China Open: Gary Wilson to play Mark Selby in final

Gary Wilson had never previously gone beyond the quarter-finals of a ranking event

Former taxi driver Gary Wilson shocked defending champion Ding Junhui 6-5 to reach Sunday's final of the China Open.

Wilson, 56 in the world rankings, held his nerve in a tense deciding frame to compile a match-winning 72 break and reach his first ranking final.

The 29-year-old, from Wallsend, had recovered from a 3-1 deficit to lead 5-3 before local favourite Ding fought back with breaks of 97 and 112.

Wilson plays world champion Mark Selby, who beat Kurt Maflin 6-3, in the final.

Norway-based Maflin, 31, was looking to reach his first major final and scored two centuries and a break of 74 as he came from 2-0 down to level at 3-3.

But the world number one, who had a highest break of 131, added a further century as he won the final three frames.