Rocket Reaches Masters Semifinal

Ronnie O'Sullivan reached the semi-finals of the Masters with an impressive 6-3 victory over three-time winner and world number one Mark Selby.

The five-time Masters champion knocked in one century and six-half centuries, including a match-winning 73 in frame nine, after Selby had a break of 70.

"You're not going to win this tournament by playing negative," O'Sullivan, 40, told BBC Sport.

He will face either John Higgins or Stuart Bingham in the last four.

BBC snooker analyst Steve Davis called O'Sullivan's clearance to win the match "one of the greatest of all time".

However, five-time world champion O'Sullivan, who is playing his first major tournament since taking a break from the sport last April, insisted he is not on top of his game.

He said: "It was a chance but I'm trying to kid myself I'm confident.

"I felt a bit more relaxed and comfortable. My attitude was fantastic. But I'm struggling with my technique and it's just the occasion and the competitive instinct within me that's making me try and find something.

"I'm not cruising where you flick through the gears."

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Rocket Wants Snooker Rock Stars

Ronnie O’Sullivan wants to bring the raucous party atmosphere of a darts crowd to a snooker event.

The five-times world champion has landed his major titles by playing in enforced near silence at snooker’s major venues, including the Crucible.

The atmosphere can still be electric, but O’Sullivan is a regular visitor to the darts PDC world championship at Alexandra Palace, where the crowds, often fuelled by large amounts of alcohol, and razzmatazz provide an entirely different sense of occasion.

O’Sullivan wrote on Twitter: “The new rock stars are the dart players.” He asked his followers: “By the way who would go and watch a snooker match played in a darts atmosphere?”

Despite a mixed response, O’Sullivan added: “Ok we will do one and see how it goes, I will play (Judd) trump first and see if it’s what the public wants. I’d love to play in that atmosphere, and anyone who can’t, go home.”

O’Sullivan, 40, was awarded an OBE in the New Year honours and will make his first tournament appearance since the world championship last April when he plays at the Masters this month.

The Masters – also at Alexandra Palace – runs from 10-17 January and O’Sullivan starts his bid to win the event for a sixth time when he plays Mark Williams on 12 January.

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Rocket Once Offered Fix

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Ronnie O'Sullivan says he rejected a £20,000 offer to fix a snooker match. The five-time world champion said a proposal concerning a Premier League fixture was made by somebody he knew about 10 years ago.

"Someone rang me and said he'd like to meet me over in the forest and have a walk through the woods," O'Sullivan, 37, wrote in his new autobiography.

"What they were offering, 20 grand," he added, "I could get for a couple of nights' work."

O'Sullivan, who won his fifth world title in May after taking a six-month break from the sport, said the meeting - in Epping Forest, Essex - lasted about 15 minutes.

"If anyone could get away with it, I could. I could just play one-handed, or left-handed or just put a towel over my head and pretend I was going nuts. But it's not something I would or could do. I couldn't live with myself; I'd feel that was robbing somebody."

The revelation comes less than a month after former world top-five player Stephen Lee was handed a 12-year ban after being found guilty of seven match-fixing charges.

A response to O'Sullivan's comments is being considered by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association.

In an interview with BBC Sport, the player was asked whether he had ever considered throwing a match.

"I can't do it. I enjoy playing - snooker's given me a great life.," he said.

"It's not just about the money. You put all of that on the line. Without snooker you'd lose friends and family.

"You're not just taking the money, but jeopardising relationships with people, the sport, and the opportunity to embrace great things that being a professional snooker player can give you."

O'Sullivan recently backtracked on a claim he made that Lee was not the only player guilty of match-fixing.

The Essex player, nicknamed 'The Rocket', had originally tweeted: "I've heard there's many more players who throw snooker matches.

"I suppose Steve Lee was just caught out.

"No need to worry if you got nothing to hide. But plenty of people have got loads to hide. That's why there is no free speech. They're hiding."

World Snooker boss Barry Hearn reacted by stating O'Sullivan's comments were "unacceptable and damaging".

O'Sullivan later said he had "no concrete evidence of match-fixing in snooker," but hinted players were aware of who might be involved.

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Ronnie Set for Snooker Return

World champion Ronnie O'Sullivan is set to end his self-imposed exile from tournament snooker.

