Shanghai Masters 2024 live – Ronnie O’Sullivan takes on Ding Junhui in blockbuster, Judd Trump faces Si Jiahui

Join us again at 12pm BST for a belter: Ronnie O’Sullivan v Ding Junhui!

And he gets his ton too, a run of 118 setting up a semi-final meeting with Shaun Murphy. He’ll have to play better safety than he did today to win that, but he’s a chance and I’m looking forward to seeing him try.

Mar makes the match safe and the way he’s finished this has been impressive. Ca he crown proceedings with a ton?

This is nice work from Mark, and when he breaks the pack off the black, leaving one to left-middle, the match looks to be his. he’s played alright today, starting well, dipping, and rebounding; three in a row is a decent way to finish things off, and him playing well is always a buzz and a relief for those who love this thing of ours.

A slow start to the frame, then Pang finds another plant to a baulk pocket – only to miss a pink to middle. So Marrk gets in, and the way the balls are, some available and others ready to be broken, this is a chance to take f&m.

Shaun Murphy 6-2 Zhou Yuelong

The Magician is looking good…

A run of 81 seals the frame, and Pang needs three straight.

Has the tide turned in this match? Mark looks in nice control now and I’d be shocked if he didn’t go one away – though something that’s marked his performances in recent years is the proximity of ridiculous to sublime.

Mark clips a nice starter into left corner, then takes a while before eventually sending pink into left-middle. He quickly breaks the pack, and this is a decent chance.

Shaun Murphy 5-2 Zhou Yuelong

And he does. Pang has gone right off the boil, and there’s no one better and finding ways to win than Mark.

Mark floats a lovely starter from mid-table to right corner, and will hope to pick his way through what remains. The way these last two frames have gone, I’d not be certain, but he certainly ought to.

After much thought, Pang sinks the yellow then slithers home a fine red with the rest. Slowly slowly, he’s taking control of this frame … only to miss to left corner with the ball left in the jaws for Mark, and after a first mini-sesh of decent standard, it’s now a struggle.

Goodness me, Mark misses a sitter-red to left corner and when a poor positional shot means a trickier black than was necessary, Pang gets it down and on to the next ball.

Mark slots a fine starter, diagonally into left corner, but must soon play safe, and when he misses another chance, the sense is that this could be another longun. As I type, though, Pang misses gently to left corner, leaving a dolly – and with it a chance.

Nope, he misses the final red, so must settle for a 75. He’ll cope.

This will surely be our first ton of the match….

Mark clears reds and we’re going all-square again.

We’re tapping about in what remains of the pack, Mark loitering like he’d accept a re-rack if looked at. But Pang continues and it’s Mark who gets in next via red to corner, and though the black is tied up, he should score plenty at this visit.

Last afternoon, Pang’s match with Mark Allen had to stop at 5-4 because it went on too long, the players returning after the first of the second-slot matches was over; I’d not be surprised if that happens again.

Again, it’s Mark with the mistake which ends the safety exchange, Pang slipping a starter to left corner and adding a black … or not! Somehow, he jawses it, but though he leaves a red, there’s no way Mark can get on to a colour so we’re back playing in and out of baulk.

Shaun Murphy 5-1 Zhou Yuelong

Pang’s safety game is excellent – it’s winning him frames – and when Mark misses the yellow, hitting black, the concession is inevitable.

Pang bins one of the difficult balls then with one red remaining, nuzzles up to the brown, on the side rail. If Mark misses, he can only tie … and he does, by a fraction. Or not; the ref says he feathered it but it shouldn’t matter because the pot’s on; Pang sends it down then lays a snooker behind the black, 27 left with the lead 32.

We don’t see that often: Mark failing to escape a snooker – Nealf is extremely surprised. But he does, then an in-off leaves a chance, Pang flukes position when he comes up the table, and though there are two reds on black cush, he’ll fancy himself to finish the frame at this visit.

Again, it’s Pang who wins the safety exchange but an infelicitous bump off the middle knuckle leaves him a nasty brown to keep things going; he drains it into the yellow … and somehow goes in-off into right corner! Mark can’t do much, though, and when Pang finds a starter, all he can do is tuck in behind the yellow.

Gosh, a poor pink to middle means end of break – might Mark regret that? Not so much, he leaves nowt and we’re back playing safety.

He cannot, running out of position and left with no acceptable option, all he can do it leave Mark in. It’s not a simple table, but there are points to be had.

It’s been a decent standard so far, which is good to see – I feel I start every season hoping Mark is back properly, but the truth is it’s getting harder because everyone else is getting better. Meantime, he flukes a starter … only to jaws a blue to middle. Can Pang capitalise?

Shaun Murphy 3-0 Zhou Yuelong

On 80, Mark misses a black he shouldn’t, but he – and Pang – are both in decent touch, which is why we’re level after a decent set of frames. We’ll be back in 15.

A pink slotted to left-middle confirms the frame, and there’s a ton out there here.

These two are well-matched, great potters with solid safety-games, and Mark look good to level the match at the mid-sesh – he’s nowhere near out of available balls and he’s sliding balls in nicely, digging down on a black and seeing it move straight into the heart of the pocket.

Lovely starter to the middle from Mark, who needed hat – he’s barely featured in the last 20 minutes or so. But after a blue, playing the cannon off the next red he forget about the pot – how often do we see that? – and Pang then does similar, worried about where the white’s going and missing a cut-back accordingly. Selbz will be delighted just to be back at the table, but also, he’s in!

Mark dominated one, Pang two and three.

Frame secure, Pang is ton-hunting, but forced to try a double on a red … which doesn’t get close to the bag.

He’s a good player is Pang, and is in good touch too. He’s a careful potter, which isn’t to say he doesn’t take risks, that plant a prime example, just that he’s very deliberate in how he does things. It’s working well for him, his cue-ball control excellent in this run but also in general.

A slow start to the frame then Pang, near black cush, sends a lovely plant into the yellow bag and after dropping a pink to middle – just, off the knuckle – he rams home a red into right corner and is slowly but surely – and cleverly – manufacturing a chance.

Shaun Murphy 2-0 Zhou Yuelong

He doesn’t, but Mark stays in his seat.

Pang slowly accumulates, removing the last red off the side rail, and this is going to be 1-1 whether or not he drains a testing long pot.

No matter: again, his safety earns him a chance, and this time he looks good to take it. But we’ve lost the scores from our screen … ah, it’s back.

He cannot, running out of position and forced to stick white on baulk rail. That was a decent opportunity spurned.

Mark escapes but Pang continues dictating the safety duel – not many can do that against this legend – and eventually is left a starter. Can he parlay it into something significant?

Mark coaxes a lovely opener into left-middle, but a black is all that’s there for him to add, so he plays safe and Pang tries a roll-up only to hit the pink; he’s made better starts to matches. That’s a free ball but it takes Peggy, the ref, a while to concur; Selbz asks politely, she accept, and he clips down a tight cut-back pink. But he can’t quite see a way a nasty straight red to right corner so Pang takes a red and snuggles in behind rhe green.

Shaun Murphy 0-0 Zhou Yuelong

No ton, but a decent run of 83 and Mark is into the match.

Mark has a coupe of opportunities to score heavily but can’t take either; no matter. He soon gets back in, rescuing a poor positional shot with a nice cut-back pink to left corner, problem being he’ll need to break the pack soon and doesn’t really have an angle on the blue.So he takes the green instead and from here, should take the frame.

Apologies for a slight delay, but here comes Mark Selby v Pang Junxu!