Match Reports from the 888.com World Championship
Ronnie Rocks
Ronnie O’Sullivan 13 – 10 Neil Robertson
Ronnie O’Sullivan saw off a brilliant fight back from Neil Robertson to make the quarter-finals in a Crucible classic.
The double world champion won the last three frames to finally break the Australian, who earlier lit up the match.
Slightly unfortunate to be 6-2 down after the first session, Robertson quickly found himself further behind. O’Sullivan made breaks of 68 and 105 to win two of the first three frames, extending his lead to 8-3.
Robertson could easily have folded, but the 25-year-old emphatically hit back. He won a tight 12th frame before the interval, and then superbly won all four of the session’s remaining frames to turn the match on its head.
This season’s Grand Prix and Welsh Open champion kept O’Sullivan away from the table, and finished the session with a 140, the tournament’s highest break so far.
The intensity of the match continued into the third session. Robertson took the 17th to win his sixth frame in a row and lead 9-8, but O’Sullivan responded with a 129.
A break of 70 edged the world number 13 ahead once again, only for O’Sullivan to reply with a 96.
From there O’Sullivan took charge to make it to the last eight for the fourth season in a row, helped by a fluked red that saw him over the line in the final frame.
Afterwards he was full of praise for his opponent. “I never really felt very comfortable,” he said. “Neil is an intimidating player and he is a bit of a powerhouse.”
Despite knocking out Robertson and Ding Junhui, two of the game’s rising stars, O’Sullivan was not content with his game. “My scoring was good but my safety was only average, and I didn’t have much success with long balls. I stole a few frames and it should have been closer really,” he said.
Robertson was unhappy with the result, but reflected on a great match and his best year as a professional. “I’m proud of the way I came back. Obviously I’m disappointed but I have had a fantastic season,” he said.
Robertson added that the defeat would make him a better player, saying: “There are some parts of my game I have to improve, and hopefully with that I will come back and be a much better player next season.”
