FIVE-TIME WORLD snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan’s eventful world championships came to a disappointing end when he lost 13-9 in the quarter-finals to fellow-Englishman Stuart Bingham.
O’Sullivan, whose mercurial behaviour during the tournament saw him play part of a frame without his shoes on, almost snap his cue in half and make an obscene gesture, had no answer to Bingham’s play in the final session having gone in all square at 8-8.
Indeed, O’Sullivan won the opening frame of the evening session to go 9-8 up but after that he barely got a look-in against a player he had humbled 13-4 in the quarter-finals at the 2013 championships.
Bingham, winner of two ranking events, broke down on the way to a maximum 147 effort, having pocketed 11 reds and 11 blacks, as he edged to within two frames of victory.
A composed 51 took world number 10 Bingham closer to the winning line, before a 66 break gave him a famous victory and a place in the last four for the first time on his ninth visit.
An emotional Bingham admitted crying after claiming the victory.
“Just unbelieveable,” he said. “It feels like I didn’t miss a ball. I have to go back in and give myself five minutes now.
I had a little tear, rang the missus up and I couldn’t really speak on the phone.”
Earlier Shaun Murphy followed Judd Trump — who will play Bingham — into the semi-finals after overcoming giant-killing Scottish qualifier Anthony McGill 13-8.
McGill had beaten Stephen Maguire and defending champion Mark Selby to reach the quarter-finals on his tournament debut, but 2005 champion Murphy proved a bridge too far.
Murphy compiled three centuries, which enabled him to race away from McGill at 6-6, and secured his place in the last four with a 67 break.
Earlier, Trump overcame illness to secure a last-four berth by completing a one-sided 13-4 victory over China’s Ding Junhui.
Picking up after establishing a 12-4 overnight lead, world number six Trump — a runner-up in 2011 — produced a break of 66 to end Ding’s interest in the competition before mid-morning.