China
30 Mar 09 |  Snooker
Walden stuns O'Sullivan in final
05 Oct 08 |  Snooker
Snooker on the BBC
20 Jan 09 |  Snooker


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