Monday, 4 February 2013

Ali Carter wins 2013 German Masters

Last night Ali Carter defeated Marco Fu 9-6 to capture his third ranking event title.

"The Captain"  recovered from a 5-3 deficit after the first session to win six of the seven frames played in the evening session.

Carter came out flying in the evening with two quick centuries, he won the the first three frames and reversed the pressure. Marco was unable to raise his game to match and Carter closed the final out comfortably.

Carter's cue arrived to the party fashionably late when BA left it behind at Heathrow airport, it arrived just in time for Carters opening match. Afterwards Carter said the thought of having to pull out of the tournament or play with another cue made Carter realise how much this tournament meant to him. 

Although he didn't play vintage snooker he potted the most crucial balls, something he has become very prolific at. Winning his semi against Robertson with a high break of 47 highlighted this doggedness and determination. 

As for Marco, most people would hope this is a platform for him to consistently get to the latter stages of big events this season. However his entire career he has been frighteningly inconsistent and has never been able to back up a good performance. 

Several big names crashed out early, John Higgins suffered a shock loss to Peter Lines in the opening round. Stephen Maguire, Judd Trump & Mark Williams all lost in round two, which for Trump and WIlliams must be worrying as their form hasn't been encouraging of late. 

There were standout performances from a couple of players. Barry Hawkins was sublime in beating Mark Allen and ending Mark Selby's winning streak before losing in Semi's to Marco Fu. Michael Holt played well to reach the quarter finals, before losing to Ali Carter.

Yet again the German Masters has highlighted itself as one of the premier events on the calendar. A wonderful arena and big crowds throughout the five days make this one of the player’s favorite events. My pre-tournament predictions weren't very successful but they only highlighted how open every tournament is this season.




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