Snooker:Last year's runner-up Ronnie O'Sullivan battled his way into the 2007 SAGA Insurance Masters final, with a 6-4 win over Scot Stephen Maguire last night.
The 'Rocket's' scrappy semi-final victory at the Wembley Arena earned him a best-of 19 showdown with Chinese prodigy Ding Junhui at the £432,000 invitational event.
O'Sullivan, who refused to speak to the press this week following his unprecedented walk-out at the Maplin UK Championship last month, struggled badly to find top gear in front of a big crowd.
But in a surprise turn of events, he decided to speak to journalists - after booking his place in this showcase final. The two-time winner was far from happy with his performance, especially in front of his vocal home supporters.
"I'm so embarrassed," admitted O'Sullivan. "I thought everyone was laughing at me. Playing like that, I'll get beat in the final.
"That's a big loss for him. He must have been playing as badly as he possibly could to get beat. Stephen should be disappointed. I didn't think he could play as badly as that."
O'Sullivan won the opening frame with a 76 break, but from there on in it was scrappy snooker. Maguire, the 2004 UK champion, pinched a long-winded second which lasted nearly half-an-hour.
But O'Sullivan then won the next two frames for a welcome 3-1 interval lead. The world number three pocketed breaks of 48, 47 and 88 to leave Milton's Maguire sat in his seat.
However, refreshed and refocused following the resumption, Maguire compiled a cool 61 break - and then pinched the sixth frame to level the match at 3-3.
O'Sullivan raised his game again and - with an excellent 130 break, the highest of the match - edged ahead again.
The match went level again as Maguire battled his way back, before Chigwell potter O'Sullivan sunk a 41 and then a 69 break in the final frame to book his place in the £130,000 final.
"It was embarrassing really," said Maguire. "That's all I can say. He didn't even deserve to win it. Neither of us played well.
"I've never missed as many balls as that. The last time I did it must have been when I was 10. I still can't believe how badly I played. I should have got beat 6-0. It was a shame for the spectators, because the standard was not very good."
Earlier, Asian ace Ding blew away another Scot - six-time Masters winner Stephen Hendry - to make sure of his place in this year's final.
The 19-year-old teenager was not at his vintage best against last month's UK runner-up - but found his form after the interval to send world number one Hendry crashing out 6-2.
With another excellent victory - having already knocked out Welsh Open winner Stephen Lee and UK Championship winner Peter Ebdon earlier in the tournament - the ambitious Shanghai potter has, according to Hendry, all the makings of a future world champion.
Winner of a staggering 36 ranking event titles, the Perthshire cueman predicted: "I think without a doubt he's a future world champion.
"He's reminds me a lot of myself, the way he plays the game. He's phenomenal in the balls."