Hendry and O'Sullivan set up semi clash

Ronnie O’Sullivan and Stephen Hendry will go head-to-head in the second semi-final of the Travis Perkins UK Championship in York after both players breezed through their quarter-finals tonight.

The pair both led 6-2 after this afternoon’s first two sessions, with O’Sullivan playing Quinten Hann of Australia and Hendry against Norwich’s Barry Pinches.

There was nothing stopping O’Sullivan, the British Open runner-up, and seven-time world champion Hendry from continuing the rich form which they have shown all tournament.

Both players only required the first evening session to fire their way through to the last four and if they can maintain their high standard of potting, then Saturday’s semi-final promises to be a real treat for fans at the Barbican Centre.

O’Sullivan in particular seems to be amassing century breaks for fun and with 104, 137 and 100 breaks in this match he has increased his tally to 11 centuries for the championship.

The Essex player admitted an outburst of emotion on Tuesday has helped rid of some of the weight which has been on his shoulders.

“It’s done me the power of good letting it all out,” O’Sullivan said. “I’ve spoken to my mum, we had a good chat. I’ve also spoken to my friends and it’s done me good. I know the issues I’ve got to address, so hopefully I can deal with them.”

O’Sullivan was again lethal and when he took the first frame of the evening session with a 100 break, the omens looked bad for Hann, who has now failed to win in all of his seven world-ranking quarter-finals.

O’Sullivan followed up with a break of 50, before Hann hit back with a spirited 69.

It only delayed the inevitable though and O’Sullivan snatched a scrappy 12th frame to clinch the match and leave himself an intriguing showdown with Hendry, who beat him 9-6 in Brighton last week.

“I’ll have to play better than that to beat Stephen,” admitted O’Sullivan. “He’ll be tough to beat, but it’s nice to be in the semi-finals of a world-ranking semi-final. It would be nice to get one over on him because he beat me the other week.”

Hann admitted he always feared defeat.

“Ronnie seems to be hitting the ball perfectly at the moment,” said Hann. “Once he got going he was hard to stop, he was playing well amongst the balls.

“He steam-rolled me, like he does. He intimidates me when I play him. I just can’t relax, but I didn’t test him.”

Hendry, meanwhile, secured his 12th world-ranking semi-final having also taken the first frame of the evening with a cultured 103 break.

He took the next with a 74 break, before qualifier Pinches responded with breaks of 31 and 55 to still leave himself an outside chance of causing another upset.

However, Hendry knocked in breaks of 39 and 42 in the final frame to send Pinches out.

“Stephen was like a machine today,” said Pinches.

Hendry was complimentary of Pinches despite his emphatic defeat.

He said: “Barry is a very talented, but he will learn from this experience. I know he can play a lot better, but if was comfortable all the way through. I’m playing great and enjoying it.”