NIGEL Bond caused the biggest upset of the 2009 Betfred.com World Championships so far after defeating former champion Peter Ebdon 10-5 at the Crucible last night.
Bond, who was a losing finalist back in 1995 but has struggled at the highest level since, triumphed in a gruelling battle of wits with Ebdon, the 2002 world champion and recent winner of the China Open.
Having trailed 5-3 after the morning sessio
n, it was Ebdon who initially sprung to life in the evening, taking the first two frames to draw the match level. But from there Bond never looked back and, with everyone waiting for Ebdon to reassert himself, the player moved steadily into the second round, where he will meet the winner of today's match between Ryan Day and Stephen Lee.
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Play our Snooker World Championship Predictor for the chance to win a £150 betThe morning's play was slow-burning and concluded a frame early due to time restrictions. After a cagey opening in which just a solitary point was scored in the first 15 minutes, Bond took the lead only for Ebdon to hit back emphatically with a century in the next frame.
Bond then edged ahead again with a break of 74 and extended his advantage to 3-1 after a frame in which Ebdon fouled four times trying to make an awkward cue with the rest.
In what was developing into an increasingly tactical battle, the Derbyshire potter hung on to his advantage and went into the interval 5-3 up.
Ebdon started the evening session with more purpose and after another tight start, secured the first two frames to draw the match level. But after the balls had to be re-racked in the 11th frame, Bond put together a run of 58 to go ahead once more and after adding the 12th he found himself 7-5 up going into the interval. A titanic struggle ensued in the 13th and at one stage, Ebdon appeared to have it sewn up at 56-20. But Bond mounted a superb comeback to take the frame 72-56, and after surviving some tense moments in the following two, he came through to seal a 10-5 win.
Meanwhile, in his record-breaking 29th appearance at the Crucible, veteran Steve Davis finished the opening session of his first round match trailing Australian Neil Robertson 7-2.
Earlier, 2008 semi-finalist Joe Perry became the first major casualty of this year's tournament after he was sent crashing out by Jamie Cope.
Having started the afternoon session 5-4 down, Cope, 23, produced a mature display against the world No12, racing into a 7-5 lead before keeping his nerve to complete a 10-6 victory.
Cope, ranked 19th in the world, will take on the winner of John Higgins' meeting with Michael Holt in the next round in what will be the longest match of his career so far.
He is joined by Ding Junhui, who will face Stephen Hendry in a repeat of last year's second-round match after defeating compatriot Liang Wenbo.
The all-Chinese blockbuster did not disappoint its huge audience after the world No11 came through a pulsating contest to triumph 10-8 in front an enthralled Crucible crowd and an estimated 100 million television viewers in the Far East.
Having led 5-4 overnight, Ding initially looked comfortable and won the opening two frames to go 7-4 ahead, but Liang played some superb snooker to battle back, taking the next four to give himself an 8-7 lead.
Ding handled the pressure admirably though and just when it looked like his confidence might crumble, he produced a wonderful century break before eventually clinching the match 10-8.
Shaun Murphy produced one delightful century break against Andrew Higginson, but it was an otherwise lacklustre display from the 2005 champion and he will feel relieved to have finished the session 5-4 in front.
