Fu - another fine performance.
FU MAN THROUGH
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Marco Fu is three matches away from becoming Asia's first Embassy World
Snooker champion after another superb victory at the Crucible Theatre on Monday.
The 25-year-old from Hong Kong proved himself not to be a one-match wonder by
following up his win over Ronnie O'Sullivan by ousting Scotsman Alan McManus.
Now the world number 27 faces Stephen Lee for a place in the semi-finals.
Fu, beaten 9-2 by world number seven Lee in the 1998 Grand Prix final, did not
drop a frame as he changed his 10-7 lead into a 13-7 victory.
It was all over in just 43 minutes as Fu moved a step closer to making
history.
There has only ever been one world champion from overseas - Canadian Cliff
Thorburn in 1980.
And Fu, educated in Vancouver as a teenager, believes snooker would also be a
winner if he could lift the trophy next Monday night.
"You have got to bring the game overseas to try and popularise the sport,"
said Fu, who has superseded James Wattana as the top Asian player.
Fu said: "James was the best Asian player ever because he got to number three
in the world. And he also twice reached the semi-finals here.
"I don't think there are too many more top players in Hong Kong at the
moment.
"But there are a lot of good youngsters in China and in two or three years
I'm sure you'll see a couple of them breaking through."
Ding Jun Hiu is tipped for stardom after his victory in last season's World
Under-21 tournament in Latvia.
Ding was only 15 when he captured a title previously held by Peter Ebdon, Ken
Doherty and Fu himself.
Fu used to base himself in Stirling when he first turned professional but
these days he opts to commute between Britain and the Far East.
And he is now reaping the benefits from his decision.
"England is a great country but it's not my home," said Fu, who made breaks
of 75, 57 and 51 in the final three frames to end McManus' championship.
"I feel a lot more comfortable travelling back and forwards," added Fu.
But he will not be going anywhere at the moment, apart from the
quarter-finals.
His thoughts are with family and friends back home living under the fear of
the SARS virus.
"We've been going through a tough time lately," he admitted.
"And hopefully, if I can keep playing well, it will keep them happy."
Fu insists there will be no pressure on him when he faces Trowbridge-based
Lee.
"Getting this far is a bonus and I'm just enjoying playing snooker," he
added.
"Stephen beat me 5-0 and 9-2 the first couple of times we played. But I beat
him 5-0 in Wales so it will probably be 13-0 either way this time."
McManus is left to contemplate a long summer break playing golf or even
starting a new career.
"We haven't got the schedule yet for next season but I'll be putting the cue
in the cupboard for a while," he said.
"It's a long break, maybe I'll get a proper job. I was a trainee car mechanic
for about four weeks.
"And then I got off the bus and the snow was about a foot deep. So, I thought
where's my cue?
"I've even spoken to a couple of people about a career in journalism - so you
never know."
McManus had no complaints about his defeat, though he added his own voice to
growing criticism of the table conditions.
He said: "The pockets seem to be a lot different. Some balls are getting
missed that are not missable.
"Overall Marco played better than me over the three days. He is an excellent
player and he's definitely in with a chance."
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