The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
O’sullivan survives Masters thriller
Ronnie O’sullivan rallied from the brink of defeat to beat Ding Junhui in a final-frame decider and keep alive his hopes of an eighth Masters snooker title.
O’sullivan looked to be heading out of the tournament when he trailed 5-3 with Ding on a break of 28, but a simple missed red to the middle cost the Chinese player dear.
The world champion won the frame and hauled back level before he was gifted a 6-5 victory after a rash attempt at a long brown by Ding, who won his only Masters title in 2011.
O’sullivan said: “It’s a big match and it’s not always going to go your way, so you’ve just got to suck it up sometimes.
“I never doubt my ability
to stick in there and matchplayer temperament and bottle- wise, I know I’m Premier League in that department.”
Ding had blazed through the first three frames to establish a commanding lead, but a 103 from O’sullivan gave him hope
of pulling back into the match.
A brilliant 60, almost entirely comprised of lowvalue colours, further narrowed O’ Sullivan’ s deficit, but it also sparked a superb response from Ding who fired a 129 clearance.
In what was developing into a classic Masters contest, O’sullivan responded with a break of 100 to go 4-3, only for Ding to immediately hit back with 128 to go within one frame of victory.
O’sullivan gave Ding hope in the decider when he missed a red to the middle on 34, but Ding’s bizarre choice to take a long brown proved to be his final shot of the match as a 73 from O’sullivan sealed his place in the last eight.
He will play John Higgins in the quarter-finals tomorrow after the Scot edged past Mark Allen 6-5 in a final-frame decider.
Higgins said :“I am delighted. I have been sitting here the last couple of years on the losing end and it was looking like I missed the boat. I got my chance, took it and held myself together. A great win for me.”