The World Championship last-16 clash between Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins is poised for a gripping finale on Monday after the Scottish veteran rallied to narrow the gap to just two frames. The seven-time Crucible champion O'Sullivan led 6-2 after Saturday's first session and extended that to 9-4 in the race to 13, but Higgins, a four-time world champion, fought back to win three consecutive frames, leaving the score at 9-7.
The tension boiled over in the final frame of the evening session when O'Sullivan punched the table in frustration after missing a red. "That is exactly what it means to Ronnie O'Sullivan," said 1997 world champion Ken Doherty, commentating for BBC. "He's getting frustrated. He had a great chance in the previous frame and didn't convert. Those knuckles will be sore, let me tell you."
O'Sullivan and Higgins, both 50, will contest the deciding session on Monday at 13:00 BST, live on BBC Two. The match is a classic encounter between two legends of the 'Class of 92', with their seventh head-to-head at the Crucible evenly poised.
Earlier, Higgins opened the session with a break of 83 in the ninth frame, but O'Sullivan responded with runs of 116 and 80 to lead 8-3. After Higgins won the 12th, O'Sullivan posted a 91 break to go 9-4 ahead. However, Higgins dominated the 14th, requiring a snooker that O'Sullivan managed to secure but failed to convert. Higgins then took the 15th on a black-ball finish after a tense exchange, and sealed the 16th frame after O'Sullivan's foul when the cue ball followed a long red into the pocket.
Stephen Hendry, seven-time world champion, praised Higgins' resilience: "John has been incredible and it is incredible he is in this match. Last night he really struggled. Ronnie's play was outstanding but John seemed really un-Higgins like. Maybe it was a little bit of nerves, a bit of intimidation, but he has just battled to stay in this match."
O'Sullivan is aiming for a record eighth world title in the modern era and a 24th Crucible quarter-final appearance. Among the spectators were former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes, UFC fighter Paddy Pimblett, and Liverpool defender Milos Kerkez.
Other Matches
World number one Judd Trump leads Iran's Hossein Vafaei 9-7, while 2010 champion Neil Robertson is 10-6 ahead over Chris Wakelin. Four-time champion Mark Selby trails China's Wu Yize 9-7. All matches conclude on Monday.
Zhao Advances
Defending champion Zhao Xintong defeated compatriot Ding Junhui 13-9 to reach the quarter-finals. Zhao, 29, will face 2005 champion Shaun Murphy next. He is attempting to break the 'Crucible Curse', having become the first first-time winner in 20 years last season. "This was a very special match for us," Zhao said. "There was more pressure, it is not like before."