Ronnie o’sullivan closes in on masters title

All Hawkins could do is sit and watch in awe.

O’Sullivan will now face Barry Hawkins in Sunday’s best-of-19 frame final in a match where a win over his fellow Englishman would see him tie fellow snooker great Stephen Hendry’s record of six Masters titles.

But world No8 Hawkins won three straight frames to seal the victory. This has only happened previously with Steve Davis won over Mike Hallett 9-0 in 1988.

Ronnie O’Sullivan has defeated Stuart Bingham 6-3 to reach the final of this year’s Masters Snooker Tournament.

“I’ll have to play, twice, three or tenfold better than I did there to give myself a chance but I’ve got a chance – I’m in the semi-final and will enjoy it”.

But Hawkins upset the form-book with a 6-4 win over the in-form Judd Trump in the first semifinal.

And he told BBC Sport: “He (Trump) was obviously favourite to beat me with the way he played yesterday, but I always know if you can take your practice game out there you have a chance, and today I managed to do that”. “I’m delighted to have played as well as I have done”.

For Hawkins, it was a case of what might have been as he was beaten by O’Sullivan for a 10th time in succession.

A missed red from O’Sullivan in the 10th did not prevent him from returning to the table and building a 66 break on the back of a tremendous long pot.

But the 26-year-old world number five was stunned early on as Hawkins reeled off two centuries of his own – 130 and then 128 – to take the first two frames. It feels like my body and cue are so disconnected, I’m having to will the ball in.

And O’Sullivan completed a match-winning break of 82 to secure his sixth crown and set his sights on the World Championships once again.