Ding Junhui became the first player to reach finals night of the PartyPoker.com Premier League after defeating Neil Robertson and Ronnie O'Sullivan in Southampton on Thursday night.
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The Masters champion first saw off Neil Robertson 3-2 in the semi-final, with top runs of 61 and 42. He then defeated reigning champion Ronnie O'Sullivan 3-1 to take victory on the night.
The Dragon fell behind in the final however, failing to escape a snooker and allowing O'Sullivan to step in and make a 77 to take the lead.
Ding then capitalised on a rare miss from The Rocket, levelling the match at 1-1 with runs of 37 and 30.
A long third frame was eventually clinched by Ding, after both player's errors went unpunished, until O'Sullivan missed a crucial yellow, handing Ding a frame-winning chance which he took on the black.
O'Sullivan led in the next, but again allowed Ding a chance in among the balls, which he took advantage of by producing a clinical 76 to wrap up the match.
The two wins mean the Chinese ace scoops maximum six points and tops the league with 16 points, confirming his place in the finals in Hopton on Sea at the end of the month.
Ronnie O'Sullivan still has work to do if he is to defend his title. His four points from week eight means the occupies third, however a number of players remain in close proximity.
The three time world champion won the eagerly anticipated battle with Judd Trump earlier in the evening, taking a narrow 3-2 victory in a match that lived up to its' hype.
Trump stunned The Rocket with a sensational 139 in the opener to collect the £1,000 high break bonus, before Ronnie drew level with a 53.
The game continued in attacking fashion as expected, with O'Sullivan knocking in an 89 break to regain the lead.
Youngster Trump then forced the game into a sudden death shootout after taking a tight fourth frame with a top run of 58.
O'Sullivan revelled under the 10 minute frame clock, keeping his opponent in his chair with a terrific 70 to seal the win.
Trump drops into second spot, but should seal his place in Hopton with a win in his final night of fixtures.
The Premier League continues on November 10 in Grimsby, with John Higgins against Ali Carter and Mark Williams versus Matthew Stevens.
Week Eight Results
SEMI-FINAL 1: Ronnie O'Sullivan 3-2 Judd Trump
0-139 (Trump 139), 94-32 (O'Sullivan 53), 89-22 (O'Sullivan 89), 46-64 (O'Sullivan 41, Trump 58), 78-4 (O'Sullivan 70).
SEMI-FINAL 2: Ding Junhui 3-2 Neil Robertson
72-59 (Ding 36, Robertson 38), 61-14 (Ding 61), 17-72 (Robertson 66), 46-70 (Ding 39, Robertson 55), 100-7 (Ding 42, 58)
FINAL: Ronnie O'Sullivan 1-3 Ding Junhui
82-0 (O'Sullivan 77), 1-74 (Ding 37, 30), 58-68 (O'Sullivan 31, Ding 32), 17-79 (Ding 76)
2011 Premier League Table
P W L PTS
1. Ding Junhui 4 5 2 16 (Q)
2. Judd Trump 3 4 1 14
3. Ronnie O'Sullivan 3 3 2 12
4. Neil Robertson 4 3 3 12
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5. Mark Williams 3 2 2 9
6. Matthew Stevens 3 3 2 9
7. Ali Carter 3 2 3 9
8. Shaun Murphy 3 1 3 7
9. John Higgins 3 1 3 5
10. Jimmy White 3 0 3 2
