Snooker: Liang Wenbo ends defending champion Ricky Walden’s run at Shanghai Masters

Sep 17 2009 by Paul Wheelock, Chester Chronicle

RICKY Walden’s defence of the Shanghai Masters came to an end at the quarter-final stage – but only after he handed out a lesson to the player many consider to be the sport’s greatest ever.

The Chester-born 26-year-old cruised through to the last-eight stage by sweeping aside world number 20 Mark King 5-1 and then knocking-out Stephen Hendry by the same score.

The seven-time world champion simply had no answer to number-one seed Walden, who stormed into a 4-0 lead with breaks of 83, 48 and 63.

World number 10 Hendry reduced the deficit by edging an epic fifth frame, but world number 16 Walden was not to be denied and he sealed victory with a 73 break.

That set up a showdown with home favourite Liang Wenbo, who took the opening frame with a 57 before the reigning champion responded with a 103.

Walden – one of the owners of The Q Bar on Volunteer Street in Chester – was on course to win the third but missed his chance.

It was an advantage that eventual-finalist Wenbo never relinquished, although Walden – who is now up to ninth in the provisional world rankings – did take frames four and five with breaks of 55 and 122.