O'Sullivan reaches semis
Ronnie O'Sullivan booked a place in the semi-finals after a hard-fought 6-3 victory over Ken Doherty.
Neither player was at their best, but O'Sullivan always had the edge in the vital frames against the Irishman.
The pivotal frame of the match proved to be the eighth with O'Sullivan holding a slender 4-3 advantage.
O'Sullivan sneaked it off the final two colours when he potted a superb long pink and clinched the match in the next despite a 61 break from Doherty.
O'Sullivan was relaxed about his performance after a fluent performance against Doherty.
"I was quite pleased with winning some of the close frames, because Ken made it tough," said O'Sullivan.
"Ken is a very good tactical player and was able to keep me under wraps a bit, but I felt quite strong out there.
"I'm enjoying myself at the table and off it at the moment. It's important for me not to get too excited about it because it is only a game of snooker."
Doherty found it hard to hide his disappointment.
"I should have been 5-4 up and I was particularly disappointed to lose the last two frames, especially after being 61 up in the last," said Doherty.
"My safety play was pretty good in the first four frames, but it is crucial to win the close frames against the top players like Ronnie.
"The eighth was a huge frame, but you should never throw in the towel."
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And you thought American football was exciting.