The 36-year-old announced in June that he had decided "to take some time off" after refusing to sign the official players' contract.

But his management company says he has entered the inaugural International Championship in China and the UK Championship in York.

And O'Sullivan tweeted: "Happy to be back in snooker. See you all soon xx."

He captured his fourth world title in May with an 18-11 victory over Ali Carter at the Crucible but afterwards spoke of his desire to take a six-month sabbatical from the sport.

He also found himself at loggerheads with World Snooker, the sport's governing body, accusing chairman Barry Hearn of "blackmailing" players and criticising plans for a revamped 50-week, 27-event circuit.

Announcing his break from the game the next month, he said he would not sign the players' contract because it was "too onerous". As a result, he made himself ineligible for any World Snooker-sanctioned event.

2012: 18-11 v Ali Carter

But O'Sullivan said he was not walking away from the game permanently and still wanted to "visit those places around the world such as China where snooker is enthusiastically received and adored".

The International Championship in China from 28 October to 4 November could now be the scene of his comeback after his management company, Grove Snooker, tweeted: "Good news. @ronnieo147 may be playing again. Contract clarified. UK and International in China entered."

The UK Championship follows in York from 1-9 December - a tournament he has won on four occasions, most recently in 2007.

Hearn confirmed that he met O'Sullivan on Monday evening and the player had now signed a contract.

"We are obviously very pleased that Ronnie has decided to come back to snooker, the sport he loves," said Hearn. "This is great news for his many fans around the world. We welcome him back with open arms."

O'Sullivan Confirms Sabbatical

World champion Ronnie O'Sullivan is to "take some time off" from competitive snooker after refusing to sign the official players' contract.

The 36-year-old announced the news on his official website.

His statement read: "I have not signed the players' contract as I feel the contract is too onerous."

Barry Hearn confirmed the news on the World Snooker website, saying the body "simply can't make exceptions for one player's individual requirements".

He added: "Ronnie is at liberty to enter our events and play on the circuit at any time, once he agrees to abide by the rules of the players' contract."

By refusing to sign the players' contract, O'Sullivan has made himself ineligible to participate in any World Snooker-sanctioned event - including Premier League Snooker, a tournament he has won for the past two years.

O'Sullivan still intends to play snooker away from the official circuit, however.

"I still want to play snooker and visit those places around the world such as China where snooker is enthusiastically received and adored," he said in his statement.

"I hope to remain involved in the sport in some way in the future."

O'Sullivan clinched his fourth world championship with an 18-11 victory over Ali Carter in May, and afterwards spoke of his desire to take a six-month sabbatical from the sport.

He has recently spoken out over the changes Hearn has made to the sport's schedule, accusing the World Snooker boss of "blackmailing" players.

O'Sullivan told BBC Sport last month: "Part of me still wants to play but I was that ill trying to keep up with the schedule, getting letters from World Snooker, and I'm not prepared to put myself under that stress.

"I know there's a big responsibility to promote the game and I'd play in any tournament if it was physically possible.

"But it's up to the governing body to treat the players right and say they don't expect players to travel to 27 tournaments a year."

Rocket Impressive in Carter Win

Ronnie O'Sullivan claimed the World Championship title for a fourth time with a comfortable 18-11 victory over Ali Carter at the Crucible........

O'Sullivan into Quarter Finals

Three-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan needed less than an hour to complete a comfortable 13-6 victory over Mark Williams at the Crucible.

Resuming at 11-5 and needing just two frames to secure a last-eight spot, O'Sullivan exploded out of the blocks with a frame-winning break of 66.

Though Williams took the next frame, O'Sullivan came out on top in a scrappy 19th frame to seal the win.

O'Sullivan will play 2010 champion Neil Robertson in the last eight, while Jones will take on Judd Trump's conquerer Ali Carter.

Coming into the match, two-time champion Williams had lost all three previous World Championship meetings with O'Sullivan and not beaten the former world number one in a ranking event for a decade.

The Welshman led 3-2 in a high-quality opening session but saw O'Sullivan win the last three frames to open up a 5-3 lead.

That became nine in a row as "The Rocket" delivered a stunning passage of cue artistry with breaks of 107, 74, 51, 68, 128 and 93 amid a barrage of blistering potting.

