4 years ago
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O'Sullivan reached the quarter-finals in Sheffield for the 18th time| Venue: Crucible Theatre, Sheffield Dates: 31 July-16 August |
| Coverage: Watch live on BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four and Red Button, with uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app. Full details and times. |
Five-time champion Ronnie O'Sullivan beat Ding Junhui 13-10 in a high-quality contest to reach the quarter-finals of the World Championship.
The pair showed expert cueball control, compiling four centuries and 15 further breaks of 50 or more between them.
There was little to separate them after the first two sessions at 8-8, but O'Sullivan pulled away to 12-10, and then took the next frame to win.
World number two Neil Robertson and England's Kyren Wilson both progressed.
'It is a like a morgue out there'
O'Sullivan suffered a shock first-round defeat against amateur James Cahill last year but reaches the last-eight stage for the 18th time in his career.
'The Rocket' finds himself in the more difficult half of the draw, facing three-time champion Mark Williams next before a potential blockbuster meeting against Neil Robertson or Mark Selby in the semi-finals.
Having been neck and neck up until the final session, Ding's long potting deserted him as O'Sullivan made breaks of 87, 73, 60, 117 and 93 to go through.
O'Sullivan told BBC Two: "I am just glad I found a way to try and compete with my mind out there. For a while I have been going out and slapping the ball about having fun, not caring if I won or lost. Deep down I do care but treat it like a bit of fun.
"I spoke to Steve Peters and worked on a few things so when I went out there my mind was clear.
"It is better with the fans, of course it is. It is like playing in a morgue out there. It feels like a village at the moment, the players are much more relaxed, for the top players it can be a nightmare."
More to follow.
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