Surfin' the tubes, looking up videos of snooker matches. Came across this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcUzRNLSY9Y

Some killer safety play there. Entertaining frame to watch. But both of them made a couple mistakes one wouldn't expect from a pro snooker player like Ding and the last red or Fu running slightly out of position on the blue.

Anyways, about 12:50 mark. Fu is up 16, 13 points on the table, and he DOESN'T sink the pink. Some major WTF going in my head. It didn't look like he tried to pot it but missed. He intentionally did not pot the pink. What's up with that?

I can only assume he didn't fancy the pot because he was worried about an in-off in the yelloow pocket or something.

I didn't watch all the clip so I assume there wasn't a huge kick or something. To me, it looked like he was going for it he he was cueing up so who knows, has he never mentioned about it in an interview?

Because his opponent needed a snooker? The clue as to why is pretty much in your question.

The chances of your opponent forcing 4 points out of you when there is just 2 balls on the table at this level is seriously low.

Ding just played an absolutely phenomenal shot. Marco was unlucky, 99 times out of a hundred he was going to win that frame by not going for the pink.

I just watched it again and Marco went for a snooker off the pink. He was trying to force out an easier chance of Ding.

Cos if he missed it he would leave Ding with a better chance of a snooker than the way he played it. His shot was a little off and Ding's counter shot was a lot on.
Yes he got unlucky but Fu should have taken the pot on. I wouldn't but a player of his calibre should every time.

Going for the pink would have left Ding a good chance of laying a snooker if he had missed because the pink almost always stays down by the black. Instead, if you look closely, Fu played to safe the pink and run the cue ball into the black and bump it to the rail.

Standard is usually to play in or over but this is tough over such a distance and if he doesn't leave it in the jaws he's gonna leave a good chance of a snooker. I can understand why he doesn't want to play the pot a bit pacier because he doesn't want to go in off if he hits it badly. So he plays to either nudge the black to the cushion or in behind it, thinking that he can't do much damage if he gets it wrong and it practically seals the frame if he gets it right.

I still think he should have gone for it but that seems to be what is going on in his head. Fu can be pretty negative in his shot selection compared with other top pros.