Mark Selby is just four frames away from a first Sportsbet.io Tour Championship final having built a 6-2 lead over Ding Junhui in the first session of their semi-final clash in Manchester.
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First to ten frames goes through to Sunday's final to battle John Higgins for the title and £150,000 top prize. Selby destroyed Neil Robertson 10-1 in the previous round and is on target - so far - for another one-sided scoreline.
World number three Selby is aiming for his fourth title of the season having won the Unibet British Open, BetVictor Championship League and BetVictor Welsh Open. The 41-year-old from Leicester is playing in his 66th ranking event semi-final and aiming for a 37th final. Victory tomorrow would give him a 25th ranking title.
China's Ding landed his 15th ranking title earlier this season at the International Championship. The 38-year-old is contesting a 38th ranking semi-final and is hoping to reach a 25th final.
Breaks of 83 and 71 gave Selby the first two frames, before Ding pulled one back with a 77. Early in frame four, Selby crunched in a long red, setting up a 103 to lead 3-1 at the interval. The Englishman made 58 in the fifth before running out of position, and Ding's attempted counter ended when he missed a red to a top corner on 24, allowing Selby to add the points he needed to extend his lead.
Ding trailed 29-1 in frame six when he made a safety error, leaving a red close to a top corner, and four-time World Champion Selby punished him with a run of 35 for 5-1. Ding batled back from 49-0 down in the seventh, and enjoyed a slice of good fortune on the yellow as he fluked it to a centre pocket and cleared to pull one back. But Ding failed to pot a ball in the last frame of the session as Selby's runs of 35 and 47 left him in a commanding position.
They resume at 7pm.