An awkward semifinal awaits Michael White after his 4-2 quarterfinal win over Chris Wakelin on Friday night in the second Indian Open snooker. The Welshman will be up against his idol Mark Williams, a two-time world champion and whose exploits on the green baize drew him to the game, on Saturday morning.
White edged out Wakelin in a thriller, catching up twice with his England rival before a 99-break in the fifth put the Welsh cueist in the clear. “I have got a bit more disciplined in my life off the table and it is paying off. This season has been my most consistent so far. I came out on top in close games,” said the winner, after the quarterfinal ended 0-76, 59-7, 0-82, 72-22, 99-0, 72-22 in his favour.
With two century breaks, against Matthew Selt in the second round and against Li Hang in the pre-quarterfinals, White will be in a positive frame of mind for the penultimate clash against Williams, whom he beat on debut at The Crucible.
“Mark was a big inspiration. I liked watching him play because he was Welsh.”
The world number 22, expressive at the table, has worked out in his mind the way to tackle the problem ahead.
Talking about the semifinal match-up on Saturday morning, the 23-year-old said: “I will try to stay relaxed, be positive and give off my best. If it does not happen, it does not happen.”
World number 15 Williams cruised into the semifinal, beating Robert Milkins 4-1, asserting his quality in the first three frames, taking a breather in the fourth and wrapping up the fifth to win 69-28, 58-45, 77-0, 0-90, 67-12.
The results: Quarterfinals: Michael White (Wales) bt Chris Wakelin (Eng) 4-2; Mark Williams (Wales) bt Robert Milkins (Eng) 4-1.
Pre-quarterfinals: Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (Tha) bt Jaime Jones (Eng) 4-0; Mark Davis (Eng) bt John Higgins (Eng) 4-3; Joe Perry (Eng) bt Kyren Wilson (Eng) 4-3; Ricky Walden (Eng) bt Tian Pengfai (China) 4-0; Williams bt Judd Trump (Eng) 4-3; Milkins bt Graeme Dott (Eng) 4-2; White bt Li Hang (Chn) 4-2; Wakelin bt Nigel Bond (Eng) 4-1.
