Ronnie O'Sullivan stuns John Higgins with four-frame salvo at Shanghai Masters, Mark Selby downs Judd Trump
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Updated 14/09/2023 at 15:18 GMT
Ronnie O'Sullivan is through to a Shanghai Masters semi-final with Mark Selby after producing a terrific comeback to beat John Higgins. The Rocket flipped a 5-2 deficit into a 6-5 win with a stunning four-frame run, finishing with a mesmerising 130 total clearance. Selby found life far easier as he roared past Judd Trump 6-1 to book his place in the last four. O'Sullivan and Selby meet on Friday.
O'Sullivan completes 'one of his best-ever wins' with 130 break in Shanghai
Ronnie O'Sullivan won the final four frames to complete a remarkable 6-5 comeback win over John Higgins at the Shanghai Masters and set up a semi-final with Mark Selby.
The Rocket looked dead and buried when trailing 5-2, but ground out a couple of scrappy frames before making two brilliant centuries – including a 130 total clearance in the decider – to seal an unlikely win.
The seven-time world champion will face Selby in the last four after 'The Jester' cruised past Judd Trump 6-1.
"He should have put me away really," O'Sullivan admitted. "He had enough chances, he was 5-2 up and in control of the game and uncharacteristically for John, he didn't finish it off and I think from there he got a little bit disappointed with himself but I didn't expect to do anything because I was really awful."
O'Sullivan looked out of sorts from the get-go against his fellow Class of ’92 graduate and passed up several chances in the opener as Higgins grabbed the early lead.
The second followed a similar pattern but The Rocket eventually prevailed courtesy of a 44 break following an uncharacteristically poor safety shot from the Scotsman.
Higgins then made the first century of the match to restore his lead. It was his 11th of the season so far and looked like it might turn the tide in his favour.
But O’Sullivan, who appeared unhappy with his tip and cue in general, won a scrappy fourth to go in level at the interval, despite being well below his best.
The Englishman got in first in the next three frames after the break but couldn’t muster more than 45, allowing Higgins to do what he does best. He made his second century of the match to move 3-2 clear, before breaks of 71 and 74 got the Scotsman within one of victory.
Higgins broke down on 52 in the next as he closed in on what would have been a deserving and uneventful win before O’Sullivan somehow found form from somewhere. With his high break still 45, he clinched scrappy eighth and ninth frames before turning on the style in front of an appreciative crowd.
The seven-time world champion nailed a long red off the break in the 10th before racing to his first century of the match to send us into a decider, and then capped off the comeback with an incredible 130 to set up an enticing last-four showdown with Selby.
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Selby surprised by fluke pot in Shanghai Masters win over Trump
Unlike Higgins, Selby made no mistake when within sight of the finish line. A 70 in the first frame gave Trump the early lead but Selby hit back emphatically with breaks of 75, 63 and 87 to take a 3-1 lead into the mid-session interval.
The Jester picked up where he left off after the break, winning a scrappy fifth frame to extend his advantage before breaks of 80 and 83 got him over the line.
Neil Robertson rattled off three breaks in excess of 50 – 77, 62 and 107 – as he beat world No. 41 Fan Zhengyi to book a semi-final spot.
We did not see a vintage performance from Luca Brecel, but he ground out a place in the semi-finals with a hard-fought 6-3 victory over Robert Milkins.
The world champion was not at his free-flowing best, but managed to win the final four frames and set up a semi-final meeting with Robertson on Saturday.
He recovered after losing the opening two frames, with Milkins claiming an impressive break of 127 to draw first blood, but it was Brecel who prevailed.
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