Williams, facing the prospect of losing with a session to spare, rallied with an 86 and took the last frame to force the match into Monday.

However, it served only to delay the inevitable as O'Sullivan won two of the first three frames to wrap up a fine victory.

Williams said: "I knew it was going to be hard and I'd have to win the first four frames.

"If you give Ronnie a sniff of a chance he just knocks in 50s and 60s in a matter of a couple of minutes. It's frightening to watch.

"If Ronnie plays anything like that, there's no-one left in this competition that can give him a good run.

"Robertson is the only man [who can] but he's just so far in front of everybody else that it's frightening."

O'Sullivan agreed that Robertson would pose a big threat, adding: "I think whoever wins this championship will have to beat Neil Robertson, and I've got to play him now.

"Neil's had a brilliant season, he's won the Masters. He's a big-time player and he's proved it on the big stage."

In the evening's other match, Jones resumed with a healthy 10-6 lead over England's Higginson.

However, the Welshman could only look on as Higginson reeled off four straight frames, which included breaks of 54 and 53, to level the match at 10-10.

Jones stopped the rot with a break of 50 to retake the lead before winning the next two frames, which included a sparkling 135, to seal victory.

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O'Sullivan Wins Ebdon Match

Ronnie O'Sullivan completed a 10-4 victory over old rival Peter Ebdon with few alarms to launch his bid for a fourth World Championship title.

The three-time champion, resuming 7-2 up after a dominant first session, made an 80 clearance to extend his lead.

Ebdon, champion in 2002, hit back to make it 8-3 before a run of 68 put O'Sullivan within one frame of victory.

Breaks of 45 and 51 saw Ebdon extend the match, but after an interval O'Sullivan sealed victory with a 54.

"All credit to Peter, he has had a fantastic season, won the last ranking event and is one of the hardest competitors on the circuit," O'Sullivan told BBC Sport. "He made it tough for me and I am just pleased to get the win.

"No-one runs away with it with Peter. He has won the title here before and he is one of the great competitors of our game."

O'Sullivan, who has recently been dealing with the after-effects of glandular fever, will face either two-time champion Mark Williams or China's Liu Chiang in the second round starting on Saturday, 28 April.

"Mark has a tough match there," he added. "I have played Liu a few times in practice and he has beaten me, so it will be tough whoever I play.

"But you don't expect any easy matches at the Crucible. It is just nice to get through and have the chance to go again."

Despite O'Sullivan's generous words for his opponent, who has twice beaten him at the Crucible, Ebdon showed little of the form that saw him win last month's China Open and his World Championship qualifier 10-0 against Alfie Burden.

After a riveting opening frame that could have gone either way but eventually went to O'Sullivan after 21 shots on a re-spotted black, the 41-year-old never got close enough to putting 'The Rocket' under any pressure.

A 103 break - his 107th century at the Crucible - helped O'Sullivan into a 3-1 lead, but he did not have to find anything approaching top form to end Monday's first session with a 7-2 lead, only a battling 90 from Ebdon in the last frame of the day keeping him in touch overnight.

It was a similar story when they resumed on Tuesday, Ebdon failing to profit from several good chances as O'Sullivan's greater scoring prowess proved decisive.

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Crucible Draws O'Sullivan and Ebdon

Three-time winner Ronnie O'Sullivan has been drawn against 2002 champion Peter Ebdon in the first round of the World Snooker Championship.

Ebdon has beaten O'Sullivan twice in Sheffield, won last month's China Open and beat Alfie Burden 10-0 in the final round of qualifying for the Crucible.

Reigning champion John Higgins begins his defence against Liang Wenbo.

And last year's runner-up Judd Trump faces a first-round encounter against Welshman Dominic Dale.

Much of the attention before the draw was on 17-year-old Belgian starlet Luca Brecel, ranked 87 in the world, who will become the youngest competitor in Crucible history.

And he has a stern task, coming up against Scotland's Stephen Maguire, a winner of four ranking events during his career.

But the most intriguing tie of the first round is world number 13 O'Sullivan versus old adversary Ebdon.

Ebdon, the world number 21, left O'Sullivan frustrated by his slow tactics during a famous Crucible quarter-final in 2005, which Ebdon won.

"People can say what they like but I don't care. When I'm trying my hardest I seem to go slow. I don't do it intentionally," said Ebdon, a three-time finalist, of that victory.

