UK Snooker Championship LIVE: Ronnie O’Sullivan dramatically beats Zhou Yuelong in tight quarter-final
O’Sullivan edges past Zhou 6-5 for a place in the semi-finals at the York Barbican as Hossein Vafaei beats Zhang Anda 6-4
Ronnie O’Sullivan returned to action at the UK Snooker Championship with a dramatic win to book his place in the semi-finals at the York Barbican. O’Sullivan is bidding for an eighth UK Championship crown this week but for the second round in a row needed a deciding frame to advance, as he fought his way past Zhou Yuelong 6-5.
‘The Rocket’ got off to a flyer as he raced into a 3-0 lead, including a break of 125 in the opening frame, and then led 4-1. But Zhou hit back with four frames on the spin as the wheels came off the O’Sullivan train and he seemed destined for defeat at 5-4 behind.
But, as he has so often done before, he found another gear to level the match at 5-5 and then a ruthless break of 122 in the decider sealed the deal and set up a semi-final clash with Hossein Vafaei, in a rematch of their fiery World Championship clash from earlier this year.
“Technically I was all over the gaff,” said O’Sullivan after his win. “Out of desperation, I started to play alright in the last two frames. Before that, I was going through the motions. I was so frustrated and so disappointed with how I played, that didn’t feel any pressure. I wasn’t nervous, he was playing better and I deserved to lose. “
Relive the action from the UK Championship below:
Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-0 Zhou Yuelong
WOW! O’Sullivan cuts in a super-thin brown and it sends the cue ball literally bouncing up the table before landing perfectly on a red below the black! Highlight reel stuff.
But when he leaves himself too straight on a red along the bottom cushion it rattles the jaws and comes out. A tap of frustration on the table from O’Sullivan as the break ends at 21. He leads 22-16.
Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-0 Zhou Yuelong
Zhou struggling to get perfect position in this break, overrunning the cue ball to leave himself increasingly difficult pots. Makes a tight cut to the left corner but a thin brown to the yellow pocket drifts to the left jaw. We could see that coming.
O’Sullivan with another chance from 16-1 down.
Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-0 Zhou Yuelong
O’Sullivan misses a long-ish red up to the green pocket but doesn’t leave his Chinese opponent on anything. But Zhou forces an error on the safety so has another chance with a starting red to the middle.
Lands in a two-inch gap to be on the black and can he build something from here? The reds are all quite tightly bunched.
Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-0 Zhou Yuelong
An easy red for Zhou to start but pink and black both tied up and the blue flew up on to the baulk cushion when O’Sullivan missed it, so not much help for a prospective break.
He tries to go into the pack off the yellow to free the pink but misses it. At least lands on a red, so back up for the yellow and try the shot again. Oh dear... The yellow is missed (ending the break at 4) and Zhou looks like he’s completely gone here.
Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-0 Zhou Yuelong
Zhou simply hasn’t settled at all. He tries to play a safety off the red up in baulk but double kisses it and leaves a relatively simple pot for O’Sullivan.
After a brief break to sandpaper the tip of his cue, O’Sullivan crashes into the pack off the blue but misses the pot. Just the one point.
Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-0 Zhou Yuelong
If Zhou harbours any ambitions of winning this match, he has to win this frame surely? Can’t be going into the mid-session interval 4-0 down.
Ooooh, the luck appears to be with O’Sullivan as well. He misses a long, straight red to the left corner by quite a margin, it runs up into baulk, near the green pocket, but Zhou is snookered on it by the yellow! A nice stroke of fortune for ‘The Rocket’
FRAME! Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-0 Zhou Yuelong
Zhou pots one red with black, wins a safety exchange and pots another red but misses a tricky pink to the right corner with the cue ball tight to the left cushion. That ends any hope and he concedes the frame.
3-0 Ronnie and he’s halfway to victory here... Ruthless
Ronnie O’Sullivan 2-0 Zhou Yuelong
O’Sullivan plays for a red down the left rail and rolls it nicely into the corner, the black moves him 46 points ahead. No access to any of the reds on the cushion so he’s left with a double.
AND NAILS IT! Nicely into the right middle. Runs out of position and now has a long black up into the green pocket. He rolls that in as well - great pot! No position for another red so the break ends at 47 but the score is 59-5 and there’s only 51 points left on the table, so Zhou needs snookers to avoid going 3-0 down.
Ronnie O’Sullivan 2-0 Zhou Yuelong
Black still tied up but blue and pink tide O’Sullivan over initially. Then he gets himself in position to clear the red above the black, free it and sco re back up the table. The black runs towards the pink.
The break passes 30 but the remaining five reds are on cushions.
Ronnie O’Sullivan 2-0 Zhou Yuelong
Oh dear. Zhou can only make 5 as a red wipes its feet on the way in which puts him slightly out of position on the pink. It’s a tough pot to left middle and he overcuts it.
Zhou is 12-5 down and O’Sullivan returns to the table with a great chance to make a substantial break
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