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Marco Fu
Marco Fu lines up a shot during his 9-7 victory over Ali Carter in Telford. Photograph: David Davies/PA
Marco Fu lines up a shot during his 9-7 victory over Ali Carter in Telford. Photograph: David Davies/PA

Fu reaches UK final with comeback victory over Carter

This article is more than 15 years old
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Marco Fu, last year's Grand Prix champion in Aberdeen, trailed 4–1, 5–3 and 6–4 but ran out a 9–7 winner over Ali Carter to reach final of the Maplin UK Championship at Telford. He will face the winner of Saturday's semi-final between Stephen Maguire and Shaun Murphy, ranked No2 and No3 respectively, for the £100,000 first prize.

Carter should have led 6–2 at the interval but missed a straight pink to a middle pocket needing only the last red in addition and had to be content with 5–3.

"The momentum seemed to swing in that frame," said Carter. Fu agreed: "He'd outplayed me and 6–2 would have been fair."

Having made two centuries, 136 and 104, in the afternoon, Fu began the evening with 106 and dropped the next frame to Carter's 66 but, with metronomic efficiency reeled off breaks of 64, 78, 75 and 54 as he went two up with three to play.

Carter, who was to describe his overall performance, unduly harshly, as "my C game", came to life with 83 and threatened to carry the contest the full distance until, from 0–40, Fu cleared coolly with a match-clinching 85.

"When I've been under pressure this week, I've believed in myself," said Fu. "It's another missed opportunity," said Carter, a semi-final loser for the third time this season and at No7 the highest-ranked player yet to win a ranking title.

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