Judd Trump edged out Shaun Murphy to set up a final clash with Mark Williams at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.
In the first ranking event to be held in the country, Trump won a final-frame decider to claim a 6-5 victory over Murphy.
The world number one looked to be heading for a comfortable win when he opened up a 3-0 lead but Murphy responded with two frames in a row and stayed in contention.
After Trump led 5-3, Murphy racked up breaks of 78 and 60 to force a decider, and a hugely tense final frame came down to the green.
But it was Trump who prevailed to stay on course for the top prize of £500,000 – the biggest ever in snooker outside the World Championship.
"It was a tricky game," said Trump on wst.tv. "I threw away a couple of frames. Even though it was looking like it might turn around, I got over the line in the end with a bit of drama. That was a very tough semi-final, but hopefully it wont impact me in the final."
Murphy was left to rue the way things played out, saying: "It is a sickener. Once you get to this stage of an event, with such prize money and prestige, you think about winning.
"It never really felt like the balls were going my way all match. It felt like I was trying to push water uphill. Lady luck wasn't on my side for the majority, but Judd’s ability to keep potting balls is incredible. I think he is the best out-and-out potter we have ever seen."
In the second semi-final, Williams got the better of Ronnie O’Sullivan’s conqueror Si Jiahui, claiming a 6-3 victory.
Chinese player Si opened with a break of 116 but Williams quickly took control, winning four frames in a row and limiting his opponent to just 24 points.
Si posted the highest break of the match in the eighth frame with a 136 clearance but a 92 in the next one clinched it for Williams.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
