St Leonards star secures World Championship place
The St Leonards-based cueman earned a spot at The Crucible Theatre in Sheffield after winning his final round match at the qualifiers this afternoon (Wednesday).
Davis, the world number 38, overturned a 5-4 deficit from yesterday’s first session to beat 27th-ranked Chinese potter Lyu Haotian 10-7.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdSee also: * St Leonards star one win away from World Championship place* St Leonards star edged out in epic English Open final* Hollington target county cup gloryThe 46-year-old was never ahead during the first session. Haotian took the first two frames and although Davis pulled one back with a break of 54, Haotian edged the fourth to lead 3-1.
After Davis won two in a row to level at 3-3, Haotian clinched frames seven and nine, either side of Davis taking the eighth, to hold a narrow advantage overnight.
Davis began the second session with a superb break of 122 to level at 5-5 only for Haotian to reply with an 83 in the next to go ahead again.
English Open runner-up Davis then reeled off three straight frames to turn a 6-5 deficit into an 8-6 lead.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdA run of 65 helped Haotian pull one back, but Davis won frame 16 to go within one of victory at 9-7.
Frame 17 was a nail-biting affair before Davis, who lost to Haotian in the quarter-finals of the recent Indian Open, held his nerve to claim it 72-65 on a respotted black.
It was Davis’s third victory at the qualifiers, having previously seen off Fergal O’Brien 10-4 and Rod Lawler 10-6.
He and the 15 other qualifiers will join the world’s top 16 ranked players in the event proper, which will start this coming Saturday and continue through until Monday May 6.