World Grand Prix 2021 - Ronnie O'Sullivan cruises into quarter-finals with win over Hossein Vafaei
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Updated 16/12/2021 at 18:09 GMT
Ronnie O'Sullivan qualified for his latest quarter-final of the season when he beat Hossein Vafaei 4-1 in Coventry at the Cazoo World Grand Prix. The 46-year-old former world number one has been a loser in the semis at both the English Open and the Scottish Open, but is a step closer to the final four once again.
Ronnie O'Sullivan at the Scottish Open
Image credit: Eurosport
Ronnie O’Sullivan qualified for the quarter-finals of the World Grand Prix with a 4-1 win over Hossein Vafaei.
The Iranian took the lead in the first frame with a 77-26 margin, but the former world number one rallied to take the next three frames.
O’Sullivan did not hit a serious break until the fourth frame, though, when a century of 107 took him a frame from victory.
An unanswered 81 took him into the next round in Coventry.
The 46-year-old Englishman has had two semi-finals so far this season, losing in both the English and Scottish Open, and will be hoping to secure another final four appearance when he faces Jimmy Robertson who beat Luca Brecel 4-3 in the session’s other match.
A nice break of 69 levelled at 1-1 for Robertson in the second frame, before a 69 break for the Belgian put him back in the lead.
Robertson then put down 82 to level, before another half century from Brecel took him a frame from victory, and Robertson levelled again.
He then secured something of an upset win over the Scottish Open winner, with a break of 64 helping him to a 89-8 in the decisive seventh frame.
Elsewhere, Stephen Maguire produced an outstanding comeback from 3-1 down to snatch victory from Jack Lisowski.
The Scot fell behind early and appeared to be destined for the exit door of the Coventry Building Society Arena as Lisowski built his lead, aided by a sparking 128 in frame three.
However Maguire edged a scrappy fifth frame and sent the match to a decider with a break of 57.
And after a succession of errors from both players, a particularly loose safety from Lisowski afforded Maguire an opportunity he could not waste, shaking hands after a match sealing 77 to reach the last eight.
He will face Stuart Bingham, who survived a tense rematch of the 2020 Masters final against Ali Carter in an encounter that also went to a deciding frame.
The two Essex-born potters could not be separated after four frames with two excellent breaks of 90 and 93 bringing Carter level with Bingham, whose brace of frames were secured more scratchily.
Carter then edged ahead for the first time in the match, winning a narrow fifth by just two points.
But Bingham, producing just enough points in elongated final skirmishes to first level the match at 3-3 and then secure his place in the quarter-finals.
The 45-year-old reached the final on debut at the World Grand Prix in the 2015-16 season but had not, curiously, been beyond the second round since.
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