RONNIE O'SULLIVAN moved into the semi-finals of the Benson and Hedges snooker Masters at Wembley last night thanks to a 6-4 victory over Stephen Hendry.
Hendry, attempting to capture a seventh Masters title in nine years, admitted: "It was a poor display from me. I missed an awful lot of shots and the vast majority of them were down to sheer carelessness.
When Hendry smoothly established a 3-1 lead at the mid-session interval he was on course to repeat his success against O'Sullivan in last year's final. But the first inkling that it might not be the world champion's night came in frame five when O'Sullivan missed a red from distance, split the pack far and wide and outrageously fluked another to a top pocket.
"That was a definite turning-point but there's no way I'm complaining. Luck works both ways in this game," said Hendry, who had salt rubbed into the wound as he watched O'Sullivan go on to construct a decisive run of 48.
A green to black clearance enabled O'Sullivan to draw level at 3-3 before the former UK champion struck another telling blow to Hendry's hopes in frame seven.
Leading 59-0, Hendry botched a safety shot, and O'Sullivan constructed a 74 clearance to pink and edged ahead for the first time in the contest at 4-3.
In the final frame, Hendry was quicker out of the blocks courtesy of a 61 break but he undercut a short range red when poised to make it 5-5 and O'Sullivan's reply came in the form of a 52 clearance to the yellow.
