Snooker news - Ronnie O'Sullivan holds off Ding Junhui recovery to reach Masters final

ByEurosport

Updated 20/01/2019 at 09:12 GMT

Ding Junhui fell five balls short of the 147th 147 in snooker history, but it was Ronnie O'Sullivan who reached his 13th Masters final with a 6-3 win at the Alexandra Palace.

Ronnie O’Sullivan has been speaking in an Australian accent.

Image credit: PA Sport

O'Sullivan will bid for a record eighth Masters title at the London venue on Sunday, but was forced to hold off a spirited recovery by Ding in a taut semi-final after the five-times world champion put on a master-class of long potting and safety shots especially in the first four frames.

O'Sullivan said he is not "greedy" to add to his haul of achievements that includes a record seventh UK title lifted last month.

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"I’ve done well to win two or three, lets not get greedy,’ said O’Sullivan. "I’m not a greedy person.

"I understand the Western philosophy is about more is more and more is never enough, but I don’t adopt to that philosophy.

Greed can come out in many ways and I find that the less greedy you are the more satisfied you are, in many ways.

"I don’t buy into numbers and achievements and stuff like that, I just enjoy it and you should just be satisfied with what you’ve got and be grateful for what you have."

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O'Sullivan - winner of snooker's biggest invitational event in 1995, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2014, 2016 and 2017 - made breaks of 58, 75, 52 and 56 with Ding managing only 44 points in the second frame as he headed to the mid-session interval faced with the nightmarish prospect of a whitewash.

But the 2011 Masters champion won a scrappy fifth frame after the re-start before making back-to-back centuries of 107 and then a wonderful 122.

That spectacular effort ended with him missing a tough green to a centre pocket after fluking a yellow to the same pocket that kept him on course for the 147th 147 since Steve Davis made snooker's first televised maximum in 1982.

Ironically, the theatrical nature of that break, which included a sublime plant shot on two reds and an astonishing cut on a black with the rest, seemed to have an adverse effect on China's number one as O'Sullivan edged over the line in a mediocre eighth frame despite needing several chances.

Ding's chance to pressurise O'Sullivan had been lost as the world number three steadied himself with several glorious pots helping him close out the match with a 93 clearance.

O'Sullivan's relief was obvious as he embraced Ding warmly at the end of a match lasting two hours and 43 minutes. He will face Judd Trump in the final on Sunday after the fellow Englishman beat Neil Robertson in the other semi-final on Saturday.

MASTERS FIRST ROUND

(Best of 11 frames)

Mark Allen 5-6 Luca Brecel
Ding Junhui 6-1 Jack Lisowski
John Higgins 5-6 Ryan Day
Ronnie O'Sullivan 6-2 Stuart Bingham
Mark Selby 6-2 Stephen Maguire
Judd Trump 6-2 Kyren Wilson
Barry Hawkins 6-2 Shaun Murphy
Mark Williams 3-6 Neil Robertson

MASTERS QUARTER-FINALS

(Best of 11 frames)

Luca Brecel 5-6 Ding Junhui
Ryan Day 3-6 Ronnie O'Sullivan
Mark Selby 2-6 Judd Trump
Barry Hawkins 3-6 Neil Robertson

MASTERS SEMI-FINALS

(Best of 11 frames)

Ding Junhui 3-6 Ronnie O'Sullivan
Judd Trump 6-4 Neil Robertson

MASTERS FINAL

(Best of 19 frames)

Ronnie O'Sullivan v Trump/Robertson

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