Zhang Anda qualified for the Players Championship final in Telford after maintaining his composure in a last-frame match against Mark Selby.
Zhang put on an incredible run to lead by 4-0 going into the mid-session break. Selby had destroyed Ronnie O’Sullivan 6-0 in the quarterfinals, but he could only pot one red.
Zhang had started with a magnificent 129 clearance and had defeated veteran John Higgins in the previous round.
After that, the third seed in the competition scored runs of 80, 69, and 84, trapping Selby in his chair and devoid of motivation for the rest of the session.
After the restart, it appeared to be one-way traffic as Zhang made a 56-run break before failing to clear a black ball into the right corner. This gave Selby the opportunity to reach the table and pot his first ball in over 45 minutes, and he went on to win the frame with a measured clearance of 62.
Four-time world champion Selby then cut the score to 4-2, with another expertly constructed break of 85.
Much more tension was present in the seventh frame, when Selby had led early before getting out of position. Selby snuck a crucial red into the middle after a safety play exchange, then another couple with colors after that, which was sufficient to draw back another frame.
In the subsequent frame, Selby had a chance to tie the score, but a shoddy attempt at safety allowed Zhang to come back with the table nicely set. After more than 45 minutes, he finally churned out the frame 64–40 to move one win away from the title.
However, Zhang then failed to make a simple red into the bottom right pocket, giving Selby a chance, which he took with a brilliant 113-break to win another frame at 5-4.
Zhang was unable to force a decisive frame as Selby opened the tenth frame with a break of 51 and left the door open for him. Zhang missed the final brown as Selby forced a decider.
It was only a short-lived relief, though, as Zhang’s early 50-point break in the decisive was sufficient to get him to the championship match against Mark Allen.
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