Ronnie O'Sullivan knocked out of Saudi Arabia Masters after Si Jiahui masterclass in Riyadh
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Published 05/09/2024 at 21:26 GMT+1
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Si Jiahui held off what would have been another staggering Ronnie O'Sullivan comeback, after 'The Rocket' had reached the quarter-finals having come from three frames down to beat Zhang Anda. Si battled bravely though and the 22-year-old's calm display was ultimately O'Sullivan's undoing. Si also moved into the top 16 for the first time in his career.
'A possible turning point' - O'Sullivan misses green, loses frame to Si
Video credit: TNT Sports
Ronnie O’Sullivan failed to pull off another miraculous escape act as Si Jiahui battled hard to reach the semi-finals of the Saudi Arabia Masters with a 6-4 win.
The 22-year-old moved into the top 16 for the first time in his blossoming career, but 'The Rocket' will rue costly errors at crucial moments after the defeat.
O'Sullivan had fought back from 3-0 down to edge out Zhang Anda in the previous round and a more spectacular comeback was on the cards midway through the quarter-final.
But a four-frame deficit with Si one away proved too tough a task for O'Sullivan.
A scrappy opening frame went the way of Si, with both players committing unforced errors and O’Sullivan eventually conceding with snookers required.
And a missed green was The Rocket’s undoing in frame two, as his opponent came back from 45-2 down to clear the table.
But it was the seven-time world champion’s turn to mount a mid-frame comeback, needing all the balls to reduce the deficit to one and O’Sullivan was flawless for a frame-winning 65 break.
The match was level by the mid-session interval, with O’Sullivan getting the better of Si in a brief tactical tete-a-tete and duly draining a break of 79.
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Three frames on the spin for the Chinese gave O’Sullivan an even bigger mountain to climb than the one he scaled to defeat Zhang in the previous round.
Si ruthlessly capitalised on mistake after mistake to put himself one away from the final four, a stylish but ultimately unsuccessful 147 bid looking to be the penultimate nail in the coffin.
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'Steady decline for five years' - O'Sullivan critical of performance despite victory over Zhang
Video credit: TNT Sports
The 22-year-old fell just short of a century break in that frame, and O’Sullivan got an unlikely comeback off and running with a fine break of 65.
And the job was half complete, even after giving Si an opening at 44-0 up, wrapping up the ninth frame with another half-century break.
But it was not to be for the 48-year-old, whose untimely miss on an opening red handed a golden opportunity to Si.
A closing break of 82 was enough to set up Si for a semi-final clash with Mark Williams.
Williams whitewashes Robertson
Williams will prove a tough opponent for Si on Friday, as the Welshman gave nothing away to Jimmy Robertson in a 6-0 whitewash.
Despite the comprehensive scoreline, Williams and Robertson were both hit-and-miss in the opening frames.
A brace of tight contests gave Williams an early cushion which he would not relinquish.
It took until the fifth frame for either player to manage a break north of 50, but Williams was saving the best until last.
The highest break of the evening session was sunk in some style as the 49-year-old knocked in 133 to finish with a flourish.
Watch and stream the Saudi Arabia Masters live on Eurosport and discovery+.
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