RONNIE O’SULLIVAN’S 2017 World Championship journey has come to an end after a defeat to China’s Ding Junhui in the quarter-finals.
Ronnie ‘The Rocket’ lost the match 13-10 to Ding, but not before scoring a break of 146 just before the mid-session interval, the highest of the competition so far.
O’Sullivan went into today’s session 10-6 behind after last year’s runner-up Ding took control last night.
Ding held out in the end, however, after some breathtaking snooker from the two men. Only one frame in the 23 played didn’t have a break of 50 or more.
A win today would have put O’Sullivan into a record-equaling 12th World Championship semi-final. The record is held by Stephen Hendry, who was in the commentary box this afternoon and who O’Sullivan can be seen smiling at in the video.
Hendry’s record is safe for another year, however, as Ding got the better of O’Sullivan in a ranking event for the first time since 2006.
It will be a repeat of last year’s final in the next stage, as Ding faces last year’s champion, Mark Selby, in the semi-final.
Elsewhere, four-time world champion John Higgins made it into the other semi-final, with a 13-6 win over Kyren Wilson. He will face the winner of Barry Hawkins and Stephen Maguire.
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
