Welsh Open 2024: Martin O’Donnell makes century in decider to beat Elliot Slessor and book place in first career final

Martin O’Donnell booked his place in a first ranking final by making a century in the deciding frame for a 6-5 win over Elliot Slessor in a nervy Welsh Open semi-final.

With both players surprising participants in the last four relative to their rankings, and with plenty at stake, nerves were to the fore throughout.

It was O’Donnell who made the fewer mistakes – and held his nerve superbly in the face of a late rally from Slessor – as he set up a meeting with either John Higgins or Gary Wilson in Sunday’s final at Venue Cymru in Llandudno.

Both players went into the match knowing a first appearance in a ranking final was one win away, so it was no surprise that the opening frame was scrappy – pockmarked by errors. O’Donnell’s errors were the more alarming, and they allowed Slessor to convert enough chances to edge in front.

Taking the first seemed to settle Slessor’s nerves and he knocked in a fine red to get going in the second, but inexplicably missed a blue when on a break of 34.

O’Donnell responded with a 34 of his own before his own mistake, but he got back to the table and edged to the snookers-required stage. Slessor got the snooker but then played an awful safety on the brown, which allowed O’Donnell to get on the board.

The patchy nature continued in the third, with Slessor suffering the embarrassment of hitting the wrong ball when attempting a pot. He followed up with a poor safety, and O’Donnell cashed in with a confidence-boosting run of 78 – the first half century of the match – to move in front.

Slessor’s problems continued at the start the fourth with a series of poor shot choices and executions, prompting him to pull out the notes he was seen reading in his quarter-final win over Dominic Dale.

O’Donnell looked good in making 48, six reds and blacks raised hope of a 147, but he missed a tough red and Slessor settled himself after the wobble of the previous couple of frames with an 82 to draw level at the interval.

O’Donnell came out after the interval and compiled 61, but it came as no surprise that he failed to close it out in one visit as he went in-off going for a tough red. Slessor failed to punish and O’Donnell picked off the balls he required to move back in front.

The see-saw nature of the contest continued in the sixth, as O’Donnell looked good to open up a two-frame lead for the first in the match but broke down on 47 when failing to get from red to black.

Slessor has kept the content of his much-discussed notes under wraps, but the Eurosport cameras picked up the words “calm” and “breathing”.

Breathing is something of a necessity, but he kept calm when the chance presented itself in the sixth as he cleared to the pink for a 55-break to draw level.

Slessor built momentum from taking the sixth with a fine break in the seventh, but the theme of the match continued as he broke down on 40.

It proved a mirror image of the sixth, as O’Donnell countered from behind and an excellent break of 88 – by some distance the best passage of play of the match – moved him back in front.

O’Donnell opened up daylight for the first time in the match when taking the eighth with a break of 41 after another Slessor error.

Slessor was seen muttering to himself in the eighth, but also reading his Henry-inspired notes. There did not appear any negative thoughts as he hit back with a break of 95 to keep his hopes alive.

After a match filled with mistakes and multiple-visit frames, the expectation was that it would be an arm-wrestle in the decider.

O’Donnell dismissed that notion in superb style as he closed out the match at a single visit. It was a fine opener, he played a series of positive shots and knocked in a steely break of 126 to advance to a first career final.