In a thrilling quarterfinal match at the Shanghai Masters, Ronnie O'Sullivan of England secured a 6-3 victory against China's Ding Junhui. The 48-year-old defending champion showcased his exceptional skill, recording five breaks of over 50, including a remarkable 131-break in the seventh frame.
O'Sullivan's impressive performance extends his winning streak at the Shanghai Masters to 21 matches, positioning him to potentially claim his fifth consecutive title at the tournament.
Looking ahead, O'Sullivan is set to face his compatriot, world No. 2 Judd Trump, who advanced by defeating Si Jiahui 6-2 on Thursday. The other semifinal will see English players Mark Selby and Shaun Murphy clash, with Selby having overcome Pang Junxu 6-3 and Murphy defeating Zhou Yuelong 6-2.
Reflecting on his career, O'Sullivan mentioned, \"I'm trying to see if there's an appetite for me to go over and play pool at some point. I can't keep playing snooker against the young guys, getting up for it, match-in-match-out. I want to keep playing for the next 10-15 years, earning a living, having a good time.\"
Meanwhile, Murphy commented on his performance, stating, \"I feel like I'm one positional shot away every time, one bit of cue ball control from really scoring heavily. I've not had any centuries yet in the 12 frames that I've won in the Shanghai Masters at the moment, I just keep making 60s, 70s and 80s and I suppose that's good enough.\" He added, \"I think I'll need a bit more than that to get past my next opponent, up against my good mate Mark Selby. We've had so many good matches over the years. Best of 19 semifinal out here, center stage, it's not going to be one to miss.\"
Reference(s):
Ronnie O'Sullivan knocks out Ding Junhui at Shanghai Masters
cgtn.com
