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| Ronnie O'Sullivan reaches last four with clinical win over Shaun Murphy | Ronnie O'Sullivan reaches last four with clinical win over Shaun Murphy |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Ronnie O'Sullivan admitted he was surprised by the "easy" nature of his victory as he demolished Shaun Murphy to reach the semi-finals of the world snooker championship on Wednesday. | Ronnie O'Sullivan admitted he was surprised by the "easy" nature of his victory as he demolished Shaun Murphy to reach the semi-finals of the world snooker championship on Wednesday. |
| The defending champion completed a 13-3 win with a session to spare as he capitalised on a host of mistakes from his opponent and will face Barry Hawkins in the last four, after the Kent potter's 13-12 win against Dominic Dale. The Welshman had battled back from 11-5 down to 12-12 but Hawkins held his nerve to win a tense deciding frame. | |
| "You just never know what type of match you're going to get," O'Sullivan said. "You can expect a really tough match and it can turn out easy like it did with Shaun. I didn't expect to win it that easy, to be fair. He's a free-scoring, great potter. | "You just never know what type of match you're going to get," O'Sullivan said. "You can expect a really tough match and it can turn out easy like it did with Shaun. I didn't expect to win it that easy, to be fair. He's a free-scoring, great potter. |
| "He just missed a few balls and let me in quite easily. I still had to pot them but I didn't have to fight for my chances." | "He just missed a few balls and let me in quite easily. I still had to pot them but I didn't have to fight for my chances." |
| O'Sullivan claimed seven of the eight frames on Wednesday after overcoming an early 2-0 deficit to lead 6-2 overnight. | O'Sullivan claimed seven of the eight frames on Wednesday after overcoming an early 2-0 deficit to lead 6-2 overnight. |
| The five-times champion added the opening two in the morning to stretch his advantage before Murphy got a frame back in the 11th, but O'Sullivan followed that with a break of 118 to take a 9-3 lead into the mid-session interval. | The five-times champion added the opening two in the morning to stretch his advantage before Murphy got a frame back in the 11th, but O'Sullivan followed that with a break of 118 to take a 9-3 lead into the mid-session interval. |
| The restart was delayed for a short while due to a problem with the scoreboard and when play resumed O'Sullivan made a break of 59 before giving Murphy a glimmer of hope. | The restart was delayed for a short while due to a problem with the scoreboard and when play resumed O'Sullivan made a break of 59 before giving Murphy a glimmer of hope. |
| Murphy looked to be heading for a rare frame success but missed a routine pink and O'Sullivan gratefully took the opportunity to extend his lead further. | Murphy looked to be heading for a rare frame success but missed a routine pink and O'Sullivan gratefully took the opportunity to extend his lead further. |
| A missed green off the spot in the next frame summed up Murphy's performance as O'Sullivan again capitalised, closing out a comprehensive victory with the minimum of fuss. | A missed green off the spot in the next frame summed up Murphy's performance as O'Sullivan again capitalised, closing out a comprehensive victory with the minimum of fuss. |
| The six-times Crucible victor Steve Davis claimed Murphy had let an opportunity slip through his fingers after the match, saying: "At 2-0 Ronnie looked very shaky. He played a great snooker that Shaun failed to get out of, and from then the whole game swung around and Shaun effectively collapsed." | The six-times Crucible victor Steve Davis claimed Murphy had let an opportunity slip through his fingers after the match, saying: "At 2-0 Ronnie looked very shaky. He played a great snooker that Shaun failed to get out of, and from then the whole game swung around and Shaun effectively collapsed." |
| But Murphy insisted that was not the case and he was just the latest victim of O'Sullivan's brilliance. "I knew it was going to be a challenge," he said. "Nobody has beaten him here for nearly three years and I don't think there's a player in the game he hasn't done that to at some stage. | But Murphy insisted that was not the case and he was just the latest victim of O'Sullivan's brilliance. "I knew it was going to be a challenge," he said. "Nobody has beaten him here for nearly three years and I don't think there's a player in the game he hasn't done that to at some stage. |
| "Maybe I was due a good smashing up. It's very tough to take. I did have my chances in the game but all credit to Ronnie, when he got his chances he was very clinical and that's why he's the best." | "Maybe I was due a good smashing up. It's very tough to take. I did have my chances in the game but all credit to Ronnie, when he got his chances he was very clinical and that's why he's the best." |
| On the other table, Mark Selby also breezed through to the semi-finals after claiming the one remaining frame he needed against Alan McManus. The Leicester cueman came into the session with a 12-4 lead and the veteran McManus won the opening frame with a break of 69 to extend the contest. | On the other table, Mark Selby also breezed through to the semi-finals after claiming the one remaining frame he needed against Alan McManus. The Leicester cueman came into the session with a 12-4 lead and the veteran McManus won the opening frame with a break of 69 to extend the contest. |
| The Scot was among the balls again early in the 18th frame before losing position on 20, opening the door for Selby. A missed red to the middle from the 2007 finalist allowed McManus back to the table. He could not take advantage, though, and Selby closed out a 13-5 win to advance to a semi-final against Judd Trump or Neil Robertson. | The Scot was among the balls again early in the 18th frame before losing position on 20, opening the door for Selby. A missed red to the middle from the 2007 finalist allowed McManus back to the table. He could not take advantage, though, and Selby closed out a 13-5 win to advance to a semi-final against Judd Trump or Neil Robertson. |
| "I think it was four years since I was in the semi-final before, so it seems like forever with so many tournaments now during the season," Selby said. "I'm looking forward to it and can't wait to get out there." | "I think it was four years since I was in the semi-final before, so it seems like forever with so many tournaments now during the season," Selby said. "I'm looking forward to it and can't wait to get out there." |