Ronnie O’Sullivan is one of four players who are still in the hunt for glory at the semi-finals stage of the 2026 Snooker 900 Global Championship.
The Rocket is bidding to claim silverware in consecutive weeks following his triumph at the World Seniors Championship last Sunday.
In the inaugural staging of the Snooker 900 Global Championship in Reading, O’Sullivan edged Billy Castle in a dramatic 5-4 tussle in the last of Friday’s quarter-finals.
The 50 year-old, who is one of the backers behind the emerging Snooker 900 format, was pushed all the way by the amateur competitor but eventually got over the winning line with a break of 79 in the deciding frame.
O’Sullivan will face Kyren Wilson in the last four after the 2024 world champion also survived a scare before coming through as a 5-4 winner against Pankaj Advani.
India’s Advani, who was a professional on the main tour from 2012 until 2014, led 4-3 but miscued when in with an opportunity to seal victory.
Wilson pounced to take the game to a deciding frame, which he duly won to book his spot in the semi-finals.
The other semi-final encounter on Saturday will be between Luca Brecel and Joe Perry, who each also came through close fixtures in the last eight.
Brecel beat Florian Nuessle in another deciding-frame belter while Perry orchestrated a 5-3 triumph over Shaun Murphy.
Murphy was playing in his first competitive match since losing the World Snooker Championship final to Wu Yize at the start of the month.
But it was Perry who extended his good run of form having reached the final of last week’s World Seniors Championship where he was beaten 10-4 by O’Sullivan.
A second title-deciding bout in as many weeks between the pair could be on the cards, but they must first overcome their respective hurdles in the penultimate round of the competition.
The Snooker 900 Global Championship, with a total prize fund of £100,000, is using the new variation of rules that has gained popularity over the course of the last few years.
Frames are played over just 15 minutes – or 900 seconds – with a shot clock in operation and the ball-in-hand rule enabled when there are fouls.
It has proven to be entertaining to watch, although a bit like last week’s World Seniors Championship, some have questioned the generosity of the pockets.
The semi-finals both take place on Saturday over 11 frames, with the O’Sullivan-Wilson clash at 12:00 BST and the Brecel-Perry tie at 18:00 BST.
The best-of-19 frames final is then scheduled for Sunday, with live coverage available in the UK and selected regions on Pluto TV.
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