Davis reaches 100th UK Championship

30 November -0001

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Steve Davis reached his 100th final by beating Stephen Hendry 9-6 at the UK Championship.

The Englishman came into the evening session 7-1 ahead, but he began to wobble under severe pressure in York. Playing below his best, Hendry did just enough to close the gap to 8-4 and then rattled in a superb break of 130.

The Scot took the 14th frame as well and was on course to take the next, but he missed an easy black and Davis clinched the match with a cool 66.

In a battle of snooker legends, breaks were at a premium early on, but Davis showed more tactical nous to move into a commanding lead. Without sealing frames in one visit, he dictated proceedings with his tight safety play, leaving Hendry scratching around for difficult long pots.

Hendry got into the match after the break and started to find his usual fluidity among the balls. But just as he looked set to close to 8-7, he failed to sink a simple black and Davis needed no second invitation to progress to the final.

The "Nugget" now faces Ding Junhui or Joe Perry in the final. "It's a double bonus for me - I've reached 100 finals and beaten my nemesis," said Davis.

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