By Elliott West
Introduction
The 2007 Shanghai Masters was the first ranking event of the 2007/2008 season and took place between 6-12 August 2007 at the Shanghai Grand Stage in Shanghai, China. With a total prize fund of £250,000 and a winner’s share of £48,000, the tournament had a wildcard round, to allow eight Chinese players the chance to display their talent, and matches in this round were the best of nine frames. A prequel to the main draw of the event.
Wildcard Round
Scott MacKenzie v Yang Qingtian 4-5
Stuart Pettman v Cao Kaisheng 5-0
Fergal O’Brien v Cao Xinlong 5-1
Adrian Gunnell v Jin Long 5-2
Dominic Dale v Liu Chuang 5-1
Tony Drago v Ah Bulajiang 5-2
Michael Judge v Xiao Guodong 2-5
Mike Dunn v Yu Delu 3-5
The Tournament
Main Draw
Last 32 (Best of 9 frames)
John Higgins v Jamie Cope 5-2
Mark Selby v Yang Qintiang 5-0
Mark Williams v Stuart Bingham 2-5
Ronnie O’Sullivan v Stuart Pettman (O’Sullivan withdrew, walkover for Pettman)
Peter Ebdon v Dave Harold 3-5
Steve David v Fergal O’Brien 5-4
Allister Carter v Adrian Gunnell 1-5
Ken Doherty v Dominic Dale 3-5
Shaun Murphy v Ian McCulloch 2-5
Ryan Day v Tony Drago 5-1
Stephen Maguire v Xiao Guodong 5-1
Neil Robertson v Matthew Stevens 0-5
Stephen Hendry v Nigel Bond 5-2
Stephen Lee v Marco Fu 5-4
Ding Junhui v Yu Delu 5-2
Graeme Dott v Michael Holt 5-4
Last 16 (Best of 9 frames)
John Higgins v Mark Selby 3-5
Stuart Bingham v Stuart Pettman 5-4
Dave Harold v Steve Davis 5-1
Adrian Gunnell v Dominic Dale 1-5
Ian McCulloch v Ryan Day 3-5
Stephen Maguire v Matthew Stevens 4-5
Stephen Hendry v Stephen Lee 3-5
Ding Junhui v Graeme Dott 1-5
Quarter-Finals (Best of 9 frames)
Mark Selby v Stuart Bingham 5-0
Dave Harold v Dominic Dale 1-5
Ryan Day v Matthew Stevens 5-4
Stephen Lee v Graeme Dott 4-5
Semi-Finals (Best of 11 frames)
Mark Selby v Dominic Dale 3-6
Ryan Dott v Graeme Dott 6-2
The Final (Best of 19 frames)
Dominic Dale v Ryan Day 10-6
Quarter-Finals
Mark Selby beat Stuart Bingham 5-0
Stuart Bingham wasn’t able to compete with a surging Mark Selby who was shooting out the provisional rankings. Confidence was shown from the outset of the match with Selby clearing with a 104 break in the first frame. The second frame was much of the same with Mark plundering the table. A bemused Bingham was left seated for most of the match with Mark achieving a whitewash over his opponent despite not making over 50 in the next three frames.
Ryan Day beat Matthew Stevens 5-4
In what started to become a tournament of positives for Matthew Stevens, unfortunately, ended in this match. Stevens had several chances to win this match but threw them away. He could have won this match 5-3 but allowed Day to progress to his second semi-final of the year. Stevens who only won two frames in the best of nine matches the previous season, looked set to win this match, breaking down on 31 in the penultimate frame and then when he had a second chance, missed a straightforward red. This allowed Day to win the frame on the blue and he went on to make a 96 in the final frame.
Graeme Dott beat Stephen Lee 5-4
Dott stole this three hour marathon, going 1-0, 2-1, 3-2 and 4-3. Lee, although he managed to match his opponent on paper, was the weaker of the two and when it mattered in the deciding frame, couldn’t withstand Dott’s grinding game that lasted 51 minutes and left Lee needing to lay a snooker that he couldn’t achieve.
Dominic Dale beat Dave Harold 5-1
Dale had already the audience with a peroxide haircut that had been done by a hairdresser in the hotel. With breaks that included 75 and 127, Dominic dominated the first three frames and Harold was only able to snatch the fourth frame on the colours, his only frame of the match. Dale went on to capture the fifth and the sixth with a 74 clearance.
Semi-Finals
Dominic Dale beat Mark Selby 6-3
In a long and hard-fought match, lasting nearly five hours, Dale took the half-hour opening frame by clearing yellow to pink. He then made it 2-0 by potting a long pink in a 44-minute bout. He also won the third frame on the pink. Selby managed to take the fourth on a re-spotted black and keep his hopes alive at 2-3 but it wasn’t to be. Not being able to escape a snooker and run of 43, propelled Dominic into the final.
Ryan Day beat Graeme Dott 6-2
Rya Day played exceptionally well in this match, making early breaks of 65, 88 and 103, meaning that he already 3-0 ahead after only 34 minutes. Dott managed to pull a frame back in the fourth but failed to punish Ryan for two terrible mistakes I the fifth frame and before you could blink, Day won the match in the eighth by clearing the last red to black.
The Final
Dominic Dale beat Ryan Day 10-6
Dale, who had started this tournament as a 100-1 outsider, won this unexpected title and his first since winning the 1997 Grand Prix. Despite Day being 6-2 up in the match, Dale was able to make an opening and just went on from strength to strength, including a 143 total clearance, earning him a £2,000 bonus. This was a reformed Dominic Dale, producing accurate long potting and tight safety play. He was able to dilute Ryan Day and reduce his play to a ragged style. This enabled Dale to become the 24th player to capture more than one ranking title. A magnificent achievement for this world number 31 player.
