Ali Carter took six frames on the spin to open up a 6-3 lead over Tom Ford after the first session of the BetVictor German Masters final at the Tempodrom in Berlin.
The Captain is aiming for a second German Masters crown, having defeated Marco Fu in the 2013 final. He’s certainly well acquainted with the business end in Berlin, having also made the title match in 2017. On that occasion, he was runner-up to Anthony Hamilton.
Carter is currently going through a ranking title drought, with the most recent of his four to date coming back in 2016 at the World Open. He needs four more frames to end that run this evening.
Ford is in pursuit of the first ranking title of his career, which began in 2001. The nearest the Leicester cueman has got so far was the 2016 Paul Hunter Classic, where he was beaten by Mark Selby in the final.
Ford made a fast start this afternoon, with a break of 122 giving him the opener. He then made it 2-0 by stealing the second on the black. However, from there, Carter established full control of proceedings.
A relentless blitz of break building saw Carter compose runs of 69, 62, 57, 67, 73 and 120 to take six frames on the bounce and move 6-2 ahead. A break of 50 helped Ford leave Carter needing snookers in a hard fought final frame of the session. The Essex cueman doggedly pursued penalty points and got one of the two required snookers, but eventually Ford clinched the frame to stay in touch at 6-3.
The pair return at 8pm (CET) to play the best of 19 frame match to a conclusion. The winner will collect £80,000 and the Brandon Parker Trophy.
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