Six-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan reached the semi-finals of the World Cup with a comfortable 13-5 win over Stephen Maguire.
World No. 1 O’Sullivan led 11-5 that night, combining 71 and 126 breaks to secure the win in 20 minutes.
After his victory, he reached the 13th Crucible semifinal, one more than Stephen Hendry’s 12-point tally.
He now meets the four-time winner John Higgins or Jack Lisowski.
“I stayed focused and tried everything. There’s a toolbox, you try to use everything and play your game,” said O’Sullivan.
“I would prefer not to play here because it’s a tough competition.
“I’ve always said that those tournaments and the Masters were my two worst tournaments. I would rather go to Leicester to play for the league but you have to prove it and do your best.”
Meanwhile, 2015 winner Stuart Bingham fell 5-3 to 8-8 against a sort of Judd Trump.
Trump, who won the title in 2019, struggled to follow errors and a string of losing pots that gave Bingham plenty of motivation as he broke four half-centuries and won five frames in a row for a healthy 8-5.
But after the awful first five frames, when he couldn’t get past 30, Trump had shriveled as Bingham lost an absent Black and broke 41 as he cut the deficit to 8-6.
An 89 break followed as Bingham left red above the pocket in the top right corner and, with a saved frame, showed his mood had improved, taking the pink ball (which blocked a plate on brown) with his subsequent index clean moved. The annoying referee Ben Williams aims at the crowd.
Trump won the final frame with two hits to allow the game to run smoothly in his final session at 19:00 BST.
O’Sullivan continues to fight for the historic title
O’Sullivan is just two victories away from the seventh modern-day Welsh crown, the all-time highest that has been Hendry’s trademark since 1999.
Having weathered the first two sessions of the game, Wednesday morning’s conclusion was a formality for “The Rocket” that duly acknowledged their progress with the game’s highest break and their 17th-century tournament.
“I didn’t lose it in the first session because you can come back from 6-2, but the game ended last night,” Maguire said.
“I wish it was over last night. I don’t like having the rhythm. It hurts.”
“He’s the best in all departments” – Analysis
Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry
“I find it hard to see someone who can match Ronnie because he’s the best in everything.
“He looks focused, he scores when he comes in. It will take something to hit him.
“I was honored to share seven titles with him because he was taken to a new level.”
