Ronnie O'Sullivan 'embarrassed' despite reaching 11th Masters final

The five-times world champion starts as favourite to claim a sixth Masters and a £200,000 first prize against Barry Hawkins on Sunday in a repeat of their 2013 World Championship final which O'Sullivan won to lift the last of his five world titles in Sheffield.

O'Sullivan only returned to competitive snooker last month after eight months off when he lost to Stuart Carrington in a qualifier for the German Masters in Wigan, but has shown signs of his old brilliance in overcoming Mark Williams 6-5, world number one Mark Selby 6-3 and Bingham, who overcame him 13-9 in the quarter-finals at Crucible on his way to winning his first world title in May.

He played some majestic shots against Bingham - including snaring a snooker he needed to win an epic sixth frame for a 5-1 lead - but feels his technique continues to let him down after recent back surgery during his time away from the game.

"I felt really embarrassed," said O'Sullivan.

"I'm not sure if it's because my back is out of place so it's messing around with my posture and technique," he said, flanked by baffled BBC pundits and former world champions Steve Davis and John Parrott.

"I'm not in pain but my alignment is so out that I have no touch or feel. It feels like my body and cue are so disconnected, I'm having to will the ball in. I am having to grind it out, but it's not easy.

"When you're playing alright and getting among the balls there's no better tournament for me because it is right on my doorstep with brilliant support.

"I'm just sorry I have not been able to perform. I feel very flat in myself. It's been difficult to get that zip and bounce in my step. I felt really embarrassed, I felt like I was short-changing them."

Davis turned to O'Sullivan during his lamenting to ask him if he felt the people leaving the venue felt were unhappy before pointing out the 2,000 fans had been entertained by the fare offered up by both men despite neither of them attaining the level of consistency they would desire.

Bingham began the evening looking in the mood after wins over Ding Junhui and John Higgins to reach the last four. He made 63 after O'Sullivan had broken down on 59 for a 1-0 lead, but could not punish his opponent for several errors as breaks of 70 and 121 saw the world number number six lead 4-1.

The sixth frame proved to be a key turning point in the match as Bingham pieced together 67 to leave O'Sullivan needing a snooker, but his fellow Englishman potted a magnificent black to a middle pocket before snaring the snooker he required and mopping up to pinch the frame by two points.

O'Sullivan looked ill at ease and distracted as Bingham quickly won successive frames with knocks of 81 and 52 to trail 5-3, but an outrageous long pot on a red enabled O'Sullivan to sink blue and the remaining colours much to the delight of a voracious crowd at the London venue.

Shaun Murphy 4-6 Mark Allen

Stuart Bingham 6-4 Ding Junhui

Judd Trump 6-4 Stephen Maguire

Barry Hawkins 6-3 Joe Perry

Afternoon session (1pm)

Ronnie O'Sullivan 6-5 Mark Williams

Evening session (7pm)

Mark Selby 6-0 Rick Walden

Afternoon session (1pm)

John Higgins 6-4 Liang Wenbo

Evening session (7pm)

Neil Robertson 6-0 Marco Fu

Afternoon session (1pm)

Ronnie O'Sullivan 6-3 Mark Selby

Evening session (7pm)

Mark Allen 2-6 Barry Hawkins

Afternoon session (1pm)

Judd Trump 6-5 Neil Robertson

Evening session (7pm)

Stuart Bingham 3-6 John Higgins

Afternoon session (1pm)

Judd Trump 4-6 Barry Hawkins

Evening session (7pm)

Ronnie O'Sullivan 6-3 Stuart Bingham

Afternoon session (1pm)

Barry Hawkins v Ronnie O'Sullivan

Evening session (7pm)

Barry Hawkins v Ronnie O'Sullivan