O'Sullivan hits back to set-up thriller

Ronnie O'Sullivan set up a nine-frame shoot-out with Mark Williams tomorrow afternoon to decide the battle of the former champions at the Crucible.

Williams let an 8-6 lead slip away as a fast-paced match reached an 8-8 deadlock at the end of the second session.

With five more needed for victory, the conclusion should be thrilling, particularly if the impressive break-building from both players continues.

The match has not seen a century yet, however tonight three-time former winner O'Sullivan fired in 86, 66 and 72 while Williams, champion in 2000 and 2003, responded with 54, 99, 48, 44 and 43.

O'Sullivan looked sharp initially, rifling in his highest break of the night in the opening frame to lead 5-4, having let Williams fight back from 4-1 down to restore parity in the first session.

Then he got desperately unlucky in the next frame, potting the first red and playing the yellow with a view to taking the white into the bunch, only for another red to drop in.

Williams profited from the foul, making 54 and later adding 31 to seal the frame.

In frame 11 the three-times winner broke down on 43 and Williams soon had an opportunity which he took brilliantly, finishing off with a doubled black into the left middle pocket.

O'Sullivan then fluffed a chance at the outset of the next frame and Williams fell just one point short of a century, running out of position.

When Williams got back to 51-48 from 51-0 after the mid-session interval, there was every prospect of him winning a fourth consecutive frame, but O'Sullivan laid an excellent snooker, got 12 points from it, and soon narrowed the gap to one frame.

Williams pulled away again to 8-6, and his opponent's interest looked to be flickering on and off. After one erratic shot too many, O'Sullivan rapped the table with his cue in frustration.

He was not finished though, and crucially took the closing two frames - the second from 32-0 down after Williams left him a red - to deny the Welshman an overnight lead.

Stephen Hendry had earlier missed a big chance to develop a lead against Mark Selby and had to settle for 4-4 after the first session of their clash.

Masters champion Selby predicted the match would be like a home fixture for Hendry, the seven-times Crucible winner.

And Hendry, the 41-year-old Scot, will rue the fact he did not lead after the session, having looked certain to go 5-2 ahead with one to play.

The opening two frames were shared, with Selby rattling in breaks of 52 and 71 and Hendry showing his old prowess by responding with 96 and 121.

But the match then looked to be tilting in Hendry's favour, as he attempted to join his fellow Crucible legend Steve Davis in the last eight.

He moved 4-2 in front with breaks of 52 and 43, and then developed a 75-0 lead in the next frame after firing in a 24 and a 51.

Selby needed two snookers, and he got them, Hendry conceding 11 points. He also needed all the balls on the table and potted them too.

It was a crushing blow for Hendry but clearly lifted Selby who raced through the closing frame of the session with an 87 break.

Another former world champion, 2005 winner Shaun Murphy, trailed 5-3 against Ding Junhui who made breaks of 68, 103 and 78.