Ebdon also beat O'Sullivan in the semi-finals in 1996, while O'Sullivan beat Ebdon in the quarter-finals in 2001.

O'Sullivan-Ebdon will take place over afternoon sessions next Monday and Tuesday. Higgins will begin his campaign at 10am on Saturday, day one of the tournament.

Stephen Hendry, the record seven-time champion who came through the qualifiers, plays England's Stuart Bingham, while world number one Mark Selby plays left-hander Barry Hawkins.

Bingham upset Hendry, when the Scot was defending champion, 10-7 in the first round in 2000.

World championship first-round draw:

John Higgins (Sco) v Liang Wenbo (Chn)

Mark Selby (Eng) v Barry Hawkins (Eng)

Mark Williams (Wal) v Liu Chuang (Chn)

Judd Trump (Eng) v Dominic Dale (Wal)

Shaun Murphy (Eng) v Jamie Jones (Wal)

Neil Robertson (Aus) v Ken Doherty (Ire)

Ding Junhui (Chn) v Ryan Day (Wal)

Stephen Maguire (Sco) v Luca Brecel (Bel)

Graeme Dott (Sco) v Joe Perry (Eng)

Mark Allen (NI) v Cao Yupeng (Chn)

Martin Gould (Eng) v David Gilbert (Eng)

Stephen Lee (Eng) v Andrew Higginson (Eng)

Ali Carter (Eng) v Mark Davis (Eng)

Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eng) v Peter Ebdon (Eng)

Matthew Stevens (Wal) v Marco Fu (HK)

Stuart Bingham (Eng) v Stephen Hendry (Sco)

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Selby Grinds Down The Rocket

Mark Selby wore down Ronnie O'Sullivan in a gruelling encounter to reach the final of the 888 Welsh Open in Newport.

The Leicester potter won 6-2 and will play Ding Junhui, a victor by the same margin over Shaun Murphy earlier in the day, in the best-of-17-frames final.

O'Sullivan was the man in form heading into Sunday's semi-final, fresh from winning the German Masters, his first major ranking title since September 2009, and from knocking out Judd Trump in the Newport quarter-finals on Saturday.

Selby, though, has done enough over the past two years to be ranked the world number one.

Although O'Sullivan started as favourite, it was easy to make the case for his opponent who delivered a safety-first performance - the clever way to play against O'Sullivan - to advance to the meeting with Ding.

After a scratchy start from both players, Selby did enough to take the opening frame.

O'Sullivan did not make a pot, but it had still been slow going and it came as some relief when a fluent 80 from the three-time former world champion made it 1-1.

Selby was in with 34 in third frame but broke down and fell 2-1 behind.

Excitement was at a premium. Selby took a messy fourth frame to draw level at 2-2 at the interval.

He moved 3-2 in front in similarly unspectacular fashion after the fifth frame went down to the last three colours.

O'Sullivan played a poor safety on the blue and it lost him the frame. Selby cut the ball into the left middle pocket before rolling in a long pink.

It came down to a tactical exchange towards the end of the sixth frame, too, and again Selby came out on top, clearing from the final red to the pink to pull two frames clear.

O'Sullivan missed a red to the green pocket at the start of frame seven. Selby then missed a blue which he had left tricky by over-screwing.

It remained messy, a tough contest with neither man settling into a rhythm.

But that suited Selby more than it did O'Sullivan, and with a succession of visits to the table he was able to stretch his lead to three frames.

The eighth frame was all Selby, and the match was over in a hurry, to Selby's delight.

Ding impressed in beating Murphy to reach his first ranking event final of the season.

The 24-year-old from China has endured a largely disappointing campaign, suffering frequent first-round defeats and failing to reproduce the form which took him to the Crucible semi-finals last year.

But in Wales this week he has raised his performance, knocking out John Higgins early on, although he had more than a little luck when quarter-final opponent Stephen Lee looked like winning a deciding frame, only for a ringing mobile phone to distract him during a key shot on the green.

Lee missed, Ding took advantage, and against Murphy today he was dominant.

Murphy had the only century of the match, 126 in the second frame, but runs of 91, 71, 86 and 75 earned Ding his success.

Ding said on worldsnooker.com: "I'm really happy to be in the final and I played well today."

