Ronnie O'Sullivan Sets Up Higgins Clash

Ronnie O'Sullivan saw off the challenge from Shaun Murphy to set up a quarter final clash with world number one John Higgins.

O'Sullivan, who is on the hunt for a fourth title at the Crucible, went into the final session with a 9-7 lead over the 2005 world champion.

And the first two frames of the final session went the way of The Rocket with breaks of 128 and 119 to lead 11-7.

While Murphy reduces his arrears to three frames after winning the third of the evening a break of fifty four gave O'Sullivan a third to now lead 12-8.

It looked like it was going to be a 13-8 victory for O'Sullivan when a miss on sixty five points saw Murphy return to the table.

And Murphy didn't let the chance that O'Sullivan pass him by as he took the frame to begin a fightback.

O'Sullivan was at the table again in the twenty second frame and, despite being on forty five points, he was unable to clear up and Murphy once again took full advantage to reduce the lead to 12-10.

It looking like Murphy was going to move to within one frame of O'Sullivan but missed a red after a break of fifty six and O'Sullivan was back at the table.

Despite looking a little off form earlier in the evening but O'Sullivan put all that behind him to wrap up a 13-10 victory.

He will now face John Higgins.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw