Ronnie O’Sullivan and Stuart Bingham drew 4-4 after the opening session of the quarter-finals of the World Snooker Championship; Seven-time champion O’Sullivan trailed 2015 winner Bingham 3-1 after a slow start; David Gilbert was just three frames away from victory after giving Stephen Maguire a 10-6 lead
Last updated: 05/01/24 6:40 am
Ronnie O’Sullivan is aiming for a record eighth World Snooker Championship title
World Snooker Championship favorites Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump are completely happy with their respective quarter-final opponents after a thrilling day 11 at the Crucible in Sheffield.
Seven-time champion O’Sullivan is 4-4 with the 2015 winner Stuart Bingham after their first session in the race on 13 frames, with the 2019 champion Judd Trump Draw at 8-8 with Like Jones after two sessions.
O’Sullivan looked out of control during the opening exchanges against Bingham after some erratic indications, as his opponent won the first two frames with breaks of 55 and 75 and then looked on course for a maximum in the third.
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Bingham missed position after the seventh red, allowing O’Sullivan to build a break of 66 and eventually get a first frame on the board. Bingham then extended his lead to 3-1 with a break of 90 after the rocket. When O’Sullivan missed a black from the penalty spot, he fought back despite still not being at his best.
He scored a break of 116 – his 206th century at the Crucible – to reduce his deficit, then grabbed a missed pot from Bingham in the middle pocket to level the match before breaking 64, just for 1 .5, took the lead for the first time Bingham restored parity with a break of 72 in the eighth frame.
Trump can’t shake Jones
Trump expects a thrilling final session against Jones on Wednesday morning, with the world No.2 pushed to the limit by the Welsh qualifier, who broke 117 in the final frame on Tuesday night.
Judd Trump, who could face O’Sullivan in the semi-finals, has a thrilling quarter-final with Jak Jones
Elsewhere, four-time champion John Higgins delivered a late fightback to become a finalist for the 2020 trail Kyren Wilson 5-3, two centuries and a break of 73 in the second half of the session to go from 0-4 to 1-5.
David Gilbert still needs three frames against other Crucible qualifiers Stephen Maguire to reach his second world semi-final, having already reached this stage in 2019.
Gilbert, who was six frames ahead after a dominant morning performance highlighted by two century breaks, finished an entertaining second session 10-6 ahead.
Maguire managed three consecutive frames – highlighted by a break of 111 – from 9-2 down, but Gilbert responded with a total of 130 before Maguire kept his hopes alive with a 74 in frame 16.
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