Champion of Champions 2022 Snooker as it happened – Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Fan Zhengyi to reach the final on Sunday
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Updated 05/11/2022 at 23:28 GMT
Welcome to Eurosport's live coverage of the Champion of Champions 2022 from Bolton where it's time for the second semi-final. Ronnie O'Sullivan faces Fan Zhengyi, who beat the seven-time world champion in the final of the European Masters earlier this year. Can he cause an upset again tonight? Follow all of the latest updates right here on Eurosport.
'Don't move!' - O'Sullivan tells entertaining story about referees
That'll do us
Thanks for your company for this one, night night.
The Rocket and the Juddernaut
What a final we've got on our hands then; the reigning world champion against the current holder of the Champion of Champions titles, and a rematch of their showdown in the Crucible final in May. It's a real stretch of the imagination to think it will be anything less than absorbing.
We'll be around from 12.45pm BST and 6.45pm BST for the afternoon and evening sessions, and you'll not be wanting to miss this one.
Ronnie talks
In his interview with Rob Walker, Ronnie doesn't think he played well, and that Fan made him look good. He's grinning, as well he might; that's a generous interpretation of his own performance, given the concussive scoring that he piled on out there. 'He was in a different league to his opponent tonight,' says one Stephen Hendry when they cut back to studio.
O'Sullivan advances to set up dream final
That was light work for Ronnie, who you sense had another gear in there as he swept away Fan Zhengyi. Breaks of 89, 117, 86, 55, 62, 53 and 75 did the damage, and although Fan responded with a ton of his own the result looked inevitable after the first couple of frames. There are certain tournaments Ronnie really gets up for, and this is certainly one of them; what a feast we could have in store tomorrow when he takes on an in-form Judd Trump for the title.
O'Sullivan 6-2 Fan
This crowd have been in Ronnie's palm all night, and they give him a huge ovation as he empties the table for a sublime 75 to take frame and match.
O'Sullivan 5-2 Fan (54-0)
It's a rapid half-ton for Ronnie, but in trying to split the pack off the pink he sticks to a red and he's on nish. That's a reprieve for Fan, who's just about still in this as he returns to the table welded to the top cushion. He's surely done now though; Fan misses a red to bottom right by a long way, and Ronnie thin snicks a red to bottom left to get back in the balls.
O'Sullivan 5-2 Fan (22-0)
Fan is in the mood now, and gambles everything on a long black to hold for the black at the start of frame eight. It spits out of the jaws though, and it's handed a chance to Ronnie. He's got that look in his eyes that he wants it done here and now, and is swiftly to 22 as a deft pot on the black and canon into a nearby red open things up nicely.
O'Sullivan 5-2 Fan
It might only be a glancing blow on the way down, but Fan will feel a whole lot better right now. He empties the table for a superb 123 to win his second frame of the night, even potting the black left-handed for a final flourish.
O'Sullivan 5-1 Fan (5-43)
Fan is taking these nicely so far, advancing to 43 and counting. There are still six open reds to play for, and he's looking good to peg a frame back.
O'Sullivan 5-1 Fan (5-8)
Playing O'Sullivan is as tough a school as there's ever been, and Fan's been handed a lesson here tonight. Fan's had a few chances, particularly before the mid-session interval, but he never really looked confident enough to cash them in. He gets another one here though; after red-brown-red Ronnie misses a surprising blue, and he's left Fan an easy starter.
O'Sullivan 5-1 Fan
In short, no. Fan pots the green, but fails to land a snooker on the brown and leaves it on. Ronnie steps in and plugs it, and we're done in this one.
O'Sullivan 4-1 Fan (63-33)
Ronnie makes 62 before carelessly missing the green. Fan plays on, needing two snookers. Can he keep the argument going here?
O'Sullivan 4-1 Fan (37-33)
It's just 32 for Fan as his break curtails, but he's soon back in with a red to the left middle. He's not conveniently on a colour though, and is forced to play safe. Ronnie soon gets the initiative, nailing a long red before tucking in behind the brown. It forces a big error from Fan, who tries a glancing escape off two cushions but smacks into a red full ball. This is big trouble, because these remaining reds are scattered compliantly. Fan's lead is soon gone, and Ronnie is staying on high value colours here which will secure the frame without the colours being required.
