Ronnie O'Sullivan holds a slender one frame advantage over Scotland's John Higgins in the final of the Irish Masters at the CityWest Hotel.
O'Sullivan leads 5-4 going into tonight's final session but it could, and perhaps should, have been more convincing after the 'Rocket' opened up an early 5-2 advantage.
However, the 2001 champion took his eye off the ball as this afternoon's session drew to a close and, having failed to pot a ball in the final two frames, left the door ajar for Higgins to come storming back into contention.
The first meeting of the two in a final since the 2001 World Championship, which O'Sullivan won 18-14 looked to be going all O'Sullivan's way in the early stages.
The first two frames were little more than a formality and, in truth, O'Sullivan was unlucky not to go 3-0 ahead when a long yellow wobbled in the jaws.
Higgins took the initiative and fought back to level at 2-2, but O'Sullivan went on to reassert his dominance and open a 5-2 lead.
However, the world number one inexplicably went off the boil after that and Higgins bridged the gap to 5-4 ahead of tonight's final session (8 p.m.) in the best of 19 contest.