Stuart Bingham has knocked Ronnie O’Sullivan out of the World Snooker Championship with a superb 13-10 victory in the quarter-finals.
The Rocket came in as the hot favourite but couldn’t get away from Ballrun throughout the contest, with the match at 4-4 and 8-8 after the first two sessions.
O’Sullivan looked like he might finally be ready to fire on all cylinders as the final session begun on Tuesday evening, knocking in a break of 136 in the first session, but the pattern of the match continued.
Bingham would not be dissuaded and the world number one made far more unexpected errors than anyone is used to seeing from him.
O’Sullivan got increasingly frustrated, punching the table and arguing with the referee as he struggled to compose himself.
In the 21st frame O’Sullivan was riled by spectators coming into the arena after the interval on the other table and refused to play while the disturbance was ongoing.
That was fair enough, but as the referee encouraged him back to the table and he insisted she should ‘chill’ seemed out of order.
Bingham won that frame and then knocked in a century in the next to go 12-10 ahead and one from victory.
The 2015 world champion got over the line in a tight next frame for a famous 13-10 win.
‘It’s just the way it goes,’ the Rocket told the BBC. ‘I’m actually really happy, I’m getting through the ball, which is really important at this stage. It’s been a worrying couple of years. Not the win I’d have liked to have had, but that’s just snooker.
‘Good luck to Stuart, he played a fantastic match and deserved his victory. I’m pleased I competed and thought I was cueing okay. Just a few errors here and there, but on the whole, not too bad.
‘I was just coming here knowing it was going to be another difficult tournament, just like any tournament. No one’s got a divine right to win any match. A lot can happen in a game of snooker. That’s just sport.’
An emotional Bingham said after the huge win: ‘I’ve had a little cry at the back there. Unbelievable. I was just enjoying it out there.’
Bingham now plays Jak Jones in a hugely surprising semi-final line-up, with Dave Gilbert taking on Kyren Wilson in the other half of the draw.
The Warrior beat John Higgins 13-10 shortly before Bingham’s win, continuing his brilliant form in Sheffield so far.
Higgins was thoroughly impressed with the performance from Wilson, saying: ‘He was too powerful for me.
‘He had a couple of little wobbles, but he was far too powerful for me. He played great. It was a brilliant performance.’
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