Ronnie O'Sullivan wraps up win over Stephen Maguire in 19 minutes to reach World Championship semi-finals

ByJames Walker-Roberts

Published 27/04/2022 at 09:49 GMT

Ronnie O'Sullivan raced into the last four of the World Snooker Championship, winning the first two frames of the third session against Stephen Maguire to advance by a 13-5 scoreline. The Rocket is bidding to equal Stephen Hendry's record of seven World Championship victories. He will face either Jack Lisowski or John Higgins in the semi-finals.

Ronnie O’Sullivan quickly wrapped up an impressive win over Stephen Maguire to reach the semi-finals of the World Snooker Championship.

Leading 11-5 overnight and after being warned about losing focus over his cue woes, the six-time world champion needed just 19 minutes to win the two frames he required to advance.

O’Sullivan made breaks of 71 and 126 to seal victory before Judd Trump and Stuart Bingham had even finished a frame on the other table.

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He will face either Jack Lisowski or John Higgins in the last four, with the match starting on Thursday evening.

O'Sullivan is bidding to equal Stephen Hendry's record of seven World Championship victories.

Despite his commanding lead from the first two sessions, O’Sullivan was not always at his fluent best and said afterwards his cue had been “unplayable” at times.

‘I’ve played with worse and won’ – O’Sullivan shrugs off ‘unplayable’ cue

• O'Sullivan beats Maguire - as it happened
• O'Sullivan says he has 'won with worse' cues

However, he looked in excellent touch on Wednesday morning as he eased across the finish line.

Maguire made a good long red to start the session but then left the black in the jaws of the pocket. O’Sullivan took advantage with a break of 71 to move a step closer to victory.

The Rocket finished in style with his highest break of the match after Maguire had left a red on from a safety shot into the pack.

While O'Sullivan has been playing some sublime snooker this World Championship, Eurosport expert Jimmy White has warned his good friend not to lose his focus and concentration over the cue issues that have plagued him.

"He has been playing really well all season, he’s played well in this tournament so we know it’s in the tank," said Eurosport expert White.

"But the tip situation is making him lose focus, lose his concentration and you see Ronnie O’Sullivan in the balls and he doesn’t really know what to do.

"The main thing is he’s getting the W, getting through to the next round. It looks like he’s going to win this match, let’s be honest, he’s that far in front. But if he’s going to beat John Higgins, he can’t play like that, that’s for sure."

He added: "He’s not played well at all. He’s obviously unhappy with his tip. It must be demoralising for Stephen Maguire, a man of his class. He’s not really competed.

"You can see every now and again he shows us what he can do. Ronnie O’Sullivan is closer to the next round but he's not played well at all tonight."

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