Snooker World Championship final: Mark Selby takes lead over Ronnie O'Sullivan heading into final session

The underdog leads 11-10 at the Crucible

Mark Selby at the table during the final of the Snooker World Championship against Ronnie O'Sullivan (GETTY IMAGES)

Ronnie O'Sullivan fell behind in the Dafabet World Championship final as the man he calls "the torturer" had him on the rack.

In a dramatic turnaround at the Crucible, Mark Selby came from 10-7 adrift at the start of play to lead 11-10 heading into the decisive evening session - and O'Sullivan was rocking, his mission to land a sixth world title dealt a huge blow.

Selby had trailed 8-3 and 10-5 during Sunday's opening exchanges, but after taking the last two frames to reduce his overnight arrears he added all four before the mid-session interval on Monday afternoon.

O'Sullivan will know he should have pinched the last frame though, with the champion of the past two years missing the easiest of pinks in the 21st frame, electing for power over precision, that would have secured him a lead.

So attritional was the contest proving that the session was halted two frames early, giving the players a break before the 7pm resumption. With 18 frames the victory target, another of the Crucible's famous late-night finishes appeared a certainty.

PA