Hendry into final in China
Saturday, 2 April 2005 12:51A drained Stephen Hendry outlasted fellow Scot Alan McManus in a marathon encounter to reach the final of the China Open at the Haidian Stadium, Beijing.
Hendry, far more at home when the exchanges are fluent, was forced to battle for three hours and 40 minutes before finally securing a 6-4 victory.
Hendry said: "It was very tough going. I can't remember being involved in a best-of-11-frame match that lasted so long."
The popular Scot now plays Dubliner Ken Doherty or Chinese teenager Ding Junhui in tomorrow's final for the ¤50,000 champion's cheque.
Hendry, looking to complete this season's overseas tournament double having already lifted the Malta Cup in February, suffered a kick on a pink in the second frame and could only watch in disbelief as a vital black in the third rolled off.
McManus, who eliminated former Crucible winners John Higgins and Mark Williams in the previous two rounds, suggested another upset was possible by leading 2-1 before Hendry found his range with an 85 break in frame four.
Hendry, successful in 22 of their 30 career meetings, sank the pink from distance to move 3-2 ahead only for the resilient McManus to steal the sixth frame on the black with a 62 clearance.
At that stage McManus looked capable of beating Hendry for the first time since the 2000 British Open but Hendry, who dropped only two frames in his opening three matches in the Chinese capital, then clicked up a gear.
By firing in back to back centuries - 109 and 112 - Hendry earned some daylight at 5-3 but still McManus refused to wave the white flag.
The Glaswegian, who has appeared in 25 world-ranking event semi-finals but lifted only two trophies - the last coming at the 1996 Thailand Open - gamely won the ninth and should have carried the contest its full distance.
On the verge of 5-5, though, he missed the green off its spot and a grateful Hendry stepped in with a clearance to pink to ensure his participation in the 56th world-ranking event final of his career.
