Masters snooker LIVE: Ronnie O’Sullivan beats Shaun Murphy to reach final
Ronnie O’Sullivan is now just one win away from a record-extending eighth Masters title after beating Shaun Murphy 6-2
Ronnie O’Sullivan’s pursuit of an eighth Masters crown rolls on after he demolished Shaun Murphy 6-2 to reach the final.
O’Sullivan hit the headlines after describing the Alexandra Palace venue as “disgusting” after his quarter-final win over Barry Hawkins but that didn’t stop him producing a supreme show of snooker might to down Murphy and reach a remarkable 14th Masters final.
The 48-year-old can become the oldest player in history to win the Masters by triumphing in Sunday showpiece and that would add to his exisitng record of being the youngest-ever winner of the tournament. His victory at the UK Championship in December ensured he is now the oldest and youngest man to win that event.
O’Sullivan will play either Ali Carter or Mark Allen, who meet later on Saturday, in Sunday’s final.
Relive the semi-final below:
Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-1 Shaun Murphy
Right, the players are back after the mid-session interval. Shaun Murphy needs to find a way to turn this match around
FRAME! Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-1 Shaun Murphy
It’s O’Sullivan who eventually makes the decisive pot to get back in and from there he holds his nerve to clear up and restore his two-frame advantage.
RONNIE O’SULLIVAN TAKES A 3-1 LEAD TO THE MID-SESSION INTERVAL.
Ronnie O’Sullivan 2-1 Shaun Murphy
Both men give away four penalty points apiece and then Murphy misses a yellow as a free ball to left middle It’s 44-35 to The Rocket as the safety battle continues.
Ronnie O’Sullivan 2-1 Shaun Murphy
Ooh that’s an unexpected miss from O’Sullivan! The red to right middle seems pretty straightforward but he’s focusing too much on splitting the pack and misses the pot!
He leads by nine points, at 40-31 but this frame is up for grabs with two reds left.
Ronnie O’Sullivan 2-1 Shaun Murphy
Murphy eradicates O’Sullivan’s lead but a cannon goes wrong and so he leaves the table 19-18 ahead.
But he gets back in shortly after with a nice safety shot and can build his lead further.
Actually, no he can’t! He tries to power a red into the right corner to screw back for the colour but misses the red. 31-19 to Muprhy but O’Sullivan back at the table.
Ronnie O’Sullivan 2-1 Shaun Murphy
Ronnie O’Sullivan straight in among the balls in frame four with a nice pot but he can only make 18 before missing a red tot he corner as it flicks off another red.
Murphy then pots a red to right middle to get himself in a scoring position.
FRAME! Ronnie O’Sullivan 2-1 Shaun Murphy
Wow what a break that is from Shaun Murphy! He looks sublime as he strides round the table and racks up pot after pot. The frame is quickly taken away from O’Sullivan and then it’s just whether Murphy can make the century.
He looks like falling just short when he tries a double off the final red and misses but it careens up the table and flicks in off the green to the corner pocket. What a fluke! He takes full advantage and makes a total clearance of 131 to get a frame on the board.
SHAUN MURPHY PULLS A FRAME BACK TO MAKE IT 2-1!
Ronnie O’Sullivan 2-0 Shaun Murphy
Stunning pot by Shaun Murphy and then a brave brown to the left middle to follow. Great start to frame three for him and can he make a substantial contribution now and keep O’Sullivan in his seat?
FRAME! Ronnie O’Sullivan 2-0 Shaun Murphy
O’Sullivan snuffs the second frame out though. Plays a double ont he final red, with safety in mind, and it finds the pocket. Pots a nice green to ensure Murphy won’t return to the table and then clears up to the black.
RONNIE O’SULLIVAN WINS THE SECOND FRAME
Ronnie O’Sullivan 1-0 Shaun Murphy
A good break by O’Sullivan as he makes 56 but eventually runs out of position and is unable to dislodge the final red from the bottom cushion. Just a safety.
56-32 to The Rocket with 35 points remaining. He’s in control but Murphy not out of this as he returns to the table.
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