Ronnie O’Sullivan booked his place in a record 14th World Snooker Championship semi-final after a tough 13-9 win over China’s Si Jiahui in Sheffield. In a match full of scrappy frames, O’Sullivan showed his class at the key moments to come out on top. He will now face Zhao Xintong—playing under amateur status—who beat Chris Wakelin 13-5 to reach his first semi-final.
O’Sullivan, known as “The Rocket,” is aiming to win an eighth world title, which would see him move ahead of Stephen Hendry’s total of seven.
In the other semi-final, Mark Williams will take on Judd Trump after edging out John Higgins 13-12 in a thrilling last-frame decider.
Williams, who had trailed 5-1 earlier in the match, led 12-8 before Higgins fought back with breaks of 94, 114 and 67 to force a decider. But the Welshman held his nerve after Higgins missed a tough blue, clinching victory and reaching his eighth semi-final at the Crucible.
Williams, 50, is chasing his fourth world crown, having last won in 2018.
