Erratic O'Sullivan capitalises on Selby errors

Mark Selby let Ronnie O’Sullivan off the hook as an intriguing first session between two of snooker’s most potent potters was littered with mistakes and finished all square.

The Betfred.com World Championship quarter-final was expected to be a thriller following the superb Masters final which the pair contended in January, but it did not begin in the manner of that Wembley match, which Selby won 10-9 from 9-6 down.

O’Sullivan had been majestic in the concluding session to his match against Mark Williams yesterday, making three centuries and giving the impression he was finally enjoying his stay in Sheffield, only to then offer a depressing assessment of his chances.

This afternoon Selby looked to be getting under O’Sullivan’s skin and the quality was low as both players missed easy balls.

O’Sullivan finished off with a break of 81 to draw level at 4-4, but his potting was as unpredictable as his behaviour.

At one stage in frame three O’Sullivan sat in the front row with journalists while Selby played a shot, to the amusement of the audience, and then he left his seat to watch events on the other table for several minutes, peering around the curtain to check on Ali Carter and Shaun Murphy.

Those expecting a high-tempo match filled with century breaks were left to wonder what the two men were playing at during the first frame, which dragged on for 42 minutes and 17 seconds.

It contained nine fouls and a top break of 35, with the next highest break worth just eight.

O’Sullivan finally took it, and thankfully the standard then improved a touch.

Selby fired in an 84 after both men had spurned earlier chances in the second frame, and the Leicester man then took advantage of more slackness from O’Sullivan to edge ahead.

Going into the match Selby had indicated he would not be making any special plans for O’Sullivan.

He was certainly in no rush to play at the same pace as the three-time former world champion though.

O’Sullivan hauled himself level before Selby made a 90 break to edge ahead again at 3-2.

The tension in the Crucible theatre was high, and the two players barely seemed to exchange a word.

Selby conceded in the sixth frame with O’Sullivan 67-1 up, but with 67 points left to play for, deciding his opponent was bound to pot one of the reds he had left in open play.

Given the standard until then, it was by far a certainty.

Blunders continued to come from both men, and Selby won a seventh frame in which the highest break was his closing 25 as he pinched it on the final black.

Selby then twice got to the table and potted red and yellow before breaking down in the last frame of the day – they conclude the match tomorrow – and O’Sullivan made his highest break of the match.

On the other side of the curtain, the match O’Sullivan was taking such an interest in showed a 5-3 lead for Murphy after the opening session.

He made breaks of 70, 53 and 47, while Carter had runs of 47 and 51 in another all-English match which was failing to live up to expectations.

Earlier Steve Davis fell 7-1 behind to Australian Neil Robertson after failing to muster any of the old magic which had carried him past John Higgins in the second round.

Davis was making each shot look a painstaking effort, while Robertson brought more fluency to the table, and breaks of 92, 63, 57, 89 and 53 put him in a position from which he had hope of finishing the match in the evening session, with six more frames required for a place in the semi-finals.

Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen led 5-3 against 2006 champion Graeme Dott.

Allen finished the session with a break of 100, but Dott had recovered well from 4-0 behind, giving him encouragement for the second session.