O'Sullivan 4-1 Fan (0-21)
If you're going down, go down fighting as they say. Fan hoses a superb long red to the bottom right at the start of frame six, and he's got a decent chance here. The black is on to both corners, and he's got plenty of open reds to go far.
After a great debut season, the UCI Track Champions League is back for season two, with Laura Kenny joining the party. You can watch it all live and on demand on discovery+. We will have extensive coverage across eurosport.com and the first race is in Mallorca on Saturday Nov 12, with the action starting at 5:30pm UK time.
O'Sullivan 4-1 Fan
Ronnie is in total charge here, potting another red before laying a majestic snooker tight in behind the yellow. Fan tries a two cushion escape to land soft on a red on the bottom rail, which goes close but slides on by to give away four. It's left Ronnie with his hand on the table, an easy starter and enough on to win the frame here. Sure enough Ronnie adds the 20 required in no time, going on to make 55 to take a three frame lead.
O'Sullivan 3-1 Fan (45-0)
It's not an easy table but, one shot at a time, Ronnie is managing to lasso it under control. The black is tied up and the pink is on the yellow spot, so the white is doing some mileage in this break. On 45 it comes unstuck when he tries to force the reds open with topspin off the pink; the pack splits, but he's unlucky to land on nothing.
O'Sullivan 3-1 Fan (12-0)
With a quick blast of Right Here, Right Now (the Fatboy Slim one, not Jesus Jones) the players return. This is a big frame for Fan, who has had some decent looks tonight which he hasn't cashed in. If he can win it, this could get interesting. If not, it could be curtains. After a containing safety from Ronnie, Fan goes for a red to left middle and misses it on the high jaw; Ronnie is in again, red to right middle, and there's a few on for him here.
O'Sullivan 3-1 Fan
A total of 86 extends O'Sullivan's lead; we'll be back in 15 minutes.
O'Sullivan 2-1 Fan (79-17)
Frame ball red is calmly dispatched into the right middle, followed by the black. It's another big visit for Ronnie, who will take a lead into the mid-session interval.
O'Sullivan 2-1 Fan (41-17)
Some attacking safety shots from both players have made this a very dangerous table, and then an orthodox safety from Ronnie leaves Fan in all sorts of bother with no route back to baulk. Fan plays a deadweight containing safety but from it Ronnie picks out a red to left middle, and he's away. He quickly gets the black back on its spot and starts clearing the reds from around it. The black won't go to the bottom right for the moment, but that doesn't look like being an issue.
O'Sullivan 2-1 Fan (0-17)
Fan has the edge at the start of frame three, picking up 11 in fouls as Ronnie needs three pops to land a deadweight rest onto the pack off the left rail. He gets the first chance too, as Ronnie soon leaves a red to bottom right from close range. Fan clangs into the brown though when going in and out of baulk off the blue, and lands on nothing.
O'Sullivan 2-1 Fan
Ronnie can't fashion an opening, and Fan gets back in to add a quick 40 and take the frame.
O'Sullivan 2-0 Fan (1-60)
Fan will feel better now - he launches a long red into the bottom right, backed up by a pressure brown to yellow pocket and he's got a chance to win the frame. In potting his next red he canons open another three to hold for the black.That's a great shot and he should walk it in from here, but Fan is forced to take frame ball red long to the green pocket and he's missed it. There's 59 left on, so Ronnie can still tie; the good news for Fan is that two reds are safe.
O'Sullivan 2-0 Fan (1-39)
A poor shot from Fan leaves him straight on the blue, and with no angle to open the pack; with no reds in the open he can only bank the five points and play safe to baulk. Ronnie can't punish though, missing two long reds in succession and leaving Fan in from the second of them. Fan can only add a solitary red though before tucking up behind the yellow.
O'Sullivan 2-0 Fan (1-19)
Ronnie is playing like he doesn't believe Fan can beat him here. He misses a deadweight red to the bottom right, gambling for position on the black, but Fan can't punish and misses a red to the left middle. Ronnie then gets in with a superb red into the right middle, but will this be a turning point? In potting the black he sends a red into the left middle, and he's left Fan in. It's a decent look, and for the sake of tonight being a contest Fan could do with a heavy visit here.
O'Sullivan 2-0 Fan
It's another quick kill. Ronnie sails past the winning line, and he's not done there. Fan's missed black is punished to the tune of a 117, and Ronnie is flying.
