Barry Hawkins scored his first win over Ronnie O'Sullivan in eight years, prevailing 6-4 and knocking out the defending champion at the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship in York.
Hawkins has historically struggled against the record eight-time UK Champion. Today’s victory leaves him 18-3 behind in the head-to-head. He last beat O’Sullivan back in 2016, with a memorable 13-12 win at the Crucible.
The world number 20 had to run the gauntlet at qualifying to be here, having dropped out of the top 16 this season. Hawkins beat Alfie Burden in the last 80, before a Judgement Day win over Wang Yuchen earned him a slot at the Barbican.
The draw for the final stages provided a tough assignment for Hawkins, facing last year’s winner O’Sullivan. The 41-time ranking event winner lifted the famous trophy here in York 12 months ago, after a 10-7 defeat of Ding Junhui in the final. However, having appeared fleetingly on the circuit this season he is yet to hit top form.
The early signs this afternoon appeared to show that the Rocket was starting to click into gear. Breaks of 128 and 114 helped him to move into a commanding 3-1 lead at the mid-session interval.
When play resumed they traded frames, before a pivotal seventh. O’Sullivan punched the table in frustration after a missed red. The Hawk pounced and went on to move within one at 4-3 after a break of 73.
That missed ball from O’Sullivan started a sequence of 320 unanswered points, which moved Hawkins to the verge of victory. He won the next two frames with breaks of 75 and 88 to lead 5-4. A run of 60 then helped him to take the tenth and wrap up a famous victory. He now awaits either Xiao Guodong or David Gilbert in the last 16.
"It wasn't looking good at 4-2. Luckily Ronnie missed a red to the middle and that was maybe the turning point. I can understand everyone saying Ronnie was going to beat me. I've crumbled so many times against him in the past. I didn't today. I've finally got one over him after eight years."
Barry Hawkins
Four-time Ranking Event Winner
Hawkins added: "I felt good and I thought I was going to win the match. When I got the chances and felt strong. If I can take that forward into the next rounds then I will be dangerous. Sometimes that bottle just empties. When you are in the zone, you don't feel like you are going to miss.
"Everyone knows what he has done in the game. Every time you can get a win over him is great. I know he prepares really hard for these events. He looked sharp at the start of the match. It is easy to fall over and let him walk away with it. I'm pleased with how I stood up at the end."
On the other table, Shaun Murphy progressed with a thrilling 6-5 win over returning former champion Zhao Xintong.
Murphy is aiming for a second UK crown, having first captured the title back in 2008. The Magician has shown strong form so far this season, without capturing silverware. He was runner-up at the Shanghai Masters and made the semi-finals at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters. He has recently started working with Peter Ebdon, in a bid to add a killer edge to his game.
Zhao claimed the title here in 2021 with an incredible victory, which culminated in a win over Luca Brecel in the final. His appearance in York this week comes off the back of an enforced 20 months away from the sport. His performances on the Q Tour this season saw him earn a place in qualifying as an amateur. Zhao came through four matches to secure progression to the final stages.
A tightly contested opening frame this afternoon went the way of Murphy on the black. He then crafted runs of 98 and 76 to move 3-0 ahead. Zhao then rallied and took three on the bounce to restore parity at 3-3.
From that moment there was never more than a frame between the pair, with blows being traded right the way down to a decider. Murphy controlled the final frame and secured victory. He now plays either Ding Junhui or Robert Milkins.
Murphy said: "This is a guy who won here a few years ago, not a typical amateur. He was in the top 16 at the time of his suspension. He really put me under it. I should have been 4-0 up at the interval, but losing that frame gave him a foothold. From then it was anyone's game.
"I think I've gone a bit soft in the last few years. You forget that this is war. It is player vs player. There are no team mates or excuses. I have gone a little bit gentle. To have someone like Peter in my corner, he is someone who has been there and done it. He has felt those feelings and got through them."