A riveting week of snooker at the World Open draws to a close on Sunday when England's Joe Perry and Ali Carter battle it out for the right to win the third major ranking event of the year.
Perry in top form
After winning his third round match against Ben Woollaston in the final frame, Joe Perry has found another gear in his previous two matches to reach his first final of the season. The world number 11 found himself two frames down against 2015 World Open winner Shaun Murphy, only to fight back with five consecutive frames, including a break of 107 in the fifth.
Perry continued that form as the underdog against Neil Robertson in the semi-finals. The pair played out a high class encounter, with a break of at least 63 in all eight frames. Perry won the first two frames, before Robertson struck back with two of his own. It was then that Perry really pushed the accelerator, making contributions of 132, 102, 120 and 91 as he stormed into the final.
Carter grinds out a place in the final
His opponent will be Ali Carter who has been in just as good touch this week. Like Perry, Carter encountered a difficult third round, overcoming Daniel Wells 5-4 after mounting an excellent comeback. Since then the world number 31 has not looked back, making John Higgins look ordinary in the quarter-finals with a typically gritty 5-0 victory.
In the final four he met Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, who has enjoyed the best week of his career. After defeating Mark King, Mark Selby, Alan McManus and Anthony McGill, the Thai player was not to be underestimated. Carter struggled to compile any sort of solid break, failing to reach 50 in all seven frames. With that being said though Un-Nooh's luck had run out as he missed numerous chances, allowing Carter the momentum as he went on to win 6-1.
Joe Perry and Ali Carter meet for ninth time in Sunday's final with four wins apiece. Perry has won four out of the last five contests and will go into the match as favourite, although Carter certainly cannot be ruled out of the title fight.