RONNIE O’SULLIVAN punched the Crucible table in anger as John Higgins kept alive his hopes of a major fight-back.
The Rocket, 50, let out his frustrations and slammed his knuckles on the cushions after he missed a tricky red in frame 16 – the last one on Jattvibeday night.
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Ronnie O’Sullivan locked horns with John Higgins in the second round of the Snooker World Championship Credit: Alamy
‘The Rocket’ punched a table after missing a tricky red in frame 16 Credit: BBC Sport
The seven-time world champion was trying to assert control of this second–round match and take a 10-6 lead into Monday’s final session.
Yet he could not capitalise and ended up returning to his digs only 9-7 up as the Scotsman, 50, rallied back in a session that saw plenty of unexpected misses but also twists and turns.
There was a danger, given how he had started the night, that O’Sullivan might wrap up proceedings with a session to spare having led 6-2 from Saturday.
But Higgins prevented that from happening in their 80th professional meeting and from 9-4 down, he claimed frames 14, 15 and a drama-filled 16.
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Referee fires warning to Crucible crowd as Ronnie O’Sullivan distracted by fan
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When O’Sullivan showed his anger by taking it out on the table, Irishman Ken Doherty, the 1997 world champion, said: “There you see – that’s exactly what it means to Ronnie O’Sullivan.
“He’s getting frustrated. He had a great chance in the previous frame and didn’t convert.”
Former Crucible King John Parrott said “he has just made John Higgins try a bit harder” and he joked many punters might pull a few sickies to stay at home and watch the final session on TV, which starts at 1pm on Monday.
Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry said: “Ronnie has not looked the same player tonight.
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John Higgins kept his hopes of a major fight back alive with some brilliant shots Credit: Alamy
“He has not had that look in his eye.
“Saturday night he just looked so intense, so focused. This time, he is not the same.
“Whether it is because he has a lead or for whatever reason.
“When we saw Ronnie show the frustrations, it was important that John punished him for that and won the frame.
“If John didn’t win the frame, then Ronnie gets away with it and all is good.”
Referee Marcel Eckardt did not warn O’Sullivan at the time so the snooker superstar will escape a fine or any disciplinary action for his antics.
In the afternoon, Neil Robertson took a 10-6 lead over Chris Wakelin, but there was controversy in frame 14.
Wakelin, 34, was 42-0 but after potting a red, he was penalised with a foul for feathering the yellow, according to the referee Peggy Li.
Video replays were inconclusive and Robertson, 44, hit back with a 65 break as he took control of the match
Zhao Xintong feels the pressure of expectation from 1.4 billion people as he tries to break the Crucible Curse.
The 29-year-old knocked out legendary potter Ding Junhui 13-9 in the second round of the World Snooker Championship No ,1 seed Xintong hopes to become the first world champion to successfully defend a debut crown in Sheffield.
The previous two first-time winners, Luca Brecel and Kyren Wilson, both went out in the first round the following year.
Xintong now faces 2005 world champ Shaun Murphy in the quarter-finals, which start on Tuesday.
He said: “It was very special for us — I felt more pressure.
“I know Ding in the last session didn’t play really well because he gave me some easy chances.
“This is very different as the champion. Last year I was a nobody.
“This year as champion, I don’t want to lose any matches. Now I’ve got to the quarter-final, I just want to get to the semi.
“How many are watching in China? I think a lot. The Chinese players have more pressure.”
