Masters snooker LIVE: Ronnie O’Sullivan beats Shaun Murphy to reach final
Ronnie O’Sullivan is now just one win away from a record-extending eighth Masters title after beating Shaun Murphy 6-2
Ronnie O’Sullivan’s pursuit of an eighth Masters crown rolls on after he demolished Shaun Murphy 6-2 to reach the final.
O’Sullivan hit the headlines after describing the Alexandra Palace venue as “disgusting” after his quarter-final win over Barry Hawkins but that didn’t stop him producing a supreme show of snooker might to down Murphy and reach a remarkable 14th Masters final.
The 48-year-old can become the oldest player in history to win the Masters by triumphing in Sunday showpiece and that would add to his exisitng record of being the youngest-ever winner of the tournament. His victory at the UK Championship in December ensured he is now the oldest and youngest man to win that event.
O’Sullivan will play either Ali Carter or Mark Allen, who meet later on Saturday, in Sunday’s final.
Relive the semi-final below:
Ronnie O’Sullivan 1-0 Shaun Murphy
Murphy looks typically fluent around the table but then breaks down inexplicably on 32. He misses a black off the spot to the right corner. It wasn’t completely straightforward but any black off the spot, you expect these players to get. He missed it thick.
A 32-point lead nowhere near enough and O’Sullivan can counter with the reds beautifully placed.
Ronnie O’Sullivan 1-0 Shaun Murphy
Frame two underway and a surprising miss from O’Sullivan early on. He looks perfectly set with a red to the right corner but tries to crunch it in too hard and it bounces out.
Simple red for Murphy to the middle and he can get among the balls and make the first break in this second frame.
FRAME! Ronnie O’Sullivan 1-0 Shaun Murphy
Valiant effort by Murphy as he pots the brown and tries to get the one remaining snooker needed on the blue. But he leaves O’Sullivan a chance at the pot up into the yellow pocket and The Rocket makes no mistake to finish it once and for alL.
RONNIE O’SULLIVAN WINS THE FIRST FRAME
Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-0 Shaun Murphy
Murphy does put O’Sullivan in a couple of snookers but every time he’s able to come off a cushion and hit the brown. This is a real game of cat and mouse.
Well, well, well. Murphy does get one four-point snooker as the cueball is in tight behind the pink and O’Sullivan misses off the cushion. He still needs another one but the frame isn’t over yet.
Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-0 Shaun Murphy
What a break by Murphy! He takes a brown with the first red, leaving no margin for error but a superb pot down the right cushion and stunning the cueball across to take the black on the other cushion keeps him on track.
Rest of the reds tidied up and he just needs the colours to snatch the frame by a point. But he misses the green! It’s a tricky one along the top cushion and it rattles out after hitting both jaws.
O’Sullivan slams it in and Murphy now needs two snookers at 70-43 behind but only 22 points left. He returns to the table trying to get those.
Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-0 Shaun Murphy
O’Sullivan builds his lead up to 67-12 with minimal fuss but a dodgy contact on the blue leaves him a much trickier pot, with the rest, on a red than he wanted. And he misses it, rattling the jaws and staying out.
This frame should really be over and While The Rocket is in complete control, Murphy still has a chance with 59 points remaining and trailing by 55.
In fact, Murphy gets in next when O’Sullivan misses another pot. Can The Magician steal this frame?
Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-0 Shaun Murphy
O’Sullivan wins the safety battle as Murphy leaves the cueball among the reds down the business end of the table from a safety shot gone wrong. It leaves The Rocket a two-ball plant to the left corner to get him started.
Another chance to win this frame now and the reds aren’t too badly spread.
Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-0 Shaun Murphy
O’Sullivan can’t keep the white out of the pocket at the moment! He pots a nice red to the middle but is unfortunate to see the cueball drop into the right corner pocket.
He’d come up just short on a roll-up safety a little before, so Murphy now on 12 points without potting a ball. O’Sullivan still leads 30-12 as the players exchange safety shots waiting for an opening.
Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-0 Shaun Murphy
The reds are quite nicely spread here and O’Sullivan might fancy wrapping this frame up in one visit. There’s no drama early in the break as he ticks off reds with blacks but runs slightly out of position on 30 when a cannon goes slightly wrong.
He is left without a pot, so plays safe, dumping the white on the bottom cushion. He’ll be frustrated he didn’t make more there.
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