SHANGHIA // Ricky Walden staged a remarkable recovery 4-1 down to beat Mark Selby 6-4 and reach his first ranking final at the Roewe Shanghai Masters in China yesterday. So far it has been a wonderful week for Walden. He has beaten players with a combined total of 67 ranking event titles - Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis and Neil Robertson. "I'm thrilled to bits to be in my first final but it was a real struggle out there. I had a bit of luck today but then I've had plenty of bad luck over my career so I think it evens itself out," said Walden, 28, from Bootle in England.
Walden's last two victories this week have been as remarkable as yesterday's in that he won the last five frames to beat Davis in the quarter-finals and the last four to pip the Australian Neil Robertson in the previous round. For Selby it was a case of what might have been. "Obviously I'm disappointed to lose from 4-1 up. Ricky didn't perform up to that point but afterwards he played a lot better," he said.
Neither player was at his best, highlighted by the fact there was no break of over 50 in the pre-interval session. Walden today meets Ronnie O'Sullivan for the £50,000 (Dh325,000) first prize. O'Sullivan stayed on course to join Hendry and Davis as the only players to win three successive ranking events when he defeated Stephen Maguire 6-5.He made a break of 141 to draw level at 3-3 and from 4-5 had an 87 and 145 to seal victory.
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