Murphy conceded he was well beaten, saying: "When you are playing the best in the world, you have to hit them hard, and I didn't do that today.

"I only finished two frames off in one visit and that's not good enough, I didn't take enough of my chances."

Ronnie Rockets Past Williams

Ronnie O'Sullivan's fine run of form continued with a 4-1 win over Mark Williams in the second round of the Welsh Open.

A recent winner of the German Masters, O'Sullivan sealed his place in the top 16 for the World Championship with victory over Marco Fu earlier in the week and he carried the momentum into his clash with Williams.

He started with a 125, sealing the century by knocking in a yellow with his left hand. Williams hit back with a 133 clearance of his own - only to see O'Sullivan counter with a 96.

Williams passed up a chance in the fourth and when he stuck a red over the pocket in the fifth, O'Sullivan steamed in to close out the match - extending his winning run over Williams which dates back to 2002.

O'Sullivan will now face good friend Judd Trump, after the youngster wasted little time beating Stuart Bingham in the evening session.

After seeing Bingham take the opening frame of the match, Trump reeled off four in a row - after a wasteful Bingham miss handed him the first of those - to claim a brisk 4-1 victory in an hour.

Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry is out after he was outclassed by Mark Allen. Hendry was beaten 4-0 by the Northern Irishman, who now goes on to face Shaun Murphy in the last eight.

Also through to the quarter-finals is Stephen Maguire, who beat Matthew Stevens 4-2, and Stephen Lee, who was a 4-1 winner over Tom Ford.

In the final match of the day, Mark Selby defeated Martin Gould 4-1 to complete the line-up for the last eight encounters.

Last 16 Secures Rocket World

Ronnie O'Sullivan reached the last 16 of the 888 Welsh Open with a 4-1 win over Marco Fu, in the process securing a place at April's World Championship.

Victory ensured O'Sullivan's place in the top 16 of the World Rankings and a place in the first round draw for the Crucible.

Matthew Stevens beat Barry Hawkins 4-3 to set up a meeting with Stephen Maguire, who beat Adam Wicheard 4-2.

Mark Allen also progressed with a 4-0 win over Ken Doherty.

If he had fallen out of the top 16 for the first time since his teens, O'Sullivan, 36, who won the German Masters at the start of this month,would have been forced to qualify for the showpiece tournament in Sheffield.

But he showed good form from the start against Fu, with breaks of 52 and 88 helping secure the first two frames.

He failed to pot a black from its spot before losing the third frame but wrapped up a 4-1 win with a superb 102 break.

Stevens was pushed all the way by Hawkins despite going 2-1 up with an impressive 141, the highest break at the tournament.

Hawkins fought back, with breaks of 71 and 123 helping him to the next two frames, but Stevens drew level once again and secured victory in the final frame.

He will now face Maguire, whose win over Wicheard included back-to-back centuries of 101 and 131.

Ronnie Makes Maguire Jump

Ronnie O'Sullivan captured his first ranking title since September 2009 after beating Stephen Maguire 9-7 in an absorbing German Masters final.

O'Sullivan hit 111 to win the opening frame but scored only 13 points in the next three as Maguire's 130, 106 and 128 gave him a 3-1 interval lead.

The last four afternoon frames were shared to give the Scotsman a 5-3 lead.

O'Sullivan, who was within one ball of defeat in the first round, moved 8-6 ahead and duly completed a fine win.

The 36-year-old, who has been playing despite suffering from glandular fever symptoms, had slipped to 16th in the world rankings at the start of the tournament and was in danger of falling outside of the elite group for the first time since he was a teenager.

Had he done so he would not have been granted an automatic place at the World Championship, an event he has won on three occasions, and would have faced a gruelling series of qualifying matches.

He seemed set to lose the final after Maguire extended his lead by winning the first frame after the interval following breaks of 46 and 69.

Maguire was also well placed in the next, but after compiling a 40 he later attempted a difficult red into the centre which allowed O'Sullivan back in, The Rocket took advantage and rattled in a clearance of 89.

O'Sullivan levelled after a fluctuating 12th frame and a break of 67 put him ahead for the first time since the opening frame.

After falling two frames behind, Maguire knocked in a clearance of 82 to keep the match alive but O'Sullivan responded with a 46 in the next, but after fluking a red to leave his opponent needing snookers, went in-off following an escape.

