Ronnie O’Sullivan closes on last-eight spot after Maguire beats Murphy

Ronnie O’Sullivan opened up a 10-6 lead over Ryan Day to move within three frames of another World Snooker Championship quarter-final appearance.

O’Sullivan, aiming for a record-breaking eighth Crucible success, built on a 5-3 first-session lead by making Day pay for a succession of missed chances.

A missed yellow from Day proved costly as O’Sullivan made an 82 clearance and, although the Welshman replied by winning a scruffy frame, the seven-time world champion did not have to get out of second gear to dominate.

The Rocket reached the break 8-4 ahead as Day’s carelessness was further punished with breaks of 65 and 89. The pattern remained the same after the interval as O’Sullivan cashed in on more mistakes with frame-winning breaks of 56 and 96.

But Day – who has not beaten O’Sullivan since 2011 – responded superbly with efforts of 77 and 75 to keep his faint hopes alive when the action resumes on Monday afternoon.

Stephen Maguire secured his spot in the last eight by beating Shaun Murphy 13-9. The pair have feuded for two decades after an incident in which Maguire was penalised a frame for forgetting his chalk and the Scot held off a late fightback from Murphy to seal victory.

He resumed on Sunday morning with a 10-6 overnight lead and continued his quest to reach the quarter-finals with a break of 68 before Murphy pulled a frame back. Maguire then moved within one frame of victory but Murphy continued to battle, a 67 break earning him the following frame before he took the first after the mid-session interval to trail by three.

However, Maguire sealed victory in style, hitting the only century of the match with a 127 to set up a quarter-final meeting with David Gilbert.

Maguire told the World Snooker Tour website: “[Murphy] looked like he was comfortable in that session, so I was starting to get geared up for a comeback and a close finish. Once I got my chance, I finished pretty well there.

“Me and Dave [Gilbert] get on and we’ve grown up with each other for the best part of 30 years. He is a great player. He’s not had a great season by his standards. I’m probably the same, so we are coming into a good game at the right time.

“The quarter-finals are the pressure matches. I’ve won a couple and lost a couple. It is a match you don’t want to lose in because that arena changes and it does become the best in the world with the one table.”

During Saturday’s session Murphy fist-pumped after winning a frame and Maguire admitted it provided him with some motivation. “Shaun made a mistake. He knows me well enough and I get down on myself,” Maguire said. “He won a frame I should’ve won and I was sitting there hating myself when the fist-pump came out and I thought ‘You’re having it’, and all my attention went on that.

“It was satisfying beating a player as good as Shaun is in the last 16 of the world championship.”

Mark Allen edged 9-7 ahead in his last-16 meeting with John Higgins in a tight encounter. After an even start, back-to-back wins in the 11th and 12th frames put Higgins 7-5 in front, but Allen then took control by winning the next four frames on the bounce – which included a 94 break – to lead by two. They will play to a finish on Monday evening.

Stuart Bingham fended off Jack Lisowski’s comeback to also take a 9-7 lead into Monday’s session. Bingham extended his lead to 6-3 after taking the ninth frame, but Lisowski responded by taking the next three to claw his way back into contention. However, Bingham, the world champion in 2015, finished strongly to take a two-frame advantage into the final session.

Kyren Wilson looked in fine form as he built a 10-6 lead over the Crucible debutant Joe O’Connor. Wilson has had a poor season and slipped to world No 12, but extended his 6-2 overnight lead to leave him in a strong position to reach a quarter-final against Allen or Higgins.