Fu beats Ding to set up Lee clash

By Phil Harlow

Fu went from strength to strength as the match progressed

Marco Fu's controlled performance put tournament favourite Ding Junhui out of the Masters as he swept to a shock 6-3 quarter-final win at Wembley Arena.

Fu, who faces Stephen Lee in the last four, refused to let Ding get out of range in the first four frames as they went into the interval level at 2-2.

Ding looked set to go 4-2 up but a missed black proved pivotal as the momentum suddenly switched Fu's way.

Fu ruthlessly exploited that miss as he took the next three frames to win.

Ding admitted the missed black in the sixth frame had been a massive turning point in the match.

"Missing that black in the sixth frame proved costly for me," said the 20-year-old.

"I felt a lot of pressure because I know Marco's game so well.

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"I was nervous all the way throughout the match because of the expectation."

Fu said he had been buoyed by Wembley's intense atmosphere.

"I'm very pleased with the win because Ding is so dangerous," said Fu.

"I enjoyed the pressure. That's what snooker's all about."

Earlier, Stephen Lee took full advantage of a miserable Peter Ebdon display to ease into the semi-finals with a comprehensive 6-1 win.

Lee took a 2-0 lead and then made an 87 in the third after Ebdon's ill-advised pursuit of a maximum break went awry.

Things went from bad to worse for Ebdon as he missed pot after pot to allow Lee to cruise into a 5-0 lead.

Ebdon did make a 105 - again looking to be well on his way to a 147 - but Lee took a protracted last frame.

The former world champion provided an honest assessment of his form after his surprisingly emphatic defeat.

"I played so badly - I just couldn't work out what was going on there," Ebdon told BBC Sport.

Ebdon's touch deserted him at the Wembley Arena

"It was just one of those days. If I'd tried to miss balls, I'd have probably ended up potting them.

"To be brutally honest, I got what I deserved."

Ebdon admitted he had paid a heavy price for chasing a possible 147 in the third frame rather than trying to make the frame safe by taking a simple pink.

"Looking back on that third frame, I should have gone for that pink instead of the harder black. After that miss it was downhill for me."

Lee also identified Ebdon's decision to go after the maximum as key to his win.

"He potted some good balls in the first two frames," said Lee. "The turning point was the third frame when he went for a maximum.

"If he'd just gone for the pink option and won the frame, it would have settled him down and it would have been a tougher match.