However, Maguire missed with an attempt at a difficult long blue, leaving a grateful O'Sullivan the chance to pot the winning balls.

"I'm coming to the end of my career so every victory now is nice," O'Sullivan said after collecting the trophy. "If I can nick a tournament here or there it's great - it would be nice to go out at the top.

"This is the best venue we play in on the tour. It used to be Wembley Conference Centre... but it's brilliant to play here and get to the final.

"All credit to Stephen, because he's had a great tournament.

"He's played really well and is playing as well now as when he first came on the scene and I tipped him to be the dominant player of the decade.

"He outplayed me today, I hung in there and nicked frames."

Maguire, whose last title remains the 2008 China Open, said: "I should have made it 7-5 but I played a bad positional shot and when it went 6-6 he had the rhythm - I think that was the turning point in the match.

"I've beaten some good players this week and if I'm honest I probably wasn't expecting to get to the final - but I can't look at it that way now... I just want to jump off a bridge."

O'Sullivan in German Final

Ronnie O'Sullivan has reached the final of the German Masters with a 6-4 semi-final win against Stephen Lee.

O'Sullivan headed into the Berlin tournament with his world top-16 ranking, and automatic entry to the World Championships, under threat.

But the 36-year-old has responded by reaching Sunday's final, in which he faces Stephen Maguire or Shaun Murphy.

He raced into a 3-0 lead against Lee, surviving plucky fightbacks to 3-2 and 5-4 before clinching victory.

O'Sullivan, seeking his first ranking event title in two years, needed an impressive showing in Germany to avoid dropping out of the top 16 for the first time since he was a teenager.

Failure to retain his place would leave the three-time world champion facing a series of qualifying rounds to make it to The Crucible in April.

But he looks to be safe after his victory against Lee, based on that blistering start, in which he took the first three frames.

After hitting back by winning the next two, Lee then miscued when given a chance to make it 3-3. And he was made to pay by O'Sullivan, who cleared from green to black to reopen a two-frame lead.

It proved costly as O'Sullivan took two of the next four frames to book his spot in the final.

The Welsh Open, which starts on 13 February, is the last ranking event to count towards seeding for the World Championship.

O'Sullivan Trumped at Ally Pally

Judd Trump saw off crowd favourite Ronnie O'Sullivan to reach the semi-finals of the BGC Masters at Alexandra Palace today.

Trump, the game's rising star and reigning UK champion, raced into a 4-0 lead at the mid-session interval in the best-of-11 encounter.

Although O'Sullivan looked better after the resumption – hitting a tournament-best break of 141 – Trump always had plenty in reserve and picked up the remaining frames required for a 6-2 victory.

His century break aside, four-time champion O'Sullivan failed to live up to the promise of his first-round win over reigning champion Ding Junhui, but the inexorable rise of Trump continues, and he will play Neil Robertson or Mark Williams in the final four.

The match got off to a scrappy start with neither player able to find their rhythm, but the frame eventually went the way of Trump with a 39.

O'Sullivan's safety play let him down in the next to open the way for Trump to rattle off an assured break that broke down at 66.

O'Sullivan attempted to play on but a missed red spelled the end of his efforts as Trump moved 2-0 ahead.

The Bristolian missed a red early in the third to clear the way for O'Sullivan to finally put a break together, reaching 49 before running out of options.

His attempted safety was not aggressive enough, however, and Trump needed no second invitation to surge back into the frame, a 78 clearance further extending his lead.

And Trump picked up where he left off in the next frame, a brilliant break of 140 – at the time the highest of the tournament so far – handing him a 4-0 lead.

O'Sullivan finally got off the mark with a 67 in the first frame after the break, but Trump responded in the next, three modest breaks putting him in charge after O'Sullivan had broken down on 28.

With Trump 55-28 ahead, the frame came down to an exchange of safety shots on the green, but when O'Sullivan left the ball over the hole, Trump had an easy chance to tuck it away and move to within a frame of victory.

O'Sullivan delayed Trump's celebrations with a supreme performance in the next frame, reeling off a break of 141 to stay alive at 5-2.

The 36-year-old looked like he might pull back even closer in the next when he made a good start only to break down on 54, which gave Trump just enough points on the table to clear up and book his place in the semis.