ROCKET BLAST
Ronnie fires ahead to close in on 14th semi
RONNIE O’SULLIVAN is on course for a record 14th Crucible semi-final after holding off a Luca Brecel fightback last night.
‘The Rocket’ leads Belgium’s Brecel 10-6 in their World Championship quarter-final in Sheffield, needing just three more frames for victory in today’s final session.
O’Sullivan stormed to a 6-2 morning session lead by claiming the last five frames on the spin.
But Brecel outplayed an outof-sorts O’Sullivan for long periods in the evening exchanges and really should have closed the gap on his rival.
Mark Selby, meanwhile, acknowledges that his Crucible clashes with John Higgins are becoming the stuff of legend.
The pair have eight world titles equally split between them and whoever emerges from the titanic and ongoing quarter-final will stand a great chance of adding to that tally.
World No2 Selby and 11thranked Higgins are locked at 4-4 after yesterday’s first session going into today’s final two sessions in Sheffield.
It is a sixth meeting on the sport’s biggest stage and only Steve Davis and Terry Griffiths, and Stephen Hendry and Jimmy White – both with seven – have met more often in the iconic theatre.
Selby, who has won and lost finals against Higgins, said: “Playing John at the Crucible is right up there as one of the great challenges in snooker.
“Him, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Williams, they won’t be around forever so you cherish the times you do play them now on this kind of stage. You don’t know if it’s the last time you might play them here.
“I realise me against John probably is becoming one of the great Crucible match-ups because this is now the sixth time here.
“It is madness really that I played John in each of those first three years that I made it to the Crucible.”
“We have both had streaks at the Crucible – I won three in four years, John won three in five. Three wins in four is better!”
Meanwhile, Higgins’ practice partner Anthony McGill hauled himself back from a big early deficit against tournament sensation Si Jiahui to also stand level at 4-4.
McGill admitted before the quarter-final he spends a lot of time playing and following chess, with that World Championship currently also being contested in Kazakhstan.
And the world No21’s hopes of being king of the Crucible castle look much healthier today than when he trailed 4-1 early in the match against the Chinese qualifier and debutant.