The incredible drama of the final frame between Ding Junhui and John Higgins saw the Chinese media well and truly put through the wringer. As the match ebbed and flowed with never more than a frame in it, Ding saved one life by levelling at 4-4 as the noise level rose to a crescendo.
But the last act saw plenty among the assembled hacks and TV crews unable to watch as the home hero was in first, then offered Higgins a chance to steal the frame, the kind of clearance for which he is famous and the sort of chance he has started taking again in the past few months.
Higgins broke down leaving a red over the pocket, only for Ding to go in-off on a black prompting more frenzied oohs, aahs, gasps and groans. The fluked last red for their favourite saw little sympathy for the Scot from the ‘neutral’ gathering, but by the time Ding had missed the green only for Higgins to do likewise they could not have taken much more.
So it was probably just as well they didn’t have to, as Ding finally put the match to bed.