It has been the case all week that the afternoon session has been where all the good snookers been at,but today brought that to a whole other level,as Judd Trump & Neil Robertson served up a match that will live long in the memory.
A nervy opening frame that went the way Judd was quickly forgotten as 104 from him in the second opened up a 2-0 lead. Robertson,who swept all before him towards the end of 2015,knew now he was in a match,but having got off the board in the next,he knocked in a tournament high break of 139 to go to the interval at 2-2.
In what was already,a high quality match the standard was to go through the roof when play resumed.
Judd got in first with 105 to make it 3-2 and that became 4-2 when he rolled in a 78 in the next.
From here back came Robertson with a 100 of his own to close to 4-3 and when he also took the next ,we were level again at 4-4.
Both players now ere cuing beautifully and it was Trump who edged ahead again in frame nine,topping Robertsons high break from earlier with a 140 of his own to go ahead again at 5-4.Robertson though was not finished as a run of 78 drew things level again at 5-5 to give us the decider that this match deserved.
The way these boys were playing a one chance frame always looked likely and so it proved as Trump cut a wonderful red to the middle pocket and went on to seal the win with a superb 129,his fourth century of the afternoon and the sixth of an extraordinary match.
This was one of those performances from Trump that can only leave you scratching your head as to why he hasn't won more titles,but one things for sure,if he was to repeat this level on a consistent basis he would very quickly become the man they all have to beat.
Of course one of the vagaries of this game is that it could all change by the time he cues up against Barry Hawkins tomorrow and that was certainly the case in tonights quarter final as John Higgins looked a poor shadow of the player man who cued so well against Liang on Wednesday.
The writing was on the wall early on in this one as from the off Higgins looked to be having "one of those days" and the world champ Bingham seeing this,visibly started to show some form which has been missing for most of this season..
It was Bingham who eventually took the first,after both had had chances, but Higgins got off the mark in the second to make it 1-1 and the next two were also shared to send them in at 2-2.
In recent seasons Higgins has been dogged by the "unexpected miss" when seemingly in perfect position,but having seemingly gotten over that this season it returned to haunt him tonight,as he saw each of the next two frames slip by when he really should have clinched both.
Bingham,now 4-2 up and brimming with confidence knocked in a 70 in frame seven to move within one of a place in the semi finals at 5-2.Higgins did briefly threaten to mount a comeback,taking the next with a 120,but that was to ba as close as he got as Bingham got the frame he needed to seal a 6-3 win.
His reward for this victory over one of the games all time greats,is a semi final tomorrow night against maybe the greatest of them all - Ronnie O'Sullivan..
This could be one hell of a weekend of snooker!!
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