O’sullivan close to quarter-final after Day errors
Ronnie O’sullivan opened up a 10-6 lead on Ryan Day to move within three frames of another World Championship quarter-final.
O’sullivan, aiming for a recordbreaking eighth Crucible success, built on a 5-3 first-session lead by making Day pay for a succession of missed chances.
A missed yellow from Day proved costly as O’sullivan made an 82 clearance and, although the Welshman replied by winning a scruffy frame, the seven-time world champion did not have to get out of second gear to dominate.
“The Rocket” reached the break 8-4 ahead as Day’s carelessness was further punished with breaks of 65 and 89.
The pattern remained the same after the interval as O’sullivan cashed in on Day mistakes with frame-winning breaks of 56 and 96.
But Day – who has not beaten O’sullivan since 2011 – responded superbly with efforts of 77 and 75 to keep his faint hopes alive when the action resumes this afternoon.
Kyren Wilson also takes a 10-6 lead over Joe O’connor into the final session of their second-round match today. After Wilson had raced into a 6-2 lead, the second session was shared, with O’connor taking the final frame with a 102 clearance.
Stephen Maguire secured his spot in the last eight by beating Shaun Murphy 13-9.
The pair have feuded for two decades following an incident where Maguire was penalised a frame for forgetting his chalk and the Scot held off a late fightback from Murphy to seal victory.
He resumed yesterday morning with a 10-6 overnight lead and continued his quest to reach the quarter-finals with a break of 68 before Murphy pulled a frame back.
Maguire then moved within one frame of victory but Murphy continued to battle, a 67 break earning him the following frame before he took the first after the mid-session interval to trail by three.
However, Maguire sealed victory in style, hitting the only century of the match with a 127 to set up a meeting with David Gilbert.
During Saturday’s session Murphy fist-pumped after winning a frame and Maguire admitted it provided him some motivation.
“Shaun made a mistake. He knows me well enough and I get down on myself,” Maguire told the World Snooker Tour website.
“He won a frame I should’ve won and I was sitting there hating myself when the fist-pump came out and I thought, ‘you’re having it’ and all my attention went on that.
“It was satisfying beating a player as good as Shaun is in the last 16 of the World Championship.”
Mark Allen edged 9-7 ahead in his last-16 meeting with John Higgins in a tight encounter between the pair, while Stuart Bingham fended off Jack Lisowski’s comeback to also take a 9-7 lead into today’s session.