Ronnie O'Sullivan stepped up his bid for an eighth MrQ Masters title by reaching the semi-finals for the first time since 2019, scoring a 6-3 win over Barry Hawkins who was left frustrated by missed chances.
Hawkins looked the stronger player when he led 3-2, but failed to take opportunities in each of the next four frames, and paid the price as O'Sullivan booked a match with Shaun Murphy or Jack Lisowski on Saturday afternoon at Alexandra Palace.
"Ronnie was there for the taking," admitted Hawkins. "I had plenty of chances but I didn't take them. I kept losing control of the cue ball and making it difficult for myself. I wasn't intimidated - I felt good - but I just kept missing or running out of position. It's frustrating but I didn't deserve to win."
World number one O'Sullivan, who won this event in 1995, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2014, 2016 and 2017, is through to the semi-finals for the 15th time. He is looking for his third title of the season having landed the Shanghai Masters in September and the MrQ UK Championship in December.
"I must have gone through 25 cue actions then managed to find one that seemed to be ok,” O’Sullivan told BBC Sport. “I could pot a few balls and that settled me down.
“I have played a lot and travelled a lot since September, and been backwards and forwards to China few times which takes it out of you at my age. I have had a cold for four weeks, and I lost my hearing for a while when I was in China. So I haven't been well but I think everyone is the same - it's January.
“At the end I said 'sorry' to Barry because it was so bad. If I had played better than I'm sure he would have too and it would have been a good game. But it often seems that when I play badly, the other guy plays even worse. I didn’t feel pressure at all, maybe that's why I played badly, you need to feel nerves to gee yourself up. Let's see how it is on Saturday, it could be even worse. I need 12 pockets on the table instead of six.
"I'll go Champneys and have a nice chill out tonight, have a massage and a pedicure, then come back on Saturday and hope for the best."
Did You Know?
Rocket Facts
Ronnie O'Sullivan has played in the final of the Masters 13 times - no other player has reached more than nine finals. He first won the title in 1995 at the age of 19, and remains the youngest ever winner.