O'Sullivan 1-0 Fan (50-1)
Ronnie splits the pack off the blue to reach 35, and this is now a frame-winning opportunity. The half-ton soon arrives with a black to bottom left and the white tickling apart the remaining clustered reds below the pink; this one looks over already.
O'Sullivan 1-0 Fan (21-1)
Ronnie misses a thin cut on a red to left middle at the start of frame two. It leaves Fan an almost identical shot and he drops it in, but then misses another black off its spot and he's served up a gift to Ronnie. It's only early in the match, but these are worrying signs for Fan who hasn't settled tonight at all. Ronnie's not hanging about, and is on 21 and counting in a heartbeat.
O'Sullivan 1-0 Fan
Ronnie has to go in and out of baulk off the black to drop in behind that awkward red, which is the final one on the table. It's narrow and straight, but Ronnie plugs it in left-handed. It's been said before, but we've really never seen the like and might not again. It's routine thereafter as Ronnie banks the frame by emptying the table for an 89. A fluke got him going, but he didn't half cash it in.
O'Sullivan 0-0 Fan (40-35)
Will this be a big miss? Fan is coasting on a break of 34, but misses a just off straight pink to the bottom right and he's left Ronnie a chance to counter. Ronnie picks off a red, and how about this - he goes up for the black in baulk, jars it out of the yellow pocket and flukes it into the green pocket! My days, what a touch. Fan's lead is soon toast, and his only out here looks to be a red near the left rail.
O'Sullivan 0-0 Fan (0-22)
It's an early chance for Fan, as a cross-double safety from Ronnie leaves a red on over the bottom left. Fan picks it off, but misses the black off its spot to follow. He gets another look soon after though as Ronnie misses a red long to the bottom left, and it lands over the left middle. With the black out of commission for now he needs to rely on pink and blue, but he's making a good fist of it so far.
Here we go
Our MC Tahir Hajat brings the players out into a packed arena in Bolton. First to six then, with a break after four frames; let's get about it.
Fan
It’s a tall order for Fan Zhengyi to mess up the Matrix and stop the anticipated Trump-O’Sullivan final from happening, but he’s got previous with Ronnie. Fan is present in Bolton because of his sensational victory at the European Masters in February, where he beat Ronnie in a decider to take the title.
That victory made Fan the fifth Chinese player to win a ranking event. Outside of this it’s been a modest career so far for the 21-year-old, who is currently ranked 37th in the world. He’ll start as second favourite here, but having beaten Ronnie before will not be overawed.
Ronald
When there are no more worlds to conquer, geniuses are prone to getting bored. Ronnie has been very candid about snooker not being top of his list of priorities in recent years, but if there’s one thing that gets him going, it’s a challenge.
There are no ranking points on the go here in Bolton, but it’s an elite tournament with a load of lolly to be won at the end of it, and the chance to let the rest of the tour know just who the boss is. That same combo gets Ronnie fired up at the Masters, and it’s no different here. He’s won this tournament three times already, and his casual dismantling of the prodigious Zhao Xintong on Thursday suggests he’s well up for a fourth.
Evening folks
Welcome to live coverage of the second semi-final of the 2022 Champion of Champions. It’s been a belter of a tournament so far, with Judd Trump already in tomorrow’s final after his 6-3 win over Mark Selby last night.
Shortly, we’ll find out who will be joining them. In about 15 minutes time we’ll be baizing Ronnie O’Sullivan and Fan Zhengyi for a best of 11 to sort it out.
---
Semi-final two coming up
It's time for the second semi-final at the 2022 Champion of Champions with 16 of snooker's biggest stars now whittled down to just three names.
Ronnie O'Sullivan is back in action after he cruised to victory against Robert Milkins and Zhao Xintong in the group stage.
He faces Fan Zhangyi, who beat The Rocket in the European Masters final earlier this year, with the winner taking on Judd Trump in the final on Sunday, after the 2019 world champion beat Mark Selby.
The £150,000 prize for the winner will be a big incentive for the remaining players, with O'Sullivan looking to win a fourth Champion of Champions crown.
What is the Champion of Champions?
The elite 16-player event involves all the winners on the professional World Snooker Tour circuit over the past year.
Players are drawn into four groups of four and then paired into group semi-finals, with the winners going head-to-head in group finals. The four winners then progress to the tournament semis and the final.
- - -
Stream top snooker action live on discovery+ and eurosport.